Kotaku
space giraffe
Posts Tagged “
Criticism
”
space giraffe
criticism
Towards a Better Game Review Structure
There's a lot of dissatisfaction regarding how games are reviewed coming from a number of quarters; there is an equally vociferous defense of the typical numerically-based reviews. Over at GameSetWatch, Simon Parkin takes up the issue of the reviewer-reader divide, especially in terms of what readers want out of a review (even if they don't know it): More »
criticism
Problems in Game Criticism Today
Over at PopMatters, the capstone of a nine-part series by L.B. Jeffries; this edition's topic is the problems with game criticism today. Reviews and critical pieces are generally worlds apart — and critical reviews should be providing feedback for the makers of games in a way that a standard review can't: More »
critical criticism
'Reconciling the Irreconcilable': Criticism and Gaming
Lots of people have taken the criticism bull by the horns the past couple of weeks: with the Resident Evil 5 kerfluffle, the expected lead up to the GTA IV launch, and various other reasonably recent debates all coming together, it's no surprise that a number of talented writers have latched on to the faults of the gaming community (namely, we can dish it out but we can't take it). Mitch Krpata of Insult Swordfighting is the latest, and he takes on some recent community uproars: More »
criticism
Why the Term 'Gamer' Does Not Need to Go
Last week, Douglas Wilson made an impassioned argument for why the term gamer needs to go; this week, Rene Patnode, a fellow soldier in the grad school trenches, responds with his take on why the term gamer does not need to go the way of the dodo:
... change to the fan sub-culture appears inevitable, but yet so are reactionary responses from the fans. But those responses are soon swallowed up by the progress of the sub-culture on the whole. Given this inevitability, is there reason for concern?After all, the course of history has already begun to unfold. In the same way we gaming old-timers may look down on PlayStation fanboys (for the record, I'm a Nintendo man), those same gamers who cut their teeth on the PS2 may denigrate the n00bs who are just learning to waggle their Wii-motes. Wilson's critique may in fact stem from his own nostalgia for the good old days before a series of tubes became the internet we now know and love, and flame wars became easier to ignite.
He makes some good points on the nature of subcultures in general, and where we gamers may be headed on the whole.
Si, Ceci Est Un Gamer [GameSetWatch]
sports
What Exactly Are Simulations Simulating?
In a slightly different take on the old 'we take too much from film techniques' argument we're all familiar with, a post at the Brainy Gamer takes on television techniques in simulations. Madden et al. aren't simulating playing a sporting event, he says, but watching one on TV:Less has been written about the defining role television plays in the design and presentation of games, especially sports titles. Long-running franchises like the Links series of golf games have gone by the wayside, largely because their simulation of the sport relied more on playing the game than watching it played.More »
criticism
'The Church of Gamers': Why the Term 'Gamer' Needs to Go
According to Douglas Wilson, we're a rather unenlightened bunch: mass histrionics from the 'Church of Gamers,' as he describes it, are shooting the industry/people who play video games in the proverbial foot. Of course, he's picking out the worst examples (the militantly defensive) to cry for greater participation, less exclusivity, more political consciousness (beyond media issues), less misogyny .... Ouch. While we're all blindly worshipping at the altar of gaming, we're missing out on opportunities to expand: More »
game criticism
'PvP: Portal vs. Passage'
Nick Montfort, a professor at MIT and GrandTextAuto contributor, has declared (with a some analysis) Passage is a superior game to Portal. Now, if the goal of games at large was to make people think, I might agree. But I think stating that "there are really two big ideas in these two games: The passage of a person through life and the idea that takes control by default in the other, supposedly message-free game, the passage of SKUs through retail stores is going a little far. But like most provocative statements, I suspect it was intended to spur discussion as much as draw attention to a little game like Passage, and the comments section doesn't disappoint: More »
jonathan blow
Jonathan Blow On Marketing, 'Lying' to Players, Passage
Oh, Jonathan Blow. You're so painfully pretentious it would almost be cute if you didn't go zinging so far over the line almost every time you open your mouth publicly. The maker of the forthcoming XBLA title Braid is back with another discussion of his views on the industry, this one really launching off on a new - wait, no, it's the same old, same old. I'm really curious to see the end product of his game, but I could do without the pretentious attitude that reminds me of hipster indie music people. It was fine the first few go rounds, but someone needs a new schtick, pronto: More »
game reviewing
Can Game Critics Cheat? Ethics In Reviewing
Chris Dahlen has an interesting post up on the issue of cheating in video games, in particular whether game reviewers can (or should) cheat. Of course, anyone is capable of cheating their way past a tough spot, but should reviewers be held to a higher standard? Dahlen points out that reviewers who admit to taking shortcuts or blowing past extra features or side quests tend to cause people to throw a fit; on the other hand, is galloping through a game at a blinding pace good for anyone, reviewers especially? Is there any hard and fast rule for this sort of stuff? More »
game design
Jonathan Blow's Montreal Int'l Games Summit Presentation
Jonathan Blow pops up occasionally on the news radar, either in relation to his game Braid or in regards to his view on the nature of games today (frequently both in combination). He's ever so helpfully provided a zip file including the full audio of his Montreal International Games Summit presentation (given a couple of days ago) entitled "Design Reboot" and all his slides from the lecture. The presentation clocks in at one hour, a not insignificant time investment - Blow complains in his blog that "a number of news sites have written stories about it and people have started commenting on what they feel is the validity or the invalidity of the arguments," but the comments are only taking into account 2% of the whole speech. I'd venture a guess it's because that 2% is the stuff we've heard before, and the most likely to spur discussion (and calling modern MMO design 'unethical' will usually do that). Rock, Paper, Shotgun sums up one of the hot points of the lecture thusly: More »
criticism
Bioshock Vs. Portal, A Matter of Choice
Since complaining that video game review are broken, I've gotten a lot of questions along the lines of, "Well, what do you like then?" One weekly criticism I can't get enough of is Leigh Alexander's Aberrant Gamer. Like any good critic, Alexander explores all of those feelings we had while experiencing a game that we otherwise might not verbalize (or fully appreciate), combing through the content for themes, subtext and symbolism.
This week she takes on Portal. For anyone who hasn't finished it or Bioshock yet, there are spoilers ahead. But the comparison she makes between player choice in each game...just read it:
More »
film
'Shaping the Community' - Games Need To Be More Like Film?
Gamasutra has a piece up by Andy Robertson on what the game industry can learn from the film industry - at least in terms of fostering a sense of community. Game companies, you see, are apparently falling down on the job of giving their fans some 'ownership' in the final product. It's transparency of the design/production process that makes the hit! Who knew? Lord of the Rings wouldn't have been as successful a film without the rabid community surrounding the films (hasn't Tolkein always enjoyed a mass following of dedicated fans)? Halo 3 is a hit because of relative transparency between company and fans? The Playstation blog is turning around years of crappy PR for Sony? Maybe it's just the fact that I'm on my last nerve after a week of fires, declining air quality, and more fires in San Diego, but my gut reaction is 'You've got to be kidding me': More »
space giraffe
Space Giraffe Is Like Joyce's Ulysses?
Via GameSetWatch comes an musing on Space Giraffe, Yak Minter's psychedelic shooter that people seem to either love or hate. The author is Jonathan Blow, the guy behind Braid, and he says you either get Space Giraffe (and love it), or you don't (and hate it, giving it 2/10 when you write your review). More ».jpg)
criticism
Game Geezers Grinding Their Gums at 12-Year-Old Goldeneye Critic
The Addicted Geek ran one of our younger brethren, a 12-year-old gamer nicknamed Minigeek, through the gauntlet of GoldenEye and recorded the boy's responses for posterity. Addicted did it for the sake of testing the supposed "timelessness" of the title, and he was vastly disappointed with the boy's lack of sensitivity for his entrenched nostalgia. More »
chuck klosterman
Klosterman: There Are No Game Critics
Rock critic Chuck Klosterman asks, in the July '06 issue of Esquire, "Why are there no video-game critics?" In a piece titled 'The Lester Bangs of Video Games', Klosterman rehashes a postulation familiar to any fan of games and games journalism. More »
psp
Ready At Dawn Boss Harps on PSP Devs
According to Games Industry, the president of Ready At Dawn studios has some harsh words for PSP developers. Didier Malefant said, "There's obviously not as many titles as people would want on the platform, but at the same time, up until now there hasn't been any title that really gives you the same kind of experience you could find on the PS2." On the contrary, I think lots of PSP games give you the same experience you get on the PS2, just lower res, poorer controlling, crappier versions of it. Oh, a cheap shot! Kidding and snark aside, the PSP is starting to grow into its own gaming machine. This year looks to be shaping up decently for it. More »
media criticism
