This looks really beautiful.  I've always been captivated by the vistas of shantytowns, even though I am necessarily brought crashing back to earth when it sinks in what they really are.  I'm not really worried about how gamey it is, as long as the gameplay is a natural expression of what he's doing, rather than shoehorning gameplay in just to have gameplay.  From the video it looks very playful, a flight of fancy, if you will.

I don't think the problem is with gameplay. The problem is with unnecessary gameplay. It's sort of like in the 80s how every metal/hard-rock song had to have a guitar solo in it, whether it was appropriate or not.

Then, of course, there's the cynical view, which is that the majority of games are just Skinner boxes, and the repetition is not enjoyable, but instead a necessary evil before you get your dopamine fix.

Sure. You could break all human experience down to chemical interactions, but I don't think that is a productive way to look at things.

http://kotaku.com/video-game-graphics/

Looks great! Too bad it will be used mostly for brainless shooters.

Visually, it's amazing! Does anyone know how to get hold of him? Invite him to the forum!

There's also UDK. If I can use it, you can. I know nothing about programming! However, I would highly recommend Construct and Construct 2. They are both Windows only though Construct 2 outputs HTML5 so it will run in any browser. There is always Parallels, VirtualBox, VMware or Bootcamp if you don't have a Windows machine. No excuse.

Hello and welcome! Make a notgame!

[repetition]

The essence of game design seems to be repetition. In most games, the player does an action over and over again. Yet humans are well known for their low tolerance to boredom. So why are games not boring to us?

I can think of two reasons. Either the action that is repeated is fun to do. And we can do it many times before it bores us. Or the action is trivial, compared to the rest of the game, and we can ignore it.

I wonder if our apparently reduced intolerance for boredom when it comes to games has anything to do with the childlike quality of games. I remember very well that when my children were toddlers, repetition was a source of joy to them. They would watch a certain Teletubbies episode over and over (and those already contain repetition in their design).

Prayer and meditation also involve repetition. Probably mimicking the human body's breathing and heart beat (which aligns us with the repetitive movements of the planets -day and  night, weather, seasons). Does this play a part in our enjoyment of games?

You're not the first one to see a connection between games and meditation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_Gackenbach
http://academic.macewan.ca/gackenbachj/2010/06/18/gaming-meditating-lucid-dreaming-so/

I've heard that programmers make far more money than the visual artists working in AAA development.

From my experience, this applies to all kinds of development. Right now I'm doing contract work to save up for projects down the road, and it's much easier to find programming work that pays well than production art or even design. I've always appreciated Blow's perspective: "Programming is Easy; Production is Harder; Design is Hardest." But people seem to value it in almost the opposite direction...

I can see that Blow appreciates the artistic aspects of games. It really shows in the aesthetics of Braid. I really should finish it one of these days but that's another thread.

While indeed talent is a unique aspect of individual humans, it is perfectly feasible to create a context that welcomes and supports such talent. Then new talent would be attracted, and existing talent nurtured and exploited. The games industry has failed miserably in doing this. I suspect because they were not willing to accept the importance of talent.
And perhaps also because the industry still doesn't really understand what game design is, in the sense of recognizing which role it is exactly that really defines the nature of the final product (the equivalent of director in cinema).

This. I've heard that programmers make far more money than the visual artists working in AAA development. I think that kind of says it all. Games are even more of a product than  films. You don't have a director, you have a product manager.

I couldn't have put this better! Exactly, the enthusiasts are the one's who are going to be more open to atypical gameplay (or notgameplay).

I still don't think that "hardcore" gamers are the enemy you think they are. I think it's just the general perception of what a hardcore gamer is supposed to be.

Recently I've been thinking that "hardcore" gamers are actually the only potential target for games that are more meaningful, or that eschew immediate "fun" styles. This seems to be the way it is in most media, i.e. people who aren't really into music tend to listen to superficial pop music and don't want anything other than a quick immediate response from it, similarly people who aren't especially into films just tend to watch whatever blockbusters are showing whereas the people who are into films might seek out foreign films or those that would be described as artistic. Maybe the main exception to this are people who are into 'art' as a concept and culture in general, but I don't think this necessarily represents a large proportion of the population.

Essentially I think that only hardcore gamers will want to play anything other than a quick-fun-fix type of game, and even hardcore gamers will only want them once they're bored of the shallower offerings. The hardcore gamers of today are the notgamers of tomorrow, they just don't know it yet. (Not that a hardcore gamer / notgamer divide actually exists.)


As for the article in question, I'd bookmarked it rather than reading it since I was planning on playing silent hill 2 soon and I wasn't sure if there would be spoilers of any form.

Urg. As soon as I saw the MS Paint cover art, I was instantly turned off. I really hate that shit. Sorry.

I still don't think that "hardcore" gamers are the enemy you think they are. I think it's just the general perception of what a hardcore gamer is supposed to be. The indie games phenomena is a response to this hollowing out of big budget games, very much like the response of indie movie production in the 60s and 70s. Michaël, I know you have problems with indie games, as do I but I still feel very optimistic that it happened at all.

Silent Hill 2. Yeah, I need to get around to playing that. XD

Yeah, Silent Hill 1 is one of my favs too. I haven't gotten around to playing 2 yet, even though it's been on my harddrive for ages.

I've played through Dinner date 2 or 3 times and I'll probably play it again soon. It's like a great short story you can't help reread when you get a chance.

Drawn: The Painted Tower is another I've been meaning to play as well. And the second! I haven't gotten to either. I've put a moratorium on all Steam/game purchases until I've gotten around to playing at least a few.

My favorite Nifflas game is Knytt. Not Stories or anything else. Just that one. I adore that game.

Another "what are you playing" thread. Me, I haven't been playing much of anything. When I do get a chance, I've been playing Crimson Steam Pirates and Frankenstein (sort of a Choose You Own Adventure type thing), both on iPad. Things I'd like to find the time for: Skyrim and S.P.A.Z.

So what are you playing, if you're playing anything at all.

Hello again! Glad to see a new face here in the forums.