Very glad to see you taking the helm, Stephen. Good luck and congratulations!
As a player who made it to the Final Four of the Indiecade Metagame tournament, I can assure you all it's an amazing time, the cards are awesomely made and great to have, and you should all buy it. :-)
So would you then say, that it's even more stupid to spend time calling the people who are calling things stupid on the internet, stupid on the internet?
Well, I actually did not watch them, but I sympathize with the group of people who would prefer the show to stick around and improve, as opposed to getting cut altogether.
I sympathize with your rhetoric, Gus, but I found this to be written in such an incredibly condescending way that it sucked all the attempted positivity right out of it. I know you didn't mean it, but you sounded a mental millimieter away from saying "QQ more."
I also feel that you are intentionally ignoring the actual reason people complain about the VGA's. It's because they LOVE videogames and are sick of being coddled and demeaned because of that by B-List actors making sexist jokes. They're sick of having their passion embarrassed on national television. They have every right to be upset and voice that on the internet in hopes that enough voices will convince the "bad eggs" (the ones holding back your "good eggs") to go a little bit easier on the "good eggs" trying to class that up.
I'm all for having an optimistic outlook, trying to change things from the inside, but the way you insult anyone who is "mad about the VGA" awards pretty much makes this column sound just as childish and cynical as the people you claim to be taking the "higher road" with.
Stephen,
On the iPhone version you can tap letters in sequence, you do not have to draw a continuous line through them. That knowledge makes the controls much friendlier for the smaller screen.
Otherwise great pick. This game is extremely elegant and well designed and is one of the best mobile games of the year, in my opinion.
On the iPhone version you can tap letters in sequence, you do not have to draw a continuous line through them. That knowledge makes the controls much friendlier for the smaller screen.
Otherwise great pick. This game is extremely elegant and well designed and is one of the best mobile games of the year, in my opinion.
I agree with you, but mostly was disagreeing on an even more fundamental level of what a game is and how a message or vision can be conveyed with a system. Even if Kojima painted every pixel and wrote every line of code, I doubt whether the system of a game in its lowest level can convey a vision in the way Leigh describes (I'd like to think it can, but am honestly not that sure), and I certainly don't think it has much to do with why I love Metal Gear Solid or other games. I don't really know what I'm even saying, actually now that I think about it. :)
Leigh,
Wonderful piece. Metal Gear Solid 3 is also one of my favorite videogames of all time, probably my favorite action game. While, however, I think there are very different motives between our agreeing opinion, I did enjoy this piece.
Personally, however, this line struck me as a bit off:
"To me, video games are at their finest as an act of personal expression on the part of the creator."
My first essential problem with this line, is that I think it's hard to be convinced that the level of "personal expression" expressed by Kojima in these titles, has anything to do with the fact that they're games at all. All of the personal expression you describe is thematic, and while it certainly has traces of procedural representation throughout the series, it doesn't derive from the low-level system of the game at all, which actually may be incapable of carrying any expression or rhetoric by definition (I'm still unsure on that). Basically, this is my long-winded way of saying, to me, "games are at their finest as an act of personal expression on the part of the player as they weave their way through the system setup by the creator." Something many people have said before, that I tend to agree with a bit more than your perspective.
Still, I love Metal Gear, and I love the writing, but to me being "born from a vision or desire to say something" is not why the games are so great. To me, I love these games because I can either snipe a boss to death during a "cutscene," or turn off my system and wait two weeks for him to die of old age, or spot a glimmer in the distance and crawl, ever so slowly, up behind him, before shooting him with a shotgun. I love the style and ownership I feel with each action I take in a Metal Gear Solid game. The "vision, narrative, themes, and expressions," are all beautiful, but ultimately a frosting smeared over a system-cake that really has little do with them.
Anyways, as I said. Love the piece. To each their own. Foxdie for life.
Wonderful piece. Metal Gear Solid 3 is also one of my favorite videogames of all time, probably my favorite action game. While, however, I think there are very different motives between our agreeing opinion, I did enjoy this piece.
Personally, however, this line struck me as a bit off:
"To me, video games are at their finest as an act of personal expression on the part of the creator."
My first essential problem with this line, is that I think it's hard to be convinced that the level of "personal expression" expressed by Kojima in these titles, has anything to do with the fact that they're games at all. All of the personal expression you describe is thematic, and while it certainly has traces of procedural representation throughout the series, it doesn't derive from the low-level system of the game at all, which actually may be incapable of carrying any expression or rhetoric by definition (I'm still unsure on that). Basically, this is my long-winded way of saying, to me, "games are at their finest as an act of personal expression on the part of the player as they weave their way through the system setup by the creator." Something many people have said before, that I tend to agree with a bit more than your perspective.
Still, I love Metal Gear, and I love the writing, but to me being "born from a vision or desire to say something" is not why the games are so great. To me, I love these games because I can either snipe a boss to death during a "cutscene," or turn off my system and wait two weeks for him to die of old age, or spot a glimmer in the distance and crawl, ever so slowly, up behind him, before shooting him with a shotgun. I love the style and ownership I feel with each action I take in a Metal Gear Solid game. The "vision, narrative, themes, and expressions," are all beautiful, but ultimately a frosting smeared over a system-cake that really has little do with them.
Anyways, as I said. Love the piece. To each their own. Foxdie for life.
Whoever edited this video should be shot.
Is Metal Gear Solid HD Collection going on sale anywhere? I think I saw K-Mart may have it for 35$, is that it? What about the ICO / SOTC collection?
Please do not advocate for the fact that women should expect to be shit on when choosing to study game design. Please do not condone the blatant sexism of "boys will be boys" that exists in gaming. Also, please do not insult that piece of writing, which is very close to my heart. The reasons she did not speak up herself right away are far too subtle and complicated for someone with such a dismissive mind as your own to comprehend, so I will not bother to try to explain anything further, though to many I would posit that it's rather obvious.
Here is the issue:
[paxvalkyrie.tumblr.com]
There, right there, is a straight up story of a girl being devestated by gamer-guys who were DIRECTLY influenced and talking EXACTLY about "hot girls" in fighting games.
So there is your impending doom.
[paxvalkyrie.tumblr.com]
There, right there, is a straight up story of a girl being devestated by gamer-guys who were DIRECTLY influenced and talking EXACTLY about "hot girls" in fighting games.
So there is your impending doom.
Cheers to Kotaku and Stephen for writing all of these pieces. It's clear the commenters on this site will not go easily, but maybe if they read enough of it, they'll stop hissing and start re-thinking. Personally, as someone who was at this conference, I found Killians response that "Japan was a very different place," and the crowd's laughter filled reaction to it, only showed that even amongst groups as educated and brilliant as the people who were at Practice, this issue is still not taken as seriously as it needs to be. Next Stephen and Leigh, I expect a write up on how Matt Boch fought valiantly (and succeeded), to keep Dance Central from rigidly applying a misguided sense of gender restrictions into their franchise.
Seth took the point maturely, but by passing the misguided buck to everyone in Japan, I believe he somewhat faltered in his response. I only hope he was persuaded to take a more stern approach to his Capcom friends in regards to this on his next visit.
Also cheers to Parker for bringing this up, but as others have said, let's call them "women," not "females."
Seth took the point maturely, but by passing the misguided buck to everyone in Japan, I believe he somewhat faltered in his response. I only hope he was persuaded to take a more stern approach to his Capcom friends in regards to this on his next visit.
Also cheers to Parker for bringing this up, but as others have said, let's call them "women," not "females."
I thought we'd all established months ago that this game was incredibly sexist? Apparently not. I mean, I'm glad you wrote this, Kirk, but personally I feel like you could've been more direct and just flat-out condemned it.
Frozen Synapse is the perfect Facebook game. Too bad it's not on Facebook.
Hey everyone! So I co-designed a Big Game that will be a part of the Big Games program at IndieCade this year and we are going to playtest it in New York City a few times before the event to refine some new mechanics and rules.
It's a game where partners are tethered together (by a rope fed through a pool noodle!) and one is blindfolded. The blindfolded player must lead their partner around, solely by their partners auditory direction. It takes place in a public space, like Washington Square Park, and involves collecting special items in the area worth varying points. The more teams that play at once, the better!
All are welcome, please check out the Facebook event if you're around or want to learn more!
[www.facebook.com]
Thanks! #speakup
It's a game where partners are tethered together (by a rope fed through a pool noodle!) and one is blindfolded. The blindfolded player must lead their partner around, solely by their partners auditory direction. It takes place in a public space, like Washington Square Park, and involves collecting special items in the area worth varying points. The more teams that play at once, the better!
All are welcome, please check out the Facebook event if you're around or want to learn more!
[www.facebook.com]
Thanks! #speakup
Hey everyone! So I co-designed a Big Game that will be a part of the Big Games program at IndieCade this year and we are going to playtest it in New York City a few times before the event to refine some new mechanics and rules.
It's a game where partners are tethered together (by a rope fed through a pool noodle!) and one is blindfolded. The blindfolded player must lead their partner around, solely by their partners auditory direction. It takes place in a public space, like Washington Square Park, and involves collecting special items in the area worth varying points. The more teams that play at once, the better!
All are welcome, please check out the Facebook event if you're around or want to learn more!
[www.facebook.com]
Thanks!
It's a game where partners are tethered together (by a rope fed through a pool noodle!) and one is blindfolded. The blindfolded player must lead their partner around, solely by their partners auditory direction. It takes place in a public space, like Washington Square Park, and involves collecting special items in the area worth varying points. The more teams that play at once, the better!
All are welcome, please check out the Facebook event if you're around or want to learn more!
[www.facebook.com]
Thanks!
Hey Everyone, as a part of NYU Game Centers 24 game event for the charity, Child's Play happening now ([gamecenter.nyu.edu] I'm going to be doing a QWOP run for charity.
At 6:30pm tonight I will play QWOP ([www.foddy.net] for an hour straight and will be donating 50 cents/meter of my longest run of the hour to Child's Play. I'm encouraging others to make their own pledges on the post about it here:
[therobertmeyer.com]
The pledges are self-policed, and you can always donate right away using the top link here, but I thought this would just be a fun way to get people involved and raise money for the awesome charity.
At 6:30pm tonight I will play QWOP ([www.foddy.net] for an hour straight and will be donating 50 cents/meter of my longest run of the hour to Child's Play. I'm encouraging others to make their own pledges on the post about it here:
[therobertmeyer.com]
The pledges are self-policed, and you can always donate right away using the top link here, but I thought this would just be a fun way to get people involved and raise money for the awesome charity.
Hey Everyone, as a part of NYU Game Centers 24 game event for the charity, Child's Play happening now ([gamecenter.nyu.edu] I'm going to be doing a QWOP run for charity.
At 6:30pm tonight I will play QWOP ([www.foddy.net] for an hour straight and will be donating 50 cents/meter of my longest run of the hour to Child's Play. I'm encouraging others to make their own pledges on the post about it here:
[therobertmeyer.com]
The pledges are self-policed, and you can always donate right away using the top link here, but I thought this would just be a fun way to get people involved and raise money for the awesome charity.
At 6:30pm tonight I will play QWOP ([www.foddy.net] for an hour straight and will be donating 50 cents/meter of my longest run of the hour to Child's Play. I'm encouraging others to make their own pledges on the post about it here:
[therobertmeyer.com]
The pledges are self-policed, and you can always donate right away using the top link here, but I thought this would just be a fun way to get people involved and raise money for the awesome charity.
