Though it’s targeted at [tag]amateur designers[/tag], there’s a lot of solid advice that could be applied to professionals as well. Most notably: design on paper, continually reward players for playing, and broaden your horizons beyond [tag]video games[/tag] to come up with really interesting ideas.

There are other good articles on the site as well. Most are game related, but then there’s also one about how to spot [tag]abusive men[/tag]. I’m not sure how the two topics are related, but I suppose it’s good advice all the same. The cycle of abuse ends with you.

The question SankeWesker asks is where game art will go in the next 20 years. Have we hit the wall of diminishing returns? Do developers really want to plow through the Uncanny Valley and create game characters and worlds that are indistinguishable from the real world? Would that even be fun or interesting to the player?

I’ve always believed that game developers will never make games look absolutely real. It’s not that they’ll never have the technology, it’s that if games looked as good as real life, they would be too boring. We like Oblivion because it allows us to explore a fantastic world that looks like ours (except for the hellish areas), but also has its own visual style. It’s for that reason that games will always look a little off; they’ll never look as good as our world, and it’ll be on purpose. If they did, gamers might be forced to get their entertainment elsewhere, either through films, or by simply going outside. I mean, if games start looking 100% real, you may as well go see the real deal, right? Or at least just look at a video/picture of it…

Source: Worst. Blog. Ever.

It sounds like what SnakeWesker is describing is the same thing that happened to the art world in the 19th century. By the 1800’s artists could capture the real world with remarkable precision. But, the modernity led to a shift in the role of the artist, due in part to the introduction of photography, but also due to changes in the way people looked at the world and the individual.

Modern art is a general term used for most of the artistic production from the late 19th century until approximately the 1970s. (Recent art production is more often called Contemporary art or Postmodern art). Modern art refers to the then new approach to art where it was no longer important to represent a subject realistically — the invention of photography had made this function of art obsolete. Instead, artists started experimenting with new ways of seeing, with fresh ideas about the nature, materials and functions of art, often moving further toward abstraction.

Source: Wikipedia

Personally, I don’t think the video game industry is are anywhere near the level of maturity of the 19th century art world. Designers are still struggling with tools and technologies that are emerging and unfamiliar. Very few games exhibit mastery of the form, and even then, its hard to even define what the form is that they’ve mastered.

The time will come when mature artists have mastered game development. They’ve nailed representation of their game worlds, and it’s no longer appropriate to pursue realism. We see it already in Katamari Damacy, Okami, Wind Waker, and other “stylized” titles. But my feeling is that the true revolution in games will be when the form of the gameplay is just as expressive as the visuals. Games like Rez, Electroplankton, and Fl0w seem to be laying the tracks for future generations of experimental design.

I’m really looking forward to the time in gaming when there are institutions for really creative designers to rebel against and reinvent. It will be pretty awesome the first time the gaming equivalent of “A Starry Night” appears on the screen.

By way of The Tanooki

[tags]Video Games, Art, Style, Modern Art, Artsy Fartsy[/tags]

It’s a great example of how creative developers can get with the Wii remote. The game employs a number of unique stances, known as “forms”, that instruct you to hold the remote a particular way. Often these forms require you to move your entire body to complete a microgame. Sure, you can easily fake out the Wii’s robotic brain by doing tiny movements with the remote. But in so doing, you idnetify yourself a douche bag worthy of derision and beneath pity.

Speaking of which, I suspect that this is game is a dish best served multiplayer. The single player is fun. But, after awhile you might feel somewhat douchey holding the remote up to your nose like an elephant trunk. So I guess you’re a douche if you do, and a douche if you don’t. It’s a tough position to be in, but a sanitary one.

The single player game looks like it’s shorter than Warioware Twisted, which had a truly obscene amount of content. I’m okay with what Smooth Moves has to offer, but I’d have liked a few more unlockable toys and mini-games like there were on the handhelds.

What I find most exciting about Smooth Moves are all the nuggests of potential Wii gameplay that the package suggests. Yes, there are duds in the bunch. But, surprisingly few. I could see entire Wii games being built around some of the mechanics that Smooth Moves has introduced.

As a game to introduce people to the Wii remote, Smooth Moves isn’t quite as accessible as Wii Sports. In Wii Sports, the metaphors are extremely clear — The remote might be a tennis racket, a baseball bat, a golf club, and so on. Smooth Moves asks you to make some leaps — Hold the remote like a Mohawk, a Samurai, a Waiter, etc. But if you’re willing to meet the game half way, its humor and fast pace carry the day and deliver a great experience.

So far I haven’t been too impressed with any of the FPS games on offer. Red Steel and Call of Duty both felt clumsy. I haven’t played Far Cry: Vengence, but from what I understand it doesn’t really improve the situation.

Back when I first heard about the Wii controller, It seemed like a perfect fit for FPS gaming. The Nunchuk and remote sounded like great surrogates for a mouse and keyboard interface. Even better, it seemed like gameplay would be more intuitive, since you can literally can point and shoot at things on the screen.

But in practice, navigating the world and aiming with the wiimote can prove to be very frustrating. And since FPS is such an established genre, the Wii gestures that have been incorporated into the current batch of games feel like afterthoughts.

I’m eager to see how Metroid plays. But as it stands, my gut feeling is that the FPS genre needs to be completely rethought for the Wii, or thrown out altogether. The argument on Video Game Vs. sounds like a good place to start the rethink.

[tags]Wii, FPS, First Person Shooter, Video Game Vs., Video Games[/tags]

She has a number of cool handmade Video Game inspired designs. I love the pacman scarf and hat combination. And the princess herself is too cute.

The Urban Princess certainly gives Miss Ivy and her Odd Couture a run for its money.

And now, apropos of nothing, I’d like you to check out the totally boss Link hoodie that was constructed for me by a princess of a different sort.

[tags]Urban Princess, Odd Coture, Miss Ivy, Link, Mario, Nintendo, Pacman, Fashion[/tags]

Side by side, who is the victor? Is it manly man Link astride his noble steed, bow in hand, and Wiimote flashing? Or Chibi-Link firing on pirates from his courageous boat-king, swinging around like Errol Flynn, and parrying moblins like nobody’s business. Whose cuisine reigns supreme? Read on to find out.

• Risk vs. Reward: Enough with the Rupees! I don’t want to spend 10 minutes figuring out how to get to a treasure chest only to find 50 Rupees (that I can’t even carry). In games, the reward should always be commensurate with the risk. While this is often true in Zelda, (harder puzzles typically yield heart containers or items) both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess make you go out of your way to find useless Rupees. In Twilight Princess, some of Link’s gear, which is usually the best reward you can get, is almost totally useless. In Wind Waker, there are fewer tools to find, but overall they feel more versatile. Pretty much every tool in Wind Waker opens up many new possibilities. Advantage: Wind Waker
• Story & Characters: Wind Waker did a better job of getting you emotionally invested in the story right away. Twilight Princess is more of a slow burn. Overall, I’d say the story of Wind Waker is more internally coherent. You have a clear backstory, you have a villain from the outset, and you have a series of clear objectives. In Twilight Princess, details are revealed in bits and pieces, and it’s up to you to fill in many of the blanks. But where Twilight Princess really shines is in the character of Midna. For the first time in a Zelda game, you have a character with a real arc. She grows and changes throughout the story, and toward the end you really care about her. And for that reason alone I’m going to say… Advantage: Twilgiht Princess
• Visual Appeal: Wind Waker’s “Celda” style caused a storm of controversy when it was first revealed. There seemed to be sigh of relief when Twilight Princess images first appeared with a return to the Ocarina of Time look and feel. In both games, the graphic style supports the tone. But in Wind Waker, the characters and the world really come alive within the confines of the hardware. Link is extremely expressive, reacting to everything in the world with his eyes and his face. The world may be blocky and polygonal, but the styling and lighting makes it seem vibrant and dynamic. In Twilight Princess, you can see the edges and seams in the world beneath the textures, the Twilight Realm is, frankly, sort of bland. In Twilight Princess all of the characters have creepy painted on Barbie doll faces with little or no expression. It may be a more “realistic” look, but that doesn’t make it any more believable. Advantage: Wind Waker
• Stuff to Do: Both games are packed with mini-games, sidequests, and sundry optional objectives. The ones in Wind Waker have a lot more personality. But, due to the layout of the overworld (water vs. land) it’s much easier to find something cool to do in Twilight Princess. Some of the side quests in Wind Waker can be extremely tedious, whereas in Twilight Princess the mini-games are usually challenging without being frustrating. I miss the “Spliiiisshhh” guy from Wind Waker, but I’ve got to say… Advantage: Twiglight Princess
• Fighting & Killing Things: Twilight Princess has the benefit of the Wii controller and a series of unlockable special attacks. Wind Waker was an iterative improvement on Ocarina of Time. But despite the more diverse palette of moves you can learn in Twilight Princess, I found myself enjoying combat in Wind Waker more. There is a rhythm to combat in Wind Waker, which Twilight Princess seems to lack. I found the parry system from Wind Waker sorely missing in Twilight Princess. Combat in Twilght Princess is fun, but it feels unfocused and chaotic. Advantage: Wind Waker

Bottom line: Based on the points above, it would seem like Wind Waker comes out on top. But things are not always as they seem. One point that has not been addressed is… the triforce quest. Wind Waker includes one of the most tedious quests in gaming history, and it’s unavoidable. You have to do it to finish the game. Twilight Princess includes only one obnoxious fetch quest on the critical path, and it’s over relatively quickly. Were it not for the triforce quest, I would tip the scales in Wind Waker’s favor without reservation. But seeing as how this quest continues to blight an otherwise brilliant game, I’ve got to say I’d rather play: Twilight Princess.

What do you think? Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, the CD-i games… which Zelda reigns supreme?

We’ve also taken a stroll through the minefield of disasters that could destroy the newborn Wii.

And now we arrive at last at the Paradiso, Why Wii will Succeed. Read on for mystic crystal revelations.

1. Wii knows what it is: A big part of what defines a product are the features that it doesn’t include. A well designed product will do exactly what it is meant to, and no more than that. The iPod is a good example. There’s a million things it could have been used for. But instead of being a general purpose pocket-sized digital device, it’s focused entirely on making it easy to enjoy your media on the go. Similarly, the Wii doesn’t incude a lot of the features that the Xbox 360 and PS3 do. Instead, it has it is totally focused on delivering new and immersive gameplay experiences. Wii has an identity. It’s a machine for playing great games that put you in the experience like never before.
2. Wii knows what it wants: Moms, Wii is coming after you. Girls, you too. Lapsed gamers, yeah, you guys who used to play video games before they got complicated and lame, Wii’s got your number. And kids, you better believe that Wii’s coming for you too. Wii was designed from the ground up with certain people in mind. It’s not for the hardcore gamers. Sure, the hardcore guys can come to the party if they want. Wii will have something for them too. But this is a console for people who like to have fun with friends and family, rather than people who want to spend 20 hours a week tea bagging each other online.
3. Wii knows how to get there: Touch Generation proved that Nintendo can reach the broader audience. Nintnedogs, Brain Age, Animal Crossing: Wild World, and other DS games transcended traditional gaming demographics. They spoke to the young, the old, and the elusive… female. For the lapsed gamer, Nintendo’s got a steady tap of classic games flowing through the virtual console. And for the hardcore guys, we’ve still got Zelda, Metroid, and other traditional games to look forward to. The DS blazed the trail and now Wii can reap the benefits.
4. Nintendo can afford to lead the way: As you may already know, Nintnedo is an extremely profitable company. Some people gave Nintendo flak when they announced that, unlike Sony and Microsoft, they would make a profit on every Wii sold. Sure, it would be nice if Nintendo subsidized our hobby. But, here’s why a profitable Nintnedo is good for you: it means that they can take risks. Because Nintendo makes money on everything they sell, they can afford to put out stuff that pushes the envelope. If it falls flat on its face, they’ve got a big billowy mattress of money to land on. This is good for you, and good for games in general. There are very few companies who have the luxury to really push things forward. Sure, Sony and Microsoft have giant money bins too. But for them, gaming is just one profitable slice of the pie. For Nintendo, they either figure out how to grow the audience, or they die.
5. Wii is a Cheap Date: For consumers, Wii is not quite an impulse purchase, but it’s still a whole lot better than the alternatives. That’s great for reaching a broad audience. But even better, Wii development tools are pretty inexpensive for developers. Now, keep in mind that the Wii is essentially a suped up GameCube. This may seem like a bad thing, but consider that programmers already have six or more years experience building GameCube games. That means they can hit the ground running on the Wii and come up with great ways to design the game and use the controller, rather the struggling with new and complicated technology. It’s easy for consumers to justify buying it, and easy for developers to build for it, and those are two major advantages.

Bottom Line: Wii has an identity. It is the “alternative” platform. It’s the platform for non-gamers. It’s the platform for gamers seeking a different kind of entertainment experience. It can cheerfully co-exist with both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Whether it comes out first, second, or third in the overall console war, the Wii has already won. This sleek white box designed for Japenese moms has arrived on its own terms, and it is challenging fundamental assumptions about gamers and gaming. Years ago Nintendo, with some hyperbole, promised us a revolution. Who knew that the revolutionary concept would be, “More people would play video games if you made video games more fun to play.”

Things are looking pretty good for the Wii alright. But could it be flash in the pan? A fad? Dare I say… a novelty?

When 2007 is over and done with, will Wii still be relevant? Here’s some stuff that could totally sink this awesome console:

1. Bad Ports: If the Wii ends up with a glut of PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360 games with gesticulations tacked on, players are going to be bummed out. You and I, the gaming savvy, will know enough to avoid these lame phone-ins. But if the game’s got a remotely recognizable license attached to it, Mom and Dad Sixpack are going to walk into Wal-Mart and pick it right up. Once the family has been burned by enough bad ports, Mama will be soured on the whole system, and it will end up on a shelf collecting dust. Notice – I’m saying bad ports. I think it’s perfectly fine, and in fact cool, to bring established franchises to the Wii. They just need to be approached with respect for the platform’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Novelty over Innovation: It’s easy to let the Wiimote go to your head. There’s so many things it can do! It’s a feast interface opportunities. But, just because it can do all this cool stuff, doesn’t necessarily mean that it should. Would Twilight Princess be any more fun if it had a laborious real-time sword fighting system? Maybe, maybe not. If you remember the first batch of DS games, they generally tried to use every one of the DS features. They played more like tech demos than games. The Wii could fall into a similar rut of games that exist purely to show off some cool thing the controller can do. (Okay, WarioWare gets a pass on this one).
3. Shallow Games: Because Wii lends itself to shorter bursts of fun, there may be a temptation to produce a string of shallow games for the console. Just to draw a distinction, shallow and simple are not the same thing. Simple is good. Wii Sports is simple. But, it’s simple and deep. The more you play, the more there is to play. You unlock new training modes, plot your progress over time, and face more challenging opponents. Shallow would be something like, “Wii Ring Toss”, a game where, for $49.99, you can throw rings at a spike. When the ring lands on the spike, you hear applause. When the ring misses, you see Satan devouring a puppy. That’s shallow, and it’s a ripoff. Like bad ports, too many shallow games could sour people on the whole Wii experience.
4. Wii Connect: The online service needs to be easy to use and reliable. I know that’s easier said than done, but it’s got to happen. Microsoft has really taken the lead in this category. Live does a great job of offering players cool stuff to do on pretty much every blade of the Live interface. The Wii Channels are a step in the right direction. But, the friend codes are unwieldy, the channels don’t talk to each other in a logical manner, and some of the interface is downright confusing. For example, if someone emails me a Mii, why doesn’t it go to the Mii Plaza? Also why do I have to go to compose an email to add a friend to my list? Why can’t I send messages or Mii’s to multiple people at once? These are little frustrations now, but once online gaming gets going on the Wii, this stuff needs to be seamless.
5. Nintendo Losing Focus: Once Wii gets rolling, I worry that Nintendo might shift focus away from great software and on to a parade of asinine add-ons. At the bottom of the wiimote is a dark portal, yearning to be filled all sorts of doo-dads, whoop-de-doos, and doohickies that will work with one to three games max. Microphones, cameras, castanets, monocles, GBA readers, you name it, they could add it. Or, they could shift focus onto DS/Wii connectivity, bullying you into buying two versions of the same game to unlock all the features. Or, they could shift gears and start selling special SD cards pre-loaded with exclusive tradable content. Now granted, some of this stuff could actually be cool, but if Nintendo’s business model shifts in this direction, the Wii will drown in its own versatility.
6. Third Party Disinterest: Nintendo is going to need to light the path for third party developers, no doubt about it. And, their 2007 lineup appears to be doing just that. But what if no one follows? Different people like different types of games. Not everyone likes Nintendo’s first party stuff. The platform needs to offer a buffet of compelling third party content if it’s going to reach the broadest audience possible, and avoid becoming a fancy toy for fanboys.

Bottom Line: Wii’s got more potential ahead of it than it could possibly know what to do with. It’s off to a great start, but the future is anything but certain. Personally, I think Nintnedo’s got the right idea this time around. But, the stakes are higher than ever this generation, and there be dragons in the wilderness of the game industry.

But, a failure it was. I know it made buckets of money. And yes, I know that Nintnedo was doing just fine during the GameCube years. And, I know that the Cube had some of the best games of the last generation.

But despite all that, I still consider the console a failure. Find out why after the jump.

1. Differentiation: Unlike its predecessor, the N64, the GameCube didn’t do anything to differentiate itself from the competition. The Cube was kind of like a PS2, but it didn’t have as many games or play DVDs. And it was kind of like an Xbox, but it didn’t have as many high-end features. Now, imagine for a moment that you don’t give a hoot about Mario, Zelda, Samus, or Pikachu (I know, it’s a bizarro universe, but bear with me). Now, let’s say you want to play video games. Well, you can find the most video games on the PS2. Or, if you’re a l33t hax0r, you can find the most tech in the Xbox. So, unless you want to catch ‘em all… why would you get a GameCube?
2. Xbox: Before it came out, a lot of people sort of dismissed the Xbox. Microsoft, making a game console? What an intriguingly ridiculous idea. At the time, it seemed like the Xbox would be another 3DO, Jaguar, or CD-i. I mean, it’s not even Japanese, how could it possibly succeed? Well… with Halo. And to be fair, Halo was just one salvo in a well executed campaign to capture the domestic casual-core. Microsoft PR did a good job of associating the console with athletes, actors, musicians, and celebutantes. The end result was something palatable and hip to the frat boy set, and aspirational for the little childrens. Had the Xbox been the big black turd it was fated to be, the Cube may have had more room to shine.
3. Software: It would be nice to blame the GameCube’s failings on its competition, but let’s be honest, Nintendo dropped the ball on software. We all know that that third party support has never been Nintendo’s strong suit. I’m not going to bark up that tree. Instead, I’m going to look at Nintendo first party. Where was Mario at launch? Why was Mario Sunshine so damn hard? What was up with sketchy second party titles like Geist, Chibi-Robo, and Batallion Wars that were quality offerings, but did nothing to capture a broad audience? Of course, there were gems on the Cube that made it worthwhile. Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, Pikmin 2, Wind Waker, Eternal Darkness, and RE 4 (omg!). But there were months, if not years, between great releases. By the time 2006 rolled around, the well was pretty much dry.
4. Industrial Design: The PS2 was a sleek stereo component with a game machine inside. The Xbox was large and in charge. The GameCube… was a purple lunchbox. Now, I have nothing against lunchboxes, or purples, but it just makes me wonder – who was this machine for? Am I supposed to play Resident Evil Zero in front of my adult friends on a purple lunchbox with candy coated buttons? Pokémon’s success saddled Nintendo with the “Kiddie” albatross, and the design of the Cube did nothing to challenge that assumption. I really liked the small form factor and portability. But, there’s no denying the machine looked like the Duplo to Sony’s Bionicle.
5. Gimmicks: In the end, it seemed like Nintendo tried to address the differentiation and software issues through a series of bizarre gimmicks and add-ons. The e-Reader, CONNECTIVITY, and even bongos were trotted out as compelling reasons to buy a GameCube. Connectivity was a particularly interesting logic, because it suggested that a GameCube would be a great accessory for your GBA. At the time GBA’s dominated the handheld space, and it seemed like Nintendo was trying to promote the brand loyalty up. Apple does the same thing. A Mac is the best accessory you can get for an iPod. But, the difference is that using them together doesn’t require a degree in civil engineering and an octopussy’s nest of cables. Did you ever try to play Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles with four people and more than one memory card? It was like you had to solve a puzzle just to unlock the game.

Bottom Line: The GameCube was a failure not because it failed to deliver revenue, or great games, but because it was a machine that didn’t know what it was. It struggled and stammered trying to find an identity for itself, because when you got right down to it, it didn’t have one. It was “safer” than the N64’s bold defiance of industry trends had been. In following the herd, Nintendo lost their way. And once they lost the vision, they tried to make up for it with cables and bongos.

I love the GameCube. But it failed to live up to what it could have been. And that’s as tragic as anything that could happen to a little purple lunchbox.

The stable of recurring characters includes such luminaries as Judy Garland, Bernadette Peters, Carol Channing, Gollum D’Smeagol, Katherine Hepburn, Gwen Verdon, and Roger Darling.

What’s nice about the show is that there’s nothing mean-spirited about it. It’s a premise that could easily devolve into cheap and obvious parody, but it doesn’t. Instead you end up with something more like The View if it were co-directed by John Waters and Busby Berkeley.

Episode 16.5 of the podcast opens with a rousing rendition of the Super Mario Brothers theme as interpreted by Judy and Bernadette. Thinking back on the Super Mario Brothers movie, I don’t think that casting either of them would have made it any stranger.

JudyCast: A Judy Garland One-Man Podcast Surreality: The Entertainment Beat with Frances Gumm – #16 – Tony Award/Birthday Special (Part 2)

[tags]The Entertainment Beat with Frances Gumm, Judy Garland, Super Mario Brothers[/tags]