The latest series of The Great British Bake Off has come to an end, causing those of us hooked by its cream-filled buns, end-of-the-pier puns, and oddly sincere celebration of the human spirit, to feel as empty inside as an incompletely prepared batch of jam donuts. After a few days spent facing a future free from sugar, gluten, and the strange tension between Paul Hollywood and hosts Mel & Sue, I decided to do something about it. I emailed some game designers and asked them a question: if you were charged with making a computer game of The Great British Bake Off, how would you do it?
It’s not all news, opinions and minor complaints about videogames round here, you know. The games industry is bigger, brighter and smarter than the flood of trailers about shooting men to death might suggest, and I feel compelled to reflect that. As a new convert to the fine art of the poached egg (how did I manage to miss it all these years?), I was in need of significant help in perfecting the creation of this versatile, bird protein-based dish. But where could I possibly find it from? I turned to the one place I knew I could trust: the games industry. To use vinegar or not to use vinegar? Cling film or bespoke device? Salt or whirlpool? Shallow or deep-pan? There was much to consider. It seemed monstrously selfish to keep the advice of assorted developers, publishers and journalists to myself, however, so allow me to be your spiritual coach to poaching an egg – Oprah Vinegar-Free, if you will.
Contributing to this most essential of features are good folk from the likes of 2K Marin, Reflections, Ubisoft Montreal, Splash Damage, Positech, Honeyslug and Relentless, plus a raft of indie devs and games journos. Many, many thanks to everyone who sent in their eggstraordinary tips. That’s right, I went there. Read the rest of this entry »
