Well, the problem that you're addressing isn't a problem of lack of ideas, but rather the HUGE cost and investment that is a triple-A videogame. A SINGLE bad game can completely bankrupt a videogame studio, and as a result almost all studios are terrified of the idea of trying something new. So they rehash the idea that worked best last year, and they slap a new number on the front.
but its a completed song, that people can listen to and enjoy, fully composed and performed and recorded. Its not a song IDEA. Its not just a piece of paper with some concept of what a song could sound like. Nobody would ever buy that.
If you can get your game idea to a playable demo, then you can sell it. But then you're a professional game developer already. Just an idea isn't worth anything. Sorry.
Exactly. This is like somebody who has no idea how to compose music going "hey, i've got this idea for a really fast metal song with lots of guitars, and there would be a part that went like this, hey, do you think I can call up a band and sell them my idea for money? How do I go about doing that?"
Sorry, but no band is ever going to care about your song concept. And similarly, no serious video game developer has the time to care about your video game concepts.
And unfortunately, a single person (especially without the technical skills) cannot develop a modern videogame, even a demo. (note: there are exceptions but they're mostly 2d and it took the developer years and they were highly skilled, like Rollercoaster tycoon or braid)
Agreed. I'm in the industry, and everyone I've ever spoken to has agreed completely that we have all the ideas we will ever need, and that is not at all a thing the games industry is needing or wanting to spend money on. I'm sorry, but your geek dreams aren't worth gold. We get thousands of ridiculous fan emails a day with game ideas that are mostly laughable, but even the good ones, who cares? The "idea" boils down to a story/setting, and some gameplay. If the gameplay can be done, it probably already is, and otherwise if it can't be done, then the idea is worthless. And if you think you have the best story around, who cares? Write a book. The challenge in making good games is not finding good stories, its organizing development teams and trying to produce "fun" which is unquantifiable and subjective.
Exactly. I'm a senior at UT right now, and lemme tell you, the only classes that take attendance are the ones I feel are a complete waste of time. If students aren't going to class, then thats a problem; but taking attendance is treating the symptom and not the disease. And the disease is that students are forced onto degree plans and end up spending thousands of dollars and all their time in classes that simply do not teach them anything. Education in America is quickly turning into a scam.
I knew that much, the MPAA and the ERSB are both self-regulating bodies.
On the other hand, I can see it being likely illegal to sell a sexually explicit film to a minor, regardless of what the self-regulating body rated it as.
"We have a responsibility to our kids and our communities to protect against the effects of games that depict ultra-violent actions, just as we already do with movies," the Governor said in a statement.
I know that kids can't get into rated R movies, but stores have been getting more and more strict about not letting kids buy rated M games. I remember when I was like 18 they wouldn't sell Halo 3 to me because I didn't have my ID with me.
My question is, is it A CRIME to rent a rated R movie to a minor? I somehow seriously doubt it. If it is, thats sick. And I cannot understand at all how this could be true for videogames either.
RAISE YOUR KIDS RAISE YOUR KIDS RAISE YOUR GODDAMN KIDS
There are billions of games before that ARE art, and Ebert is just old-fashioned and stuck on stereotypes, but the most recent example to come to mind was Heavy Rain.
I have to tell you, 100% honestly, that when I got to a certain scene of the game, I had an emotional and moral breakdown. The game sent me trying to save a child (which it had done a good job building up my interest in wanting him to live) and the only way was to shoot a man I didn't even know. But I get there, and he starts begging, telling me he has daughters. I honestly *wanted* to kill him, not for some sadistic GTA pleasure of just mowing over another ragdoll, but because I genuinely desired to save my son. However, for THE FIRST TIME EVER, I COULD NOT DO IT. I ACTUALLY WANTED TO, BUT COULDN'T. I've killed literally billions upon billions of characters in videogames before, my mind has no problem separating the virtual from the real and given moral freedom with the knowledge they are but bits in a machine I'm happy to shotgun the lot of them; but at this moment I just couldn't do it. It felt wrong.
And that, right there, is the definition of art. I played Heavy Rain, and it, the game, not anything else, caused me to DEEPLY FEEL emotions I hadn't even considered, emotions I wouldn't have felt if I had never played the game, and they were the deliberate result of the artist who created the game's intent for me to feel those emotions.
A muscle spasm in your face is quite natural once in awhile and is certainly not the same as Tourette's syndrome, which is non-voluntary repetitive behavior, which I'm pretty sure is neurological. One form of manifestation may be repetitive facial muscle contraction, but thats not really the "problem".
The term that EVERBODY seems to be forgetting (AND NO, IT IS NOT A SYNONYM FOR THEFT OR PIRACY) is "Copyright Infringement"
Its the same crime as making a mix cd of cds you own, or recording the radio to a cassette, or recording the superbowl to a VHS. Yes, its illegal, but IT IS NOT THEFT, 100%, and piracy highly misleading as well.
Yes, people have done this and have been doing this since the early days of everquest, etc. You're correct, the only way to do it is to completely reverse-engineer a server from scratch code. It is indeed a huge undertaking, but since it allows you to then play an awesome game without a monthly fee, and also to have your own world you can modify, several people have spent alot of time working on it, and many games (everquest, WoW, dark age of camelot, etc.) have working private server code projects. Some / most are even open source:)
No, players do not pay monthly fees (normally) though there are some really BIG "private" servers out there on the internet that are really just huge non-blizzard public servers. The thing is, These private servers aren't quite like the blizzard server, they don't have a team of programmers adding new content to the game, so it doesn't cost what it costs to keep WoW going. All they have to do is host a server, like if they were playing counterstrike, thats pretty cheap. But yeah, alot of websites do ask for donations.
Yeah, until you realize that Blizzard is running this program called Glider 24/7 in the background when you run the WoW client, spying on everything you do on your computer. Its quite documented, and you agree to let them do it every time you click "agree" on the EULA. So don't think WoW is DRM free.
Also MMORPGS are special, because you HAVE to be online to play them, its not unfair to require you login to a server, so they all do that. So really, MMOs have the MOST DRM, we just tolerate it because the online connection requirement was already there.
But with things like Settlers, AC2, etc. I refuse to buy a game disabled by design. The single player games do not require an internet connection, and yet ubisoft does. Thats huge. I could never play WoW in my car on a laptop, but I *could* play AC2 on my laptop. But I can't.
Agreed. I get offended all the time when they perpetuate the misconception that it is theft, it just fundamentally is NOT theft. Its copyright infringement, which is a crime, yes, but its on the scale of taping the superbowl on a VHS or recording the radio on a cassette tape (or to and mp3 if you're modern). To think somebody could be sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars for making a mix tape...
Can we stop giving this guy attention? He's hardly worth all the celebrity and admiration he seems to be getting lately (and likely seeking for himself). He made a few crap games back when nobody knew how to make MMORPGs yet, and capitalized on it, made a fortune, and HASN'T MADE A SINGLE DECENT GAME SINCE.
Now just cuz his dad was a TRUE astronaut, he bought his way into space with his ridiculous riches and he expects to be looked up to? Going around on talk shows acting like he's the talk of the town?
Now THIS? Okay, I'm done. I never want to hear about Richard Garriot again. He hasn't done anything worth respecting.
Exactly. The answer should be to just start writing KiB instead of kB everywhere we currently use kB, and then doing nothing else. Whala! We're on a base 2 scale, and we're not strictly following SI, so lets be clear about that.
I agree with grandpa that switching to SI would be dumb, and using the real kB to show sizes would be backwards. however, for the sake of consistency and correctness lets show off the fact that it is different.
There was a bolt in your soft taco? Holy crap! According to an episode of Kenan and Kel (I hope some of you remember that show) you could totally sue them for a life supply of tuna. I mean lots of money.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, the problem that you're addressing isn't a problem of lack of ideas, but rather the HUGE cost and investment that is a triple-A videogame. A SINGLE bad game can completely bankrupt a videogame studio, and as a result almost all studios are terrified of the idea of trying something new. So they rehash the idea that worked best last year, and they slap a new number on the front.
but its a completed song, that people can listen to and enjoy, fully composed and performed and recorded. Its not a song IDEA. Its not just a piece of paper with some concept of what a song could sound like. Nobody would ever buy that. If you can get your game idea to a playable demo, then you can sell it. But then you're a professional game developer already. Just an idea isn't worth anything. Sorry.
Exactly. This is like somebody who has no idea how to compose music going "hey, i've got this idea for a really fast metal song with lots of guitars, and there would be a part that went like this, hey, do you think I can call up a band and sell them my idea for money? How do I go about doing that?" Sorry, but no band is ever going to care about your song concept. And similarly, no serious video game developer has the time to care about your video game concepts. And unfortunately, a single person (especially without the technical skills) cannot develop a modern videogame, even a demo. (note: there are exceptions but they're mostly 2d and it took the developer years and they were highly skilled, like Rollercoaster tycoon or braid)
Agreed. I'm in the industry, and everyone I've ever spoken to has agreed completely that we have all the ideas we will ever need, and that is not at all a thing the games industry is needing or wanting to spend money on. I'm sorry, but your geek dreams aren't worth gold. We get thousands of ridiculous fan emails a day with game ideas that are mostly laughable, but even the good ones, who cares? The "idea" boils down to a story/setting, and some gameplay. If the gameplay can be done, it probably already is, and otherwise if it can't be done, then the idea is worthless. And if you think you have the best story around, who cares? Write a book. The challenge in making good games is not finding good stories, its organizing development teams and trying to produce "fun" which is unquantifiable and subjective.
Exactly. I'm a senior at UT right now, and lemme tell you, the only classes that take attendance are the ones I feel are a complete waste of time. If students aren't going to class, then thats a problem; but taking attendance is treating the symptom and not the disease. And the disease is that students are forced onto degree plans and end up spending thousands of dollars and all their time in classes that simply do not teach them anything. Education in America is quickly turning into a scam.
I knew that much, the MPAA and the ERSB are both self-regulating bodies.
On the other hand, I can see it being likely illegal to sell a sexually explicit film to a minor, regardless of what the self-regulating body rated it as.
Thats the question here, whats actually A CRIME.
"We have a responsibility to our kids and our communities to protect against the effects of games that depict ultra-violent actions, just as we already do with movies," the Governor said in a statement.
I know that kids can't get into rated R movies, but stores have been getting more and more strict about not letting kids buy rated M games. I remember when I was like 18 they wouldn't sell Halo 3 to me because I didn't have my ID with me.
My question is, is it A CRIME to rent a rated R movie to a minor? I somehow seriously doubt it. If it is, thats sick. And I cannot understand at all how this could be true for videogames either.
RAISE YOUR KIDS RAISE YOUR KIDS RAISE YOUR GODDAMN KIDS
There are billions of games before that ARE art, and Ebert is just old-fashioned and stuck on stereotypes, but the most recent example to come to mind was Heavy Rain.
I have to tell you, 100% honestly, that when I got to a certain scene of the game, I had an emotional and moral breakdown. The game sent me trying to save a child (which it had done a good job building up my interest in wanting him to live) and the only way was to shoot a man I didn't even know. But I get there, and he starts begging, telling me he has daughters. I honestly *wanted* to kill him, not for some sadistic GTA pleasure of just mowing over another ragdoll, but because I genuinely desired to save my son. However, for THE FIRST TIME EVER, I COULD NOT DO IT. I ACTUALLY WANTED TO, BUT COULDN'T. I've killed literally billions upon billions of characters in videogames before, my mind has no problem separating the virtual from the real and given moral freedom with the knowledge they are but bits in a machine I'm happy to shotgun the lot of them; but at this moment I just couldn't do it. It felt wrong.
And that, right there, is the definition of art. I played Heavy Rain, and it, the game, not anything else, caused me to DEEPLY FEEL emotions I hadn't even considered, emotions I wouldn't have felt if I had never played the game, and they were the deliberate result of the artist who created the game's intent for me to feel those emotions.
If that isn't art, NOTHING IS.
A muscle spasm in your face is quite natural once in awhile and is certainly not the same as Tourette's syndrome, which is non-voluntary repetitive behavior, which I'm pretty sure is neurological. One form of manifestation may be repetitive facial muscle contraction, but thats not really the "problem".
somebody mod parent up I have no points but he's sitting at 0 and I agree with him 100%!
The guy in the video is not disturbed and trying to deal with it though. He is very clearly having a good time.
er, responded to the wrong post. lol.
Way to respond to the dumbest, most emotional comments, instead of the logical ones pointing out in a clear-headed manner how this is abhorrent.
Haha, good call, I got the two mixed up. I totally meant to say Warden.
Then Copyright Infringement isn't a crime either.
The term that EVERBODY seems to be forgetting (AND NO, IT IS NOT A SYNONYM FOR THEFT OR PIRACY) is "Copyright Infringement"
Its the same crime as making a mix cd of cds you own, or recording the radio to a cassette, or recording the superbowl to a VHS. Yes, its illegal, but IT IS NOT THEFT, 100%, and piracy highly misleading as well.
Yes, people have done this and have been doing this since the early days of everquest, etc. You're correct, the only way to do it is to completely reverse-engineer a server from scratch code. It is indeed a huge undertaking, but since it allows you to then play an awesome game without a monthly fee, and also to have your own world you can modify, several people have spent alot of time working on it, and many games (everquest, WoW, dark age of camelot, etc.) have working private server code projects. Some / most are even open source :)
No, players do not pay monthly fees (normally) though there are some really BIG "private" servers out there on the internet that are really just huge non-blizzard public servers. The thing is, These private servers aren't quite like the blizzard server, they don't have a team of programmers adding new content to the game, so it doesn't cost what it costs to keep WoW going. All they have to do is host a server, like if they were playing counterstrike, thats pretty cheap. But yeah, alot of websites do ask for donations.
Yeah, until you realize that Blizzard is running this program called Glider 24/7 in the background when you run the WoW client, spying on everything you do on your computer. Its quite documented, and you agree to let them do it every time you click "agree" on the EULA. So don't think WoW is DRM free.
Also MMORPGS are special, because you HAVE to be online to play them, its not unfair to require you login to a server, so they all do that. So really, MMOs have the MOST DRM, we just tolerate it because the online connection requirement was already there.
But with things like Settlers, AC2, etc. I refuse to buy a game disabled by design. The single player games do not require an internet connection, and yet ubisoft does. Thats huge. I could never play WoW in my car on a laptop, but I *could* play AC2 on my laptop. But I can't.
Agreed. I get offended all the time when they perpetuate the misconception that it is theft, it just fundamentally is NOT theft. Its copyright infringement, which is a crime, yes, but its on the scale of taping the superbowl on a VHS or recording the radio on a cassette tape (or to and mp3 if you're modern). To think somebody could be sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars for making a mix tape...
touche
Can we stop giving this guy attention? He's hardly worth all the celebrity and admiration he seems to be getting lately (and likely seeking for himself). He made a few crap games back when nobody knew how to make MMORPGs yet, and capitalized on it, made a fortune, and HASN'T MADE A SINGLE DECENT GAME SINCE.
Now just cuz his dad was a TRUE astronaut, he bought his way into space with his ridiculous riches and he expects to be looked up to? Going around on talk shows acting like he's the talk of the town?
Now THIS? Okay, I'm done. I never want to hear about Richard Garriot again. He hasn't done anything worth respecting.
Exactly. The answer should be to just start writing KiB instead of kB everywhere we currently use kB, and then doing nothing else. Whala! We're on a base 2 scale, and we're not strictly following SI, so lets be clear about that.
I agree with grandpa that switching to SI would be dumb, and using the real kB to show sizes would be backwards. however, for the sake of consistency and correctness lets show off the fact that it is different.
What is this, a telescope for GIANTS?! It will need to be at least... one third this size!
http://www.brawndo.com/
I swear, FOX spent more money marketing and distributing BRAWNDO than they did idiocracy.
Stupid studio. >_>
There was a bolt in your soft taco? Holy crap! According to an episode of Kenan and Kel (I hope some of you remember that show) you could totally sue them for a life supply of tuna. I mean lots of money.