On the dangers of over-gamifying games. (via)
There is, anyway, only one story worth telling in a zombie game, and here it is: See those zombies over there? You should probably get away from them.
Video Games Killed the Video-Game Star: Tom Bissell on Dead Island – Grantland
Gamification is marketing bullshit, invented by consultants as a means to capture the wild, coveted beast that is videogames and to domesticate it for use in the grey, hopeless wasteland of big business, where bullshit already reigns anyway.
The Great Gatsby – for NES. I fully support this. (via)
I like this kind of essay. The dude had never played video games before! I wish he’d chosen a broader variety of games, but it’s nice to have a fresh perspective. You take a lot of this for granted when you grow up with it:
The second thing I learned about video games is that they are long. So, so long. Playing one game is not like watching one ninety-minute movie; it’s like watching one whole season of a TV show—and watching it in a state of staring, jaw-clenched concentration. If you’re good, it might take you fifteen hours to play through a typical game. If you’re not good, like me, and you do a fair amount of bumping into walls and jumping place when you’re under attack, it will take more than twice that.
Papa Sangre is a forthcoming iPhone game that is audio only. Listen to this “video” above on headphones to get an idea of how awesome this game could be. I’m really looking forward to this one!
Yeah. Things like this are why I’m probably going to end up with a shiny new iPhone in a few months.
Every Day the Same Dream. This is a wonderful video game. Or philosophy game, or something. Via Boing Boing’s Games to Get.
Waves of nostalgia brought on by The Artful Gamer: An Expedition into the Lost World of Exploration: ToeJam & Earl. ToeJam & Earl is one of the best games I’ve ever played. He points out a highlight of the co-op mode: sabotaging your teammate (e.g. your brother) every now and then. Like capping your partner in GoldenEye 007. Oh, memories.
I don’t much follow the Flash games scene, but this one-button jumping game is great. (via snarkmarket)
Is it Art?, an essay on videogames.
A common criticism of video games made by non-gamers is that they are pointless and escapist, but a more valid observation might be that the bulk of games are nowhere near escapist enough. A persuasive recent essay by the games theorist Steven Poole made the strong argument that the majority of games offer a model of play which is oppressively close to work.
Some are saying Halo Kid is the new Star Wars Kid (already some remixes out there). What I find so fun and lovable about these videos isn’t the mocking, but just seeing someone so completely, enthusiastically lost in their own creativity and imagination. Give Halo Kid’s cardboard weapons a look (they’ve even got working reload functions). What a treat.
