Sundays are for tea and compiling a list of interesting videogame readings from across the week for the RPS-audience’s delectation, while trying to not break into an improvised tribute to a real titan who passed this week or link to a pop song. Must… try…
- I get to the RPS-Sunday Papers document and I find three – count ‘em! – stories from Gamasutra. That’s a good week, so let’s make ‘em top story. Firstly, the history of the original videogame(tm) Space War. Secondly, on the design of the RPS-lusted-after APB. Thirdly, on them examining the point where accessibility goes too far, specifically around the automatic walkthrough system. Which is worth thinking about. After all, you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. I think that’s the naive argument. Much like quick-save and in-game teleportion, if it’s there, you’re going to use it.
- 2000AD is a British weekly comic which has… well, it’s influence on the British side of development in the eighties is a fascinating one to trace. IGN ran an article this week about its best moments which makes fun reading. Fundamentally, punching straight through people is important. 2000AD always understood this.
- Its site has been static for a while, but Greg Costikyan officially shut down indie-portal Manifesto this week. He wrote a little about the experience here. I suspect he’s right in his diagnosis they were simply too early.
- I mentioned Tom Chick’s interview with Sims 3 producer MJ Chun which I suspect got over-shadowed by the debate about religion. Which is obviously my fault. It’s really worth reading. Chick’s smart and presses in directions that few would, and Chun is smart enough to roll with them as far as she’s able.
- In a week where death has been a regular leitmotif, this real-death-MMO story in LoTR caught my eye. Especially because it’s a fake. That this sort of thing is as common as it is depresses me. I let it depress me, as I’d rather be depressed than retreat into cynicism.
- Aleks Krotsoki takes a quick swing at Sex In Games.
- Jim and I have been in love with these all week. James Barnett’s paintings of videogame landscapes. It’s the sort of thing you could write an essay about, y’know (And thanks to Antony, who brought it to my attention)
- Over at GSW, Phill Cameron interviews the creator of Dear Esther. Which I still haven’t played. Man!
- I’m not going to repost any of the horror-images which resulted from RPS-sims release to you guys. But here’s a short story. I totally kick ass.
- Here’s Slashdot’s link-collection of the Guardian speaking to experts in games-physics. It’s a click-train-follow-orgy.
- Serial Consign on “locked-city syndrome”. While well phrased, I’m not sure I’m down with this one. It strikes me a lot like a “If only you could talk to the monsters – now that would be something special” argument.
- The death of veteran writer Steven Wells (“Swells”) threw Alec and me entirely. We were far from alone. Alec always claimed that he doesn’t really remember actually being influenced or having particular respect for any journalist as a teenager – but it was only with Swells’ passing that he recalled… oh, yeah. Swells. Conversely, yours truly, who read the press so intensely I could probably sing along with reviews, had never forgot Swells. Less a writer, more the proverbial force of nature, he’s taught me that agreeing with the writer is never the point – and I’m pleased I had a brief conversation with him in an elevator once, just to have seen him in the flesh, to know he existed out of CAPS in newsprint. I didn’t admit any of the above, but he could probably sense it by the fact the 22-year old was twitching and trying to not visibly soil himself. Put it like this – the occasional taste for rilllyfuckingextrememetaphors, hyphen-abuse AND ALL FUCKING CAPS is, I suspect, derived entirely from Swells. If you’re not aware of him – and I suspect that most of you aren’t – I strongly recommend you read his final piece for the Philadelphia Enquirer. If you like the cut of its jib, he wrote two earlier much longer pieces about his experiences in the medical system. They’re funny, brutal, human and made me laugh and tear up in equal measures. He’ll be missed, to say the least, and I can only imagine the insult he’d throw at me if he’d read me saying something so sappy.
- Yeah, on Saturday night, when this dropped there wasn’t a single person in the entire club not on the floor.
Failed.
Related Stories:
Heh. Those main quests really are quite shit, aren’t they.
From the afore-linked article by Steven Wells;
“Do you agree that I Kissed a Girl was one of the top five songs of 2008? …
How did you do?
Yes to all? Damn but you’re smart.”
Am I missing something? This man was an opinionated moron.
“I’m afraid you’re right but I don’t think that should be the problem of developers, really. To me that points to a mentality problem prevalent under gamers, that they need to change. Maybe gamers should take some responsibility and/or grow up, not just jump on the first exploit they stumble upon.”
I disagree. Game design is about psychology in many ways, as this is part of how games can be art, commenting on the human condition by reflecting it back at the humans playing it. It would be presumptuous of developers to take a problem that is known about and assume it’s the fault of the players.
A similar thing is Bioshock’s wrench. Bioshock does reward repetitiveness, which is a shame for a game with so many interesting toys to play with. Hell, the wrench is, as far as I can remember, the only way to regain health for free in the game.
Theres a studio somewhere that proff that shorcuts can create trafic problems (there are the same number of cars, in less space).
What you want, maybe is not what you need.
So let’s talk to the monsters. It’s shorthand for the cheapest review trick in the bag, hitting them for not doing N, where N is outside the scope. It can often bite back. (although Evil Genius actts of infamy would have been better as X-com style missions)
But on the other hand, as much as I love smashing things up, I have broader interests. A good game should make me forget them. If you’re talking to monsters, you’re either not getting it or there’s something’s horribly discordant.
You know, like going to a club for a Ramones concert, crowding the stage at the start of the act, only to see a skinny dude with an n-sync t-shirt place a boombox on the drumkit and press ‘play’.
I’m sorry exactly what is this referring to? Even googling doesn’t help me out here.
Haha damn, i messed up the q cite bit.. Above was @Anaphiel
I have no desire to analize why smart people may like POP. But since theres not quality on most POP the quality has to come from the audience. People see on POP more than there really is in it. Theres not attemp to make something simple, POP is simple because it is. The infantilism of POP is not a trick, or a gesture, or a pose, POP is infantil.
Ignore my last post. I was just kidding.
@Gap Gen
“I disagree. Game design is about psychology in many ways, as this is part of how games can be art, commenting on the human condition by reflecting it back at the humans playing it. It would be presumptuous of developers to take a problem that is known about and assume it’s the fault of the players.”
I don’t see it as any more presumtuous than assuming the problem, such as it is, is always the fault of the game or the developers. Personally I’d like to have more choice in how I play games, provided that doing so doesn’t compromise the game itself in a meaningful way. You’re point about games as art carries some weight with me, but not every game is art or needs to be treated like art.
Then again, I’m skeptical of Kieron’s assertion that gamers in general will necessarily go for the easiest route to victory, and even if they do I’m not sure why I should care; there are a lot of games out there with cheat codes and there always have been. That doesn’t keep me or anyone else from playing them without using cheats if we don’t want to. I don’t see any convincing reason to think Nintendo’s walkthrough thing will be any different.
@D, I was referring to the GSW interview with the creator of the Dear Esther mod that Kieron links to above.
And of course I spelled his last name incorrectly. Should be “Pinchbeck”.
Those Swells pieces were a punch in the gut, man. And I mean that complimentary like.
@oddjob’s Link, specifically Swells calling out a band I like.
Hey, nothing wrong with Counting Crows. They’re nicely twangy, setting moody aside.
And @nobody-in-particular, because this isn’t even on the radar:
There’s also nothing wrong with getting wild. Absolutely nothing.
In regards to MJ and nights out this weekend.
THIS http://open.spotify.com/track/6PZDXTlPfO7nBN1Cd7c3zv
was the absolute winner people cry-dancing god damnit!
From the 2000 AD article:
“The moment when Judge Dredd is face to face with Judge Fear and he takes him out with a punch is a wonderful reductio ad absurdum. ”
Nothing like first year college students throwing around complex terms they don’t really understand. Nothing.
Lilliput King: Holy crap, an opinionated journalist? Good lord! How dare he! He should present only the blandest possible overview of whatever it is he’s writing about. I mean, you know, music journalist is essentially the same as news reporting, just about records and stuff. There’s no chance that anything like taste or quality or even craftsmanship could enter into the equation.
…in other words, just because you disagree doesn’t make him a moron. (Or you either, for that matter. The important thing is that you think about this stuff and don’t just let it flow through you unexamined.)
Has anyone modded Doom so that you *can* talk to the monsters yet?
Yes, it’s called Strife
Re: The paintings. Which game is Michelle’s Place from?
Gap Gen is absolutely right. Most people are lazy, and will take shortcuts that are put in front of them, even if they regret it later. I have no doubt that the walkthrough feature will be popular; I also have no doubt that it’s not good for games. Like many modern conveniences, it will ultimately make life less interesting.
“The ultimate result of shielding man from the effects of folly is to people the world with fools.” — Herbert Spencer
Nevermind, I just answered my own question.
Grand Theft Auto 4.
I want to play a mod of Doom where I get to be the monster.
Wait that’s Left 4 Dead.
@Saul
“Like many modern conveniences, it will ultimately make life less interesting.”
OK, you can’t possibly not see the irony of you posting that on the internet, on a web site about video games, presumably from a comfortable and secure home of some sort while you enjoy the feeling of having a more or less full stomach.
Left 4 Doom
Let’s me this happen people.
me= make
$ ./gtkRadiant make me left4doom
gtkRadiant [-map ] [ -gl ] [ -mesa ]
Make me Left 4 Doom command not recognized.
ERROR.
$
FhnuZoag – Strangely, they did that in the Doom novels…and not very many people liked those.
Ah 2000AD, it used to make my Saturday mornings when that came through the door, after having impatiently waited all week for the next installment.
Shame it all started going down the pan when they brought out the Dredd Megazine and started splitting the weekly Dredd story between it. Personally I thought it was a rather cynical ploy to double their sales, and it didn’t help that the quality of the other strips in 2000AD, in terms of both artwork and storyline, seemed to be getting weaker, and I haven’t bought it since.
Those paintings… aren’t very good. I guess that makes me DIM (Disappointed Internet Man)
—
The ‘Automated Walkthrough System’ does, however, make me Hulk-shirt-rip into AIM. Accessibility is about making your game easier to play, not easier to not play. I feel like I’m getting more and more hadcore simply by standing still, even though in real terms I’m getting less and less hardcore as I have less time to play games and make less purchases.
“Edge’s review of Doom hit it with a 7/10″
Seriously? SERIOUSLY?
Jesus, talk about being the guy who didn’t sign the Beatles.
P.
Obligatory obscure game reference:
http://www.doomworld.com/10years/doomcomic/
Hmm. Solipsist, im not suggesting being having an opinion is particularly bad journalism. He is, after all, not reporting.
But theres a peculiar technique you see regularly amongst opinion columnists in which a cogent opinion is never really explained, and all you are left with is a lot of vague, generic non-conformist bullshit. That article being a particularly good example.
Sound and fury, signifying nothing, hmm?
“Less a writer, more the proverbial force of nature, he’s taught me that agreeing with the writer is never the point ”
KG
Actually, one side-effect of Nintendo patenting the in-game walkthrough is that it drastically reduces its chances of becoming popular, if indeed no other company can emulate it.
Games already have hints for people getting stuck. But these are mostly subtle and only occur if the user obviously isn’t getting it – and this is a completely valid and good thing to do, since it provides a good balance between reducing frustration and giving people a challenge.
Drat, that was not meant to be in italics, and Kieron’s quote was supposed to be just above it. I’ll never learn to use this infernal contraption.
The internet will only hurt us.
KG
Given the rough description of the Nintendo patent in the article, I’d've thought that the large number of YouTube video walkthroughs, and previous in game hint systems, would demonstrate enough prior art to make it invalid.
I guess it doesn’t help that Nintendo has a large amount of money and lawyers, which really seems to be all that counts for anything when it comes to patent law…
“This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by the IFPI”
Now that’s cold.