Kotaku
When I was a little boy, my parents didn't actually let me play video games. "Rots the mind," they said. Instead, they encouraged me to use my imagination by building me a small 3x3x3 sound proof chamber that they called "Florian's Reflection Room." The walls were an unadorned white; the temperature a constant 72 degrees. Sometimes, they'd just lock me up in there for hours (although this is only a guess, since there was no way to tell time) encouraging me to expand the powers of my mind.
And expand they did! I had some just amazing adventures in that little box. For example, there was that one time when I imagined that I was an astronaut who had escaped earth seconds before it blew up, destined to float through the universe alone for the rest of my life, and no matter how much I hoped and prayed, I'd never meet another human soul as long as I lived and would die utterly alone. Or that time I imagined that I actually had thousands of little friends: imaginary spiders that scurried all over my body. You know, sometimes, in fact, I wonder if I'm not still locked in my Reflection Room, just imagining all this. But no. Solipsism's insane.
The point is that I can personally endorse this article, 'How to Play a Video Game on Paper.' Who needs a $600 console when you've got a 25 cent pencil and a piece of loose leaf? Who needs video game designers when you've got the rainbow power of imagination?
...
I never thought I'd see the day that playing video games got even more frickin' pathetic.
How to Play a Video Game on Paper [WikiHow, via Digg]
Comments
It's not a fucking video game if there's no video! This sounds about as fun as any RPG. -ZING!
Now I understand why you so fuckin' crazy...
12. ram pencil into ocular cavity
Who needs video game designers when you've got the rainbow power of hallucinogenics?
hey... I was raised on video games and I turned out video games
I have plenty of uh... er... wait have you guys seen the new Gears of War ad? FUCKING AWESOME!
Use a pencil so you can erase when he gets hurt.
Does that mean if you rub through the paper it's a critical?
Somebody get Jack Thompson on this. Someone must protect our nation's children from papercuts!
Someone bothered to write an article about this? I made paper side-scrollers all the time in grade school =]
Florian, I think I had one of those rooms in my college dorm. We called it a refridgerator.
And at least one PS3 game already has a faithful paper and pencil adaptation, it's pretty cool, and it's syndicated in most newspapers.
Haha i did this when i was a kid, but it was more to MAKE games i think. I made a cardboard gameboy, and made vertical cuts along the left and right sides of the "screen". Then i made long strips of paper that fit through those slots and drew levels on them, so i could drag the level paper up one hole and out the other across the "screen". I also made cutout enemies and stuff. I had a major crush on R-type for the gameboy at the time, i guess that's why.
You know what's sad? This was my childhood. Sure I had gameboys and crap, but this was much more fun, because I could add in all the fun crap developers left out of games, it lasted as long as I wanted, and was never too hard. Now we have got HD graphics to replace creativity.
On a side note, I love how tounge-in-cheek WikiHow is. Look up "how to cut paper with scissors" to see what I mean.
You know what's sad? This was my childhood. Sure I had gameboys and crap, but this was much more fun, because I could add in all the fun crap developers left out of games, it lasted as long as I wanted, and was never too hard. Now we have got HD graphics to replace creativity. You know, sometimes I miss paper games... but I guess that's how I got into D&D. it's the same thing, but more complex. Unnecessarily so, as well.
On a side note, I love how tounge-in-cheek WikiHow is. Look up "how to cut paper with scissors" to see what I mean.
I used to draw up levels, enemies, and character moves for the video game I would never actually get to invent.
I even drew up cutscenes, and story dialogue, scoring, and the display that would appear at the top of the screen.
...but I never got the job as a game designer that I wanted :(
Yeah I've always been doodling games. I wouldn't complain about going into the business but I'm becoming more of an animation person. Without any ability to animate :(. And me and my friend made a WikiHow on how to waste time in class...in class.
You know florian that's how homicidal pheodpiles got started...not saying you might be one.
ah what the heck, you are one aren't you??! damnit! tell us the truth! that's why you like posting little girl's pics and other pverted pics...
Potatoes.
Like others I used to draw up my own games as well. Mostly Maps for Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy esque games.
These designed included extensive character chasses, ablities, magic and weapon lists, complete with prices and locations to buy.
My friends and I had also invinted a way to play Final Fantasy 1 on paper using the Nintendo Power strategy guide.
Oh! I used to do it a lot as kid too (and also did some super sentai comics, lol)! And now I finally know why I'm so addicted to table top RPGs like D&D and GURPS! Thanks Kotaku, for leting me know about my innerself! Yay! :P
You know, this comment didn't sound too good, lol!
Hmm, didn't show up.
We used to draw up maps and designs for Final Fantasy and Dragon warrior type games. Also Mega Man bosses and levels. The RPGs would consist of entire magic, weapon, characters, and class lists.
We also invinted a way to play Final Fantasy 1 on paper using the NP guide.
Solitary confinement is ruining todays children. The government should really do something about it. Call Jack he'll take care of it.
Florian did you ever know that you're my hero?
I actually sat down with my friends last Tuesday and DM'ed 4 intro Dungeons and Dragons adventures for them.
It was insanely fun although I had never *really* played before or DM'ed. We had a ton of fun sitting together and them coming up with wacky things to try out. I worry that children's imaginations might be stifled by video games sometimes. Maybe not so much childrens, but teenagers and adults. I know when I got much more into gaming I daydreamed a good deal less. Maybe some connection?
I think the correct title is "How to masturbate with a piece of paper".
It talks all about using your imagination, yet if you had enough imagination to do this, you would clearly find more imaginative things to do than this.
This is like the instructions on a box of tooth picks.
Warnings
* People might think you are weird
They could've added "unrepairable psychological problems"
Wow, thanks, Florian, for showing me that I am not alone. You, however, are one sick bastard and are probably reading this over a snack of human brains.
Florian: pure comedic gold. Poet laureate of Gaming.
GOD O_O
someone has written over 2000 "how to" in the last week alone. Thats almost as sad as dieing a lonely astronaught. xD
It's called a Penicl and Paper RPG; look it up.
hehe
Wow, and here I thought I was the only one who drew video games as a kid. I filled four spiral binders with my insufferably lame platformer, "Caverns of Horror." It had lots of rooms, and lots of treasure chests (some with traps) and lots and lots and LOTS of these wingless-bird/bat things with poisonous beaks that hung from the ceilings, and...umm, actually, that was about all there was to it. I guess I didn't miss my calling after all.
you see... this is what action figures or legos is for
1km1kt had a contest not to long ago to do 24-hour RPGs based on video games. The results were interesting to say the least:
http://www.1km1kt.net/24hourrpg/
NEVER erase!
Draw each scene in a little box on the paper, and when you've finished filling up several pages with these scenes, scan 'em into the computer and color 'em.
Congrats, you are now a comic artist.
I actually did something similar with a few friends during class back in elementary school days (that was pre-Game Boy era). Wouldn't really call it "video game," but a paper-based RPG/adventure game.
Got to say it was quite entertaining back in the days. We fought through/drew everything ranging from squishy slimes to some crazy giant crab boss (no pun intended)... every character has various "weak points" scattered on them, and you attack by shooting pencils off on a piece of paper - hitting the different weak point will deal different damage... deal massive damanage when you hit the critical pointt seriously... that's how we played!!
Start a discussion:
Login with your username and password below. Or comment on this post via email.
Forgot your username or password? New User?