Kotaku
history is fun!
Posts Tagged “
History
”
history is fun!
history
'Playing With History': the State of Historical Games
We historians are a little protective of our respective domains — but a constant (and well-deserved) criticism we lob at each other in general is that through various means, we deliberately make ourselves inaccessible to the average, interest layperson. Over at Terra Nova, Nate Combs takes up the question of historical video games, referencing a great 2006 New York article by Niall Ferguson (Harvard professor and historian) on the 'state of play.' The answer? Pretty damn bad, at least when looking on from the Ivory Tower: More »
academia is fun
The History of RPGs: The Game List
I've mentioned Michael Abbot's efforts at putting together a great syllabus for his 'history of RPGs' class, which has thus far produced a flurry of discussion and a reading list; he's now put together a list of games and the number of people who have recommended them (I'm dying to know which ones will make the final cut). He does mention a few key points: More »
grand theft auto
Variety: Long Ass Interview With Rockstar's Dan Houser
Rockstar co-founder and VP Dan Houser, notably reluctant to give long interviews, especially about himself, sat down with Variety's Ben Fritz for a 90 minute interview, and from the looks of it, nearly all is transcribed in Fritz's blog on Variety.More »
history
Putting Together the 'History of RPGs' Class
Michael Abbott of The Brainy Gamer is putting together an undergraduate seminar on the history of the RPG (fun!), and the whole process of deciding what games to include and the reasons for that is pretty interesting — admittedly, I find syllabus construction to be an interesting process that can tell you a lot about the person teaching the class (and a simple fact of life for those of us who want to stay in the Ivory Tower). He's put together a lengthy list of RPGs that will be whittled down (with some assistance from helpful readers) to 15 titles that will fulfill his criteria: More »
interactive fiction
A History of Interactive Fiction
This is an oldie (appearing in 2006) but goodie if you're interested in interactive fiction — Jimmy Maher wrote a lengthy, well-written and comprehensive history of interactive fiction, from Eliza to the era of Infocom to the state of IF today. It's a fascinating wrap up, even if you're not one of the handful of active IF players; but IF's fall from commercial grace hasn't stopped IF creators from trundling on to creating bigger and better things: More »
videogame history
Explore The History Of Panzer Dragoon
The Panzer Dragoon series is one of Sega's most successful yet most under-utilized, and in a way I am glad. While Sega's flagship sonic the Hedgehog series has been nearly beaten to death by their own hands, Panzer Dragoon remains pristine and pure. From its early days on the Saturn to the Xbox masterpiece Panzer Dragoon Orta, the series has been handled with great care, and while part of me desperately wishes for a remake of the excellent Panzer Dragoon Saga, another part of me appreciates the fact that the fond memories I have of the original remain unsullied by what could very well wind up a sub-par revisitation, especially after what they did with NiGHTs. No, I am perfectly happy to reminisce about the series with articles like Gamasutra's latest, The History of Panzer Dragoon, a excellent overview of the series from start to possible final end.
The History of Panzer Dragoon [Gamasutra]
tribute
In the fall of 1972, Dave Arneson gathered a group of friends around a table in Gary Gygax's Lake Geneva Wisconsin home and changed the gaming world forever. After that fateful weekend gaming session, Gygax took Arneson's notes, and using rules form his own fantasy miniatures game Chainmail, created the game that would go on to sell millions of copies around the world - Dungeons & Dragons. A huge accomplishment for a couple of gaming geeks, but it was only the beginning. Dungeons & Dragons spread beyond the tabletop into the hearts and minds of some of the earliest pioneers of gaming. Now one of the fathers of role-playing has passed on, but Gary Gygax's legacy lives on in the video games we play. In honor of this great man, let's take a look at the influence his work has had on our favorite pastime.
More »
Gary Gygax's Video Gaming Legacy
In the fall of 1972, Dave Arneson gathered a group of friends around a table in Gary Gygax's Lake Geneva Wisconsin home and changed the gaming world forever. After that fateful weekend gaming session, Gygax took Arneson's notes, and using rules form his own fantasy miniatures game Chainmail, created the game that would go on to sell millions of copies around the world - Dungeons & Dragons. A huge accomplishment for a couple of gaming geeks, but it was only the beginning. Dungeons & Dragons spread beyond the tabletop into the hearts and minds of some of the earliest pioneers of gaming. Now one of the fathers of role-playing has passed on, but Gary Gygax's legacy lives on in the video games we play. In honor of this great man, let's take a look at the influence his work has had on our favorite pastime.
More »
history of gaming
Sid Meier - Gaming's Three Greatest Innovations
The gaming industry is based on innovation, with each successive generation absorbing new, innovative ideas, making them a part of what gaming is today. At a special lunch last Friday at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, industry legend Sid Meier revealed what he thought to be the three greatest innovations in gaming history. His picks? First off, the IBM personal computer, which brought computing and as a result computer gaming to the masses. Next he citied video games that focus on creating rather than destroying, humbly offering Will Wright's Sim City as an example in lieu of his own Civilization. Finally, Nintendo's Seal of Quality...which might not mean much today, but back in the day was a sign that the industry wasn't going to allow the flood of crap that systems like the Atari 2600 were subject to, changing the face of console gaming forever and effectively revitalizing a briefly dead market. Profound choices from a profound voice in the business. How do your picks stack up?
The Three Most Important Moments In Gaming, And Other Lessons From Sid Meier [MTV News]
history
Preserving Our History: Preservation For Gamers
By virtue of my profession, I'm a bit of a preservation nut - careers will be built on sources that would be rotting away if it weren't for intense efforts to preserve them, and there's still a large swath of the historical record that's gone forever. The list of lost films from the 'golden ages' of silent film, for example, is staggering, and that's for works created in the 20th century. Luckily for video games, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Maryland, Stanford, Rochester Institute of Technology and Linden Lab have banded together under the auspices of the 'Preserving Creative America' initiative of the Library of Congress. Our own Mark Wilson wrote about this months ago but there was even a GDC roundtable on the issue. The project is intended to get 'endangered' and rare games into the proper hands to preserve and archive them - but in a way that will also give a sense of the original experience: More »
new games
Week in Games: The Club Edition
A lot of titles this week with a spread over every system. Not a lot here that sparks my particular interests although I'll be too busy at GDC to really play much of anything. I am however looking forward to the new Ace Attorney game. Hopefully it can retain its freshness by adding a new main character. Otherwise Apollo could turn out to be the Scrappy Doo of the series.
The Club (PC, PS3, X360)
It's mercenary madness!
Need for Speed ProStreet (PSP)
When speed is what you need.
Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS3, X360)
Carrying on the Dynasty Warriors tradition.
FIFA Street 3 (X360, PS3, DS)
Take your soccer to the streets.
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (WII)
Dragon Quest Swords: The Extremely Overly Long Title
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS)
Ace Attorney is back with a new attorney.
History Channel: Battle for the Pacific (PS3)
Historically accurate World War II battles.
CABAL Online (PC)
Use the power of Force Power.
MX vs. ATV Untamed (WII)
Off road racing rally.
my tiny life
My Tiny Life Now Available Again - Free
My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World (Being a True Account of the Case of the Infamous Mr. Bungle and the Author's Journey, in Consequence Thereof, to the Heart of a Half-Real World Called LambdaMOO), in addition to having a long-ass title, has been out of print for a few years now. But now, after some license-tweaking, it's available as either a nice paperback (for $17.48) or a PDF download (for free!). Having read a lengthy book in PDF format before it was formally published, I would be happy never to read anything more taxing than an article on my computer - but it's a nice gesture, and reminds me of a discussion over on Grand Text Auto on 'digital media, games, and open access.'
Anyways, if you'd be interested in reading (or reading again) "a wonderful little depiction of a person trying to reconcile a vibrant and rich virtual world with the "silent, bone-white" machine that houses it," you can head over here
gaming press
IGN Turns 10, Goes Retro
Back in 1998, I was writing for a tiny gaming site called Videogamers.com (long since defunct, but the Wayback never dies), having had the good fortune of being a guy in Atlanta who could attend E3 (then in Atlanta) and write halfway decently. Our main competition, if you could call it that (the internet was much friendlier back then) was a fledgling gaming site called IGN. Ten years later, Videogamers.com may be long forgotten, but IGN is still going strong, having spread out to encompass everything their target demographic could want and then some. This week marks their 10th anniversary, and to celebrate they are holding a week-long celebration of IGN, with articles covering the history of the site, writers past and present, and their role in covering the gaming industry. They're also launching IGN Retro, a new channel that focuses on gaming both pre-IGN, like the Colecovision and Atari, as well as systems that have come and gone since, like my beloved Dreamcast. Happy 10th Anniversary IGN! Damn, it's nice to still be around to say that. More »
television
Rise Of The Videogame Begins Tonight
Just a quick reminder for those of you graced with cable—and not forced to choose between apartment-contracted 'bargain' cable providers or pointing a satellite dish directly at a tree, praying for a fastidious woodpecker to come along. Tonight at 8pm eastern is the premiere of the Discovery Channel's five-part documentary, "The Rise of the Videogame." It explores, using former Kotaku guest editor Geoff Keighley's words, "a look at how the social and political climate shaped games and game designers in the 70s through present day." I can assure you it's much more interesting than it sounds, stuffed with game developers both famous and obscure. Tonight's show features the dark, misunderstood beginning of the video game phenomenon, when people struggled to understand the concept itself. If you won't watch it for you, watch it for sad, cable-less me.
Discovery's Rise of the Videogame Web Page [Discovery Channel]
tafa
It's the beginning of the month and once again it's time for another Arcade Flyer Archive update. This month's update includes a rare Pac-Man flyer that makes no bones about Midway's stance on copyright infringement, some more classic flyers, a swwet Paul Bunyon pinball machine and this week's Arcade Flyer Art Saturday feature, Death Smiles (complete with "blow up skirt" game). Don't forget that starting in January, TAFA will have a boatload of their flyers up for sale for a paltry $1 a piece. So, be sure to save up those pennies, Susan B. Anthony's and Sacajawea's!
TAFA November Update
It's the beginning of the month and once again it's time for another Arcade Flyer Archive update. This month's update includes a rare Pac-Man flyer that makes no bones about Midway's stance on copyright infringement, some more classic flyers, a swwet Paul Bunyon pinball machine and this week's Arcade Flyer Art Saturday feature, Death Smiles (complete with "blow up skirt" game). Don't forget that starting in January, TAFA will have a boatload of their flyers up for sale for a paltry $1 a piece. So, be sure to save up those pennies, Susan B. Anthony's and Sacajawea's!
crafts
The History of Mario in Cross-Stitch
Kotakuite andrewd86 sends in this picture of his mom's latest cross-stitch creation, the history of Mario made with loving care as only a mother can do.
She's crazy about cross-stitching and old school Mario, so it didn't take much to get her to put the two together. We just picked out some pictures from Google image search, gridded them in paint, and picked out the colors. The Mario's span from Super Mario Bros. on NES thru Super Mario RPG. We didn't keep track but it took her well over 100 hours to complete.
Dang, a hundred hours, now that's some dedication to your craft. Cross-stitch just naturally lends itself to 8-bit art and this is a fine example of what you can do if you put your mind and fingers to work. Now, if only I could find the time in my day to pull something like this off. Sadly there is no time in my day, only Zuul.
history
Video Games Evolve In Boston
Visitors to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's Economic Adventure Gallery will get a unique chance to explore the history of video gaming this fall. "Video Games Evolve: A Brief History from Spacewar! to MMORPGs" is an exhibit running through January that seeks to teach visitors the rich history of our favorite hobby. The exhibit features a simulation of Spacewar!, the first non-commercial game created in 1962, reproductions of Ralph Baer's prototype notes on the Odyssey, a timeline of video game history, and an exploration of the motion-capture process. In the MMORPG portion of the exhibit you'll find games like Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, and of course, Second Life."This is a wonderful exhibit not only for video game lovers, but for anyone who wants to know how science, technology, and art come together to form an industry," said Dr. Peter Raad, Executive Director of The Guildhall at SMU.And in case you don't want to learn, they have Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac Man, Frogger, and Space Invaders cabinets set to free play. Hear that Boston? Free Donkey Kong! More »
sale
