Comments on: The Guardian GameCamp

By: Trippenbach

Trippenbach — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:02:14 +0000

. . . See you Saturday, then.

By: Tadhg

Tadhg — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:24:46 +0000

It was a really great – if rambling though mostly my fault – day. There must be more. And soon!

By: Dinger

Dinger — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:42:36 +0000

For all the respect I have for Zoo Race, a game doesn’t have to be the analogue of The Story of Chinese Gods. (Okay, I confess, this reference is even too obscure for me. It’s one of those movies that comes on at unexpected moments; for me the first time was after my first Thin White Rope show; here’s a better picture of the surrealism involved if they don’t but me for deeplinking. (Somehow the backblast from all those links makes me grateful I’m not walking funny)), “religion in games” does not mean “confessional games.” Yeah, it’s a touchy topic, but it’s one that all artistic forms of human expression have explored, and not just in some simplistic “The nine = good. Deirdre = many wicked bitches” way (sorry, I, (and Cromwell right beside me) actually thought Chivalry was sweet, so nothing personal).
Come to think of it, from the Gygax prototype, just about everything else has taken on additional direction, but the “cleric” class remains untouched. I mean, come on, at the very least, you could extend benefit of clergy to laypersons.

Well, for the first time. You can’t be clerked more than once.

(wanders off yelling “really, is it so hard for a man to get a tonsure these days?”)

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:40:42 +0000

Any event with that many brownies could never be cool.

Also, the Jelly beans.

I should have dwelled on them more.

By: Jahkaivah

Jahkaivah — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:25:14 +0000

HUMAN SNAKE

By: Bobbie

Bobbie — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:49:54 +0000

Actually, despite Gillen’s unique ability to make everything sound like a poseurish gathering of secretive insiders obsessed with being cool, I really can assure you that it wasn’t very hipster at all.

I was in charge – how could it be otherwise?

By: Bitkari

Bitkari — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:33:12 +0000

The Graun really is the only mainstream press outlet that likes us gamers, huh?

Really good to see these sorts of events, even if they do come across a teeny bit hipster.

By: Simon Rogers

Simon Rogers — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:17:52 +0000

Dogs in the Vineyard looks awesome, though, and seems even to be questioning faith itself in the blurb (Does the sinner deserve mercy? Do the wicked deserve judgement?), which seems unusual for a religious title.

It’s not religious in the proselytising sense – it’s written by someone brought up in the Mormon tradition, but is studiously neutral on the rights and wrongs. The players decide that in game.

By: Aubrey

Aubrey — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:36:15 +0000

Huh, the guy sitting next to me was there! And I missed an opportunity to meet everyone? Including Tadhg? Dang.

By: Albides

Albides — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:34:16 +0000

While there were much decent and intelligent things said, I ended up finding it somewhat frustrating – it dwelt on the how while not touching on the more important “Why don’t they?” How’s are easy in games design, but it’s just back-seat designerism unless you actually do it. When the most obvious mainstream gaming religious statement in the last twelve months was Assassin’s Creed expressed disavowal of any religious position… in a game about the fucking crusades, this felt a little too much like Fiddling near a burning Rome.

But… what about Zoo Race?

I’m kinda thinking the how of it is kinda related to the why of it. Like Christian music or books, it’s going to evoke images of a sermon dressed up as art, both of them awful and not very fun. And I know this is unfair, since a religious game doesn’t necessarily have to be Christian (though it’s bound to be the religion we are most familiar with and the faith the word religion connotes to the West) or sententious or boring, but it’s just the idea most secular people have about religion.

That’s not to say a mature exploration of religious themes is impossible, but I hold no great hope anyone is going to come to it with fresh vision and good gameplay ideas.

I’ve said before that I’m a huge Elder Scrolls fan, but the lore has always been a huge draw for me, ever since Morrowind. Most people who played it have probably overlooked the 36 Sermons of Vivec, and probably wouldn’t be aware of the inspiration, but it’s an in-game text packed with very earnest occult references, particularly to Crowley and Thelemic theology, initially too esoteric to understand, but which the writer later developed into a full-blown Gnostic sermon, somewhat reminiscent of Alan Moore’s Promethea, but more esoteric and less preachy. And this clever, strange blend of fiction and faith is really what I’d love to see more of, as opposed to drivel like Left Behind.

Dogs in the Vineyard looks awesome, though, and seems even to be questioning faith itself in the blurb (Does the sinner deserve mercy? Do the wicked deserve judgement?), which seems unusual for a religious title.

By: Ben Abraham

Ben Abraham — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:12:06 +0000

Its interesting that alternative conferences like this are cropping up all over the place. I’m attending the “Convergence of the Real and the Virtual: The First Scientific Conference in World of Warcraft” which is on this weekend actually. Slightly different in approach and intention, but creatively skewed towards gamer nonetheless.

Link to the conferences Wiki page:
http://convergentsystems.pbwiki.com/

By: Mazo

Mazo — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:35:00 +0000

Dogs in the Vineyard is so cool-sounding. I’ve had a solemn vow for a while, now, to grab a copy next time I’m not completely destitute. Until then, I’ll settle with Kill Puppies For Satan.