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STEVEN SUKKAU
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There are plenty of smart developers out there, so why do so many of them make dumb games?
Monday, May 14, 2012 |
Comments (8)
POST BY THIS AUTHOR (36)
We're at war. No one wants to admit it but Humanity's under attack. One very specific man might be all that stands between Humanity and the greatest threat of our brief existence.
Monday, April 30, 2012 |
Comments (5)
It's a hard choice to be sure, one we all must make.
Monday, April 30, 2012 |
Comments (6)
And I always think about giving up videogames for lent, imagining how much God had better appreciate the seriousness of the sacrifice, and how much time extra time I would have to exercise and plan romantic dates for my wife. But it got me thinking, are videogames really an indulgence in the flesh? Or can they reflect the an act of meditation?
Thursday, April 05, 2012 |
Comments (0)
I have not finished Mass Effect 3, but without a doubt, I believe Shepherd has to die. We have created a being so monumental, his achievements so astounding, there is nothing left for him to do except ascend to godhood. There can be no conflict, at least interesting conflict, after the Reapers. Bioware has committed narrative suicide.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 |
Comments (4)
Watching people play videogames on television and in movies is dishonest and embarrassing. Either gamers are lifeless husks glued to the screen or over-stimulated maniacs mashing on controllers. This medium deserves better.
Friday, March 16, 2012 |
Comments (16)
Writer Andrew Groen shares some helpful tips for amateur video game journalists looking to make it big.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012 |
Comments (19)
Bitmob has an audience, writers have stories and advertisers have money. In the constant exchange of free community content for an audience, does everybody get what they want? Or are community writers exploited?
Thursday, March 01, 2012 |
Comments (28)
Motion controls are fundamentally changing the way our brains think while playing games. Their language speaks to us differently than "press A to jump" and understanding this difference reveals why they need more separation from traditional games.
Friday, February 24, 2012 |
Comments (6)
It's only in balancing the monumental and the mundane that a game becomes great. Skyrim flounders in endless side quests while Final Fantasy 13 locks players into a prison of the main narrative. But Final Fantasy 13-2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution get the balancing act just right.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 |
Comments (0)
Kingdoms of Amalur recalls the best parts of being a kid at play: feeling powerful, in control and living out a fantasy. Motion controls remind us of the worst parts of childhood: feeling limited, unskilled and struggling to perform basic tasks.
Monday, February 13, 2012 |
Comments (14)
In-game currency encourages people to keep playing, giving even the most mundane tasks a sense of purpose. But what happens when all that money becomes pointless?
Friday, February 10, 2012 |
Comments (12)
Trusting a writer to make a game is like hiring a marine biologist to fix your toilet. All you're left with is a lecture on saving the ocean and nowhere to pee.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012 |
Comments (24)
COMMENTS BY THIS AUTHOR (216)
"I think this idea here, "but the stories we tell are the same in any medium" is a bit of a misconception. Telling the same story, but in a differerent medium fundamentally changes the story. Reading the script for a Dear Esther is probably a very different experience than playing the game, even though technically it's still the same story. The reason a video game doesn't effect you in the same way watching The Road does, is because of the different mediums, not because of the story. The medium dictates the power of a story."
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
"Thanks for the kind words Rob, and I haven't played Demon Souls but from what I've seen it makes a lot of interesting design choices, and I bet that's what makes it such a refreshing experience.
And that's a perfect metaphor, if every sentence had to mention someone shooting guns or someone dying, it would definitely devolve into crass and muddled story.
Thanks for the link, I think I've read articles about that article, but I'm glad to read the original. Hocking really sums it up nicely about Bioshock, "we are mocked after a 20 hour commitment for having sympathy for the limitations of a medium. The ‘twist’ in the plot is a dues ex machina built upon the very weaknesses of game stories that we – as players – agree to accept in order to have some sort of narrative framework to flavor our fiddling about with mechanics. To mock us for accepting the weaknesses of the medium not only insults the player, but it’s really kind of ‘out of bounds’"
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
"Yeah, I was very impressed with the "would you kindly" twist at the end. Definitely an interesting comment on videogames themselves. But unfortunately, while pointing out the limitation of the genre, Bioshock doesn't actually move beyond it, Levine just seems to point it out. And here's the kicker, immediately following this meta revelation, you're stuck in a generic, cliched boss battle! ugh.
And when you say you can't kill a child, I think that's Bioshock's biggest failing. I would way prefer a more nuanced decision, one with no right or wrong answer. Or maybe, if you saved the children, you couldn't use plasmids. That would be a REAL choice.
With your MGS 2 example, I would say the gameplay actually shapes the narrative quite a bit. The story is off-the-walls bonkers. I cannot stress how ridiculous the narrative is. But all I remember about the story is being confused. What really stuck with me is doing naked cartwheels, playing as a character I DID NOT WANT TO PLAY AS, and fighting Dr. Octopus on the roof of the capital building. Kojima wanted to tell a story that made you question reality, a post-modern story. But he also made you question reality through the gameplay as well.
You need both story and gameplay to make a smart game, but I would suggest gameplay is by far more important. The focus should be 90% on gameplay and 10% on narrative. It's too bad many developers seem to try telling stories with their priorities the other way around."
And when you say you can't kill a child, I think that's Bioshock's biggest failing. I would way prefer a more nuanced decision, one with no right or wrong answer. Or maybe, if you saved the children, you couldn't use plasmids. That would be a REAL choice.
With your MGS 2 example, I would say the gameplay actually shapes the narrative quite a bit. The story is off-the-walls bonkers. I cannot stress how ridiculous the narrative is. But all I remember about the story is being confused. What really stuck with me is doing naked cartwheels, playing as a character I DID NOT WANT TO PLAY AS, and fighting Dr. Octopus on the roof of the capital building. Kojima wanted to tell a story that made you question reality, a post-modern story. But he also made you question reality through the gameplay as well.
You need both story and gameplay to make a smart game, but I would suggest gameplay is by far more important. The focus should be 90% on gameplay and 10% on narrative. It's too bad many developers seem to try telling stories with their priorities the other way around."
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
"I like that analogy, it was kind of trojan horse, bringing in some more thoughtful content but still wrapped up in the FPS. And that's the other thing, can "smart" games grab that large audience and still make a profit? Or are they stuck to being indie titles? But maybe there's nothing wrong with that?"
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
"Yeah, I mean it's hard thinking deeply just watching an action movie, how much harder is it to actually be the guy doing the shooting and thinking deeply about his or her motivations and the implications of one's actions? It's like trying to read The Heart of Darkness while someone shoots a rocket launcher at you. It just doesn't have the same effect."
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
"Awww, no May writing challenge? I love the writing challenges! I look forward to them! Why are you doing this to me Chris? I thought we were pals!? :)"
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"Haha, that pretty much sums it up! Great work man!"
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"I just hope nobody reads the url too closely haha"
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"Dang, that's embarrassing! I should've caught that as well. Is it possible for you to somehow erase the "Shepherd's Choice" from the jpeg altogether? And then if I correct the spelling on the article heading I think we should be good. As it stands now the article heading and the subtitle seem redundant. Let me know if that works for you!"
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"haha and you just know the model has no freakin clue what she is advertising"
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
"*insert name into hat*"
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
"Do it! I actually had a blast with this, even though drawing is not my greatest strength. It does stretch you creatively though, which i think helps you grow as a writer/creative person etc. Kudos to Chris for taking a risk and challenging us like this!"
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
