Published by Charles Joseph May 29th, 2008
in Opinion and Links.
Greg Costikyan has compiled a list of who he believes to be the most influential game designers (across all mediums) over on Play This Thing.
Seems like he did it off the top of his head, and he admits that it’s North America-centric, but it’s already being extended in the comments. There’s one name that should be familiar to all of us, and a couple of omissions that I can think of. For instance, why have Hideki Kamiya but not Shinji Mikami? Where are all athletic designers, like Dr. James Naismith, who created Basketball?
Whatever it’s deficiencies, it’s a fun exercise and everyone should jump in with their own contributions!
Published by Charles Joseph May 28th, 2008
in Readings and Links.
Emily Short is an interactive fiction (IF) author who has started writing some interesting things about games from a narrative perspective. IF grew out of and away from text adventures, which means that they’ve been grappling interactivity and narrative while everyone else has just been talking about it.
Over on GameSetWatch she has an article about the storytelling potential of games like Diner Dash and Miss Management. The article itself seems to meander a bit, but basically she seems to be saying that the intimate, moment-to-moment interaction with characters in these games can create a strong bond with the player, and that this bond is not being fully exploited in the narrative structure.
Published by Charles Joseph May 27th, 2008
in Readings and Links.
Published by Charles Joseph May 22nd, 2008
in 300 Words.
One of my favorite things about Toshiro Mifune’s performance in Yojimbo is that its sheer physicality convinces you that his character would be more than a match for 30 armed warriors.
In the same way Call of Duty 4 convinces you that the technological edge and organization of the western military forces is what allows a relatively small group of soldiers to take on an entire city. At the same time the narrative of Call of Duty is about the helplessness of a single soldier in the face of borderless geo-political warfare.
Perhaps the most talked about moment in the game is when you watch a nuclear explosion go off in the city you just fought your way through. From the chopper that’s carrying you away you watch the blast tear apart the other helicopters before crashing yours. For the next several minutes the only thing you’ll be able to do is crawl out of the wreckage, past the dead bodies of your comrades, and watch the enormous mushroom cloud as you die.
More interesting however is the passage where you sneak silently through an abandoned Russian city, past the feet of armed guards and rolling tank treads. The whispers of the soldier who is escorting you and the quiet of the large, empty city contrasts with the climax of the level, which is loud, violent, and short. Probably the most affecting stage is when you become the gunner of a AC-130. Invulnerable, you calmly mow down fleeing soldiers on the ground far below you, following the advice of a disembodied, matter-of-fact voice overlooking the carnage with you.
They say that all war movies are anti-war movies. With it’s striking contrasts of power and impotence, courage and violence, Modern Warfare comes close to being the first anti-war FPS.
Published by Charles Joseph May 20th, 2008
in Games and Links.
Ian Bogost (or at least his company) has a new game out about federal spending called Budget Hero. The game has you selecting up to three goals for your budget, such robust defense, environmental safety, etc., then increasing or decreasing spending in several areas by play ‘cards’ particular to each category. Underneath it all you can track the surplus or deficit of your proposed budget and the percentage of the GDP that you’ll spend. When you’re finished just click a button and see your decisions play out over 20 years.
The game should win an award for confusing/bad interaction/UI design. It’s alright though, because all you really need to do is click on ‘Taxes’ and then play the card that says “Repeal the Bush tax cuts, tax the rich”. This will generate enough money to pay for almost any of the goals that you selected. Yay for procedural rhetoric…
Published by Charles Joseph May 14th, 2008
in Readings and Links.
There’s an interesting article by Kieron Gillen up on The Escapist about the aesthetics of Gears of War and the game’s maturity level in general. His basic argument is that most of the people who criticize GoW for it’s ridiculous storyline and over-the-top machismo don’t rest the same harsh gaze on titles like Devil May Cry, which celebrate heroes and stories that are just as insipid. His point ends up being that there’s an important place for juvenalia in culture, but it also served to make me wonder just how low my standards are when it come to games. Personally I don’t think that Gears had the level of self-awareness that excuses something like Bad Boys II, but that’s just me. Either way, Gillen is always a good read.
Article here.
Published by Charles Joseph May 7th, 2008
in Current Events.
Yesterday two of our own, Charles Berkeley Miller and Bob Clark, presented their thesis projects to the Interactive Telecommunications Program of NYU.
Charles B presented on the educational board game he’s been working on called Political Capital and Bob talked about his project to fix dialogue in games. You can read their abstracts here and here.
Hopefully they’ll post video soon, for those of us that couldn’t make it!
Published by Charles Berkeley May 5th, 2008
in Readings and Links.
Cracked did yet another list, but this time it actually brings up some interesting questions/complaints:
7 commandments all video games should obey
Thanks to Teo for bringing this article to my attention.
Outside, a decent but far from perfect game according to this review.
Moments after a horse named Big Brown accomplished a feat in the Kentucky Derby that only a great horse could accomplish (win from the 20th and last gate), the runner-up Eight Belles — a competitive filly — fell to the ground as she was ridden out long past the finish line. Two broken ankles. Within moments, she was euthanized before Big Brown had even reached the winner’s circle.
I was at the betting window when I had heard the news. I had just watched the race in person and screamed for joy as I saw the filly cross the finish line to complete my exacta. Trying to beat the rush of fans collecting their winnings, I stood in line and watched a monitor for the results to become official. The man behind me seemed frustrated and disappointed about something — and those are very rare feelings for anyone standing in line to receive their winnings. He then told me that the filly had just been put down. I told him it couldn’t be, that she finished 2nd. I was sure of it. The gutsy little horse that I had promised all of my betting friends that “she’s so competitive, she’ll die trying to win this race” had just ended her short life. Suddenly I too was a little less giddy about my winning ticket.
Continue reading ‘What Happens When the Magic Circle is Pulled From Beneath Your Feet’
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