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Game Innovation Database

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the i-know-who-had-the-first-butt-stomp dept.

nyxon writes "BBC News has an article about a 'website that aims to record the history of videogame innovation ... The Game Innovation Database (GIDb)has been developed by a team at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University. The online encyclopedia is similar to Wikipedia and allows users to browse and edit the site's content. The developers hope that games fanatics can start to build a complete picture of the last 35 years of games history.'"

39 of 48 comments (clear)

  1. Crates! by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 3, Funny


    Let's hope the website makes proper mention of the all-important crate. ^_^

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    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:Crates! by mobby_6kl · · Score: 2, Funny

      Pipes are all the rage nowadays

    2. Re:Crates! by dotHectate · · Score: 1

      While the crate (in particular the original, immobile variety) is an important gameplay innovation, the most important aspect of traditional gameplay is, in fact, exploding barrels. Where would be be without the massive explosions inherent in games of yore? Yes, exploding objects (not just barrels) are FTW!

      --
      Patience is a virtue, but haste is my life.
    3. Re:Crates! by bunions · · Score: 1

      Start-To-Crate time is still something I check on new games. That was one of the funniest articles I can remember reading.

      Die Hard Trilogy 2 (part 2)
      StC: 9 seconds
      Notes: This is in the first person shooting mode.
      Comments:
      erik: Die Hard Trilogy 2 just keeps getting better. It defies logic.
      Chet: I can't believe it's so much better than Doom.
      erik: Science is not about your feelings.

      so awesome.

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    4. Re:Crates! by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 1

      Crates? Barrels? Yes, but what are the civilian applications?

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      Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    5. Re:Crates! by schotter · · Score: 1

      "Let's hope the website makes proper mention of the all-important crate. ^_^"

      See GIDb: First Use of Barrels and Crates in a Game.

  2. In the beginning... by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

    In the beginning, there was Pong, and all was good...

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    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:In the beginning... by 88NoSoup4U88 · · Score: 1

      Pong is almost always given that honour, allthough I recon (Realmedia vid, taken from this article) is a more likely candidate for being the first video game ever.

    2. Re:In the beginning... by AKAImBatman · · Score: 2, Funny

      In the beginning, there was Space War and it sold poorly.

      No, wait. That's not right. Let's try this again.

      In the beginning, there was the Magnavox Odyssey, and it was good even though it sold poorly.

      Erm... I still don't think that's right.

      In the beginning, there was an oscilloscope and it... erm... it... uhhh... um—

      Awww, fsck it. In the beginning there was electronics. And they were good. :-P

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    3. Re:In the beginning... by mausmalone · · Score: 1

      Pong's actual honor is that of being the first coin-operated video game.

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      I'd rather be flamed than ignored.
    4. Re:In the beginning... by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

      Well, we may as well just keep going on...

      In the beginning there were rocks. And they were hard.

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      This guy's the limit!
    5. Re:In the beginning... by AKAImBatman · · Score: 1

      Bzzt! Try again. The first Arcade game was Atari's version of Space War known as Computer Space.

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    6. Re:In the beginning... by belg4mit · · Score: 1

      More proof patents suck :-P

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      Were that I say, pancakes?
  3. You know it's incomplete when... by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1

    You know it's incomplete when a search for "porn" comes back empty.

    1. Re:You know it's incomplete when... by dlc3007 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Didn't you try Custer's Revenge or Leisure Suit Larry? Not that I'd call either of those titles "revolutionary"....

    2. Re:You know it's incomplete when... by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      In coin-op arcades, there was Lover Boy. A guy in a trenchcoat chases women through a Pac Man-like park maze. There are various pickups like chocolate, flowers, wine and maybe roofies. Dogs and police chasers. Between each level there was a porno graphic that stretched the limits of 1984 graphics and you had to rhythmically tap the fire button to get two bar graphs to maximum at the same time... Hmm, someone has a Engrish instruction card

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    3. Re:You know it's incomplete when... by sakasune · · Score: 1

      Was that the original "Hot Coffee"?

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      "You're arguing for a universe with fewer waffles in it," I said. "I'm prepared to call that cowardice."
  4. oops by 88NoSoup4U88 · · Score: 1

    Ugh, needed to preview that: The video is of the 1953 computergame 'Tennis for Two'.

  5. Re:Old School Crates! by eln · · Score: 1

    Yes, long rectangular crates. It's unknown whether they had ammo or health in them, however, since the game developers neglected to include a crowbar.

  6. How long will it take . . . by ThiagoHP · · Score: 3, Insightful

    . . . to have the first edit war like the ones Wikipedia has?

    1. Re:How long will it take . . . by Minwee · · Score: 2, Funny
      Then you could slap a name on it like "WikiWars", claim it's an online game and make a new entry for it.

      But then someone would start editing that and you would enter your first round of "MetaWikiWars", which would need its own entry.

    2. Re:How long will it take . . . by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      Ya, I find it interesting. I stubbled onto a Wiki page that read more like a Crippleware(tm) infomercial than a fact based description about the topic. I guess what slowed me up was that I'm reading about what a faceless corperation did after the fact; NOT what the topic was about. The last time I checked, faceless corperations exist only on paper; As a way to shield investors from law suits. I'm wondering if maybe introducing a tag like, />, instead of the faceless corperation's name would allow the editing of Wiki content to be more informative. Or one could use the tried and true concept of a "Foot Note". And, if said faceless corperation were to have its own page of triumphs, under its faceless name; It could. Then, "It", could have a foot note to the topic.

  7. Slashdotted already? by lon3st4r · · Score: 2, Funny


    Game innovation # 5349: /. effect
    Take down an rogue website by diverting slashdot traffic.
    From the advanced tactical manouvres handbook

  8. Re:Well, it's been slashdotted... by Spad · · Score: 1

    It was having trouble before /. even linked to it - I saw it on the BBC site about 6 hours ago and it was seriously struggling then.

  9. I've got a classic for you by GroeFaZ · · Score: 2, Funny

    Pong

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    The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.
  10. What's the license on the content? by Animats · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There doesn't seem to be anything on the site explaining what licensing terms apply to the content. If the Game Innovation Database uses the GFDL, like Wikipedia, then Wikipedia game content (of which there is rather a lot) can be moved to the Game Innovation Database. If CMU is taking an "all your base are belong to us" approach to content ownership, that can't happen.

  11. At the top of the list... by scolby · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...DOA's breast physics.

  12. Sokoban hater? by tepples · · Score: 1

    Start-To-Crate time is still something I check on new games.

    Do you use Start-To-Crate time in order to exclude Sokoban and similar puzzle games from your play choices?

    1. Re:Sokoban hater? by bunions · · Score: 1

      No, StC tests are tailored to FPS and sidescrolling games, and attempts to use them as a meaningful measurement outside that domain carries no statistical significance. I am unaware of similar tests for the puzzle game phylum.

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  13. Obligatory... by Brothernone · · Score: 1

    "All your games are belong to us" really has a great ring to it.

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    He whom you called four-eyes yesterday, you call Sir tomorrow.
  14. Re:close by mausmalone · · Score: 1
    First Use of Automated Online Matchmaking

    Halo's main multiplayer matchmaking pits groups of people against semi-randomly chosen opponents within a "playlist" - a set of maps and gametypes chosen by Bungie.
    Maybe I'm not getting the description right, but this sounds a lot like DDR Ultramix's matching style on XBL. You can select some parameters and it'll look for someone who's got similar parameters, but you don't have to pick specific options or songs.
    --
    -=-=-=-=-=
    I'd rather be flamed than ignored.
  15. The end is nigh... by Stick32 · · Score: 1

    and so begins the great fanboy war... may god have mercy on our souls

  16. Sokoban with gravity by tepples · · Score: 1

    StC tests are tailored to FPS and sidescrolling games, and attempts to use them as a meaningful measurement outside that domain carries no statistical significance.

    So why did a page of the seminal StC article mention Boxxle, rating it -273? (Or was it a joke?) I agree about first-person shooters, but I've played games that resemble Sokoban-with-gravity, such as parts of some Boulder Dash derivatives such as Wisdom Tree's Exodus. Would those be considered a side-scrolling game under the domain restriction?

    1. Re:Sokoban with gravity by bunions · · Score: 1
      (Or was it a joke?)

      are you kidding me?

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      there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
  17. Select by xwipeoutx · · Score: 1
    SELECT * FROM tbl_Innovation WHERE ReleaseYear > 1996;

    0 rows returned
    1. Re:Select by minginqunt · · Score: 1

      AND name NOT LIKE '%katamari%'

      0 rows returned.

    2. Re:Select by LKM · · Score: 1

      AND console LIKE %playstation%

      0 rows returned.

  18. Re:close by VxJasonxV · · Score: 1

    I guess I could go submit this on the actual site... but didn't CounterStrike do that first?

    Both with radio messages, AND human chat?

  19. Re:close by VxJasonxV · · Score: 1

    Damn near all XBox Live enabled games have/use this feature...