Does it occur to no one else that A) The test subject is rarely fully informed on the nature of the study as it is ongoing, and B) The frustration factor may be intentional?
I don't think any reasonable researcher expected the subject to play violent games and suddenly, without provokation, punch someone in the face. However, they might expect someone who plays violent games to be more likely to break or throw a controller in frustration.
The "complete the following words with the first word that pops into your head" section is clearly a stacked deck, probably to increase frustration in the test subject, hopefully leading to a violent outbreak.
Almost anyone can be pushed to an outbreak: I suspect that the researchers are checking for whether players of violent games have a shorter fuse.
Also no mention of Megaman: The Power Battles, Megaman 2: The Power Fighters (both arcade games), Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 & 2, and the semi-Mega cameo in Pocket Fighter (Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix): Felicia can morph into a pink MegaMan (MegaCatWoman?).
Oh, and Rockman: Battle & Fighters for the Neo Geo Pocket Color.
And EXE Transmission for GameCube.
My question: So why isn't there a MegaMan puzzle game yet?
I may be missing something here, but if I design and manufacture a device with a specific purpose in mind, and then add-on other features, the true nature of the device is whatever the heck I say it is.
Nokia says it's a gaming device. That's what they designed it to be. But at the cost, it just doesn't compete with anything on the market.
There are plenty of other ways to satisfy your gaming/audio/video/cell phone fix, most of which have a bigger screen and don't require partial disassembly for changing games. A Palm-device with a cell-phone attachment springs to mind, for instance. And for $300, you could easily get a mid-to-high level model and a few snazzy gizmos to boot.
The N-gage is not going to generate positive buzz, no matter which audience it gets pitched to. I'm honestly surprised that EBGames has seen fit to showcase demo units in their stores, although it does work as a great deterrant to wasting large amounts of money.
Actual quote: "Wow, I was going to get one of those things. Dude, that screen sucks!"
Hopefully, this will once and for all prove that you simply can't buy good press and have it work for any lasting period of time.
First, let me say this: I love getting stuff for free, even some stuff I "shouldn't" (It's not technically legal to download data you own from a source other than the original medium, so even though I have Duran Duran's Decade album, I'm not allowed to download the tracks unless I rip them myself. That's not going to stop me from grabbing "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Wild Boys" off of Kazaa).
The eventual point is, while I am in favor of companies giving away things for free, and especially things that used to be not free, I don't think it's a good idea, commercially speaking. Sure, it builds market base, but it also guarantees a market decay: I hardly ever buy any software new, because I'm patient enough to wait 5-6 months and get it for half the price or less. If companies make a habit of giving away full products for free, I might not buy them at all, save for an occasional token purchase to keep the system alive.
I'm not alone in that sentiment, either. In several areas, movie ticket sales are down, while rentals are up. Reason: Rentals are cheaper. If the public became aware that, within the forseeable future, the product would become completely free, the system collapses. It then becomes a delicate balance of patience versus price.
That's not going to stop me from getting my free copy, though.
...There's only one thing that really bugs me about the N-Gage, and that's the screen size.
I could excuse poor design choices like the battery compartment thing, and even the poor placement of the phone hardware, but honestly, the screen is what, 1.25" diagonal?
That and the level of promotion they're running in retail outlets. I've had multiple EB employees tell me "No, the N-Gage acutally has a bigger screen than the GBA," and "You don't really have to remove the battery cover to change games." Both statements were immediately followed by "Would you like to reserve one? If you don't, we probably won't be able to get one for you."
I realize that EB usually gives employees some level of compensation for pre-sales, but they're pushing to the point of overbearing.
The typical approach of education through gaming works like this: "Let's make education fun! We'll make a game-like program, only instead of having an exciting game-like theme, it'll be educational! Kids will learn and have fun!"
The result: Edutainment. Be honest, given the choice between an edutainment title (any edutainment title) and a good non-educational game, which would you play?
The approach they should be using is this: "Kids are playing a lot of this game. What concepts does it convey, and how could those be applied to learning?" Almost everything is educational in some way, so all you really need to do is figure out how you're learning from the things you enjoy.
Resource management relates directly to economics. Tech/Research trees relate directly to the fundamentals of Sociology (which, when you understand them, make History easier to understand). Most any luck-based game has an observable level of probability and statistics. Lots of card games (Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, MagiNation) have algebra in them. There's high-school level material in Monopoly, but any 10-year-old can play and understand it.
Someone really ought to take all the education checkpoints for K-12 (that's Kindergarten through High School in the US) and cross reference them to popular "non-educational" board, card, and video games. As an educational resource, that would be gold.
I thought the purpose of advertising was to increase sales, not to affirm sales already made. Why not just continue with the current campaign of the "Now just $99.99"?
Oh well. At least with an uncracked system, they can't blame low sales on piracy.
This is the second time in recent history that someone has been sued for violating an agreement they made, and people are acting surprised again.
When did it become a viable business model to violate an agreement if the penalty is less than the benefeit? Does consumer opinion count for nothing these days? Sure, breaking contract will only cost you $50,000, and you stand to gain $120,000 by doing so, but doesn't that create a negative consumer image with the public?
Funnily enough, doesn't Gran Turismo already meet the definition of a stats-based RPG? Can't you tune and improve your car based on money earned from your performance in races?
Actually, on the same level, most sh'mups could be interpreted as a form of RPG, since the biggest part of most of those is upgrading your weapons.
So what's wrong with a Megaman RPG? Or a Mario RPG, for that matter? These were games which were meant to be RPGs, since the creators wanted to thrust the players into the role of the hero.
Now if they start to make Pong or Tetris RPGs, then I'll start to worry.
So now it's newsworthy to mention that something no one expected to change hasn't changed? "Oceans Still Full of Water?"
Koreans embrace PC games in general (and RTS games specifically) because they aren't Japanese. The Koreans have a huge grudge against Japan socially, and avoid Japanese media and technology like the plague. There are probably exceptions, but they are in the minority.
I would consider this newsworthy if it were the complete opposite story: "Korean Game Market Suddenly Dominated by Japan" or "Pachinko Parlor Opens/Arcade Huge Success in Downtown Seoul."
Heck, it might be somewhat newsworthy to mention that the Japanese PC game market is still dominated by Hentai (which literally translates as "pervert") games. At least then a lot of the/. readers would want to know more.
Can't recall where it was originally pointed out, but if Nintendo gave away a system to everyone in America, they would make a signifigant amount of money.
270 million people in America, how many do you think will become loyal N-fans from getting a free system? Better still, how many do you think will purchase 1 new game within the next 30 days after getting a free system? Even better than that, how many do you think will continue to buy games?
The video game industry already works on loss-lead economics (since manufacturers are losing money on the system hardware). They're just not pushing the equation far enough.
It wasn't really an issue when this was first pointed out to me, since Nintendo was -the- video game company at the time (the SNES was clear leader versus the Genesis), but now, with the GameCube lagging behind the PS2 pretty badly, they might want to consider throwing some free systems around.
On the other hand, Nintendo will probably start de-emphasising the 'Cube, and focus almost entirely on the GBA, since they do have clear dominance (currently) in that market.
"I Hunger" - Sinistar "Aw am Gowf. Aw am hew to fave yoo" - Gorf (Supposed to be "I am Gorf. I am here to save you." Wacky speech synthesis.) "You the foor, Loo" - Star Wars ("Use the Force, Luke") The sound of eating a ghost in Pac-Man. The awful synth versions of the songs in Journey. The sound of launching to a new level in Time Pilot '84. Every single sound from Tron. Every single sound from Pong. "Welcome, Stun Runner." - Stun Runner "#@!%?" - QBert The dog barking in Mouse Trap (Not that many played it) "Dragon's Lair!" - Gee, I wonder.
And then the plethora of sounds from the pinball tables I could have bought if I'd saved my money instead of playing pinball: Dr. Who, Tommy, Addam's Family, Pin-Bot, Bride of Pin-Bot...
This is completely a Type-A vs. Type-B personality issue. Think about it: Type-A's (obsessive-compulsive types, prone to checking their watches multiple times a minute) want to know where they stand in quantifiable terms: You have 115332 experience points, 2142 until the next level, etc.
Type-B's (the type which ordinarily doesn't wear a watch, and rarely has occasion to need the time in specific terms) want to know where they stand in general, relative terms: You have just gained an ability! Blue Archer has gained a level!
Perhaps the P2P networks are still flourishing at least in part because they aren't exclusively US based (where this sort of thing is actually being worried about by lawmakers and lawsuit-tastic companies).
Sure, there may be concerns elsewhere in the world, but RIAA only has any power at all in the US, and there isn't another country on the planet in which litigation is a legitimate business model. Here in the states, it seems to be the new Vegas: Sue McDonalds for hot coffee, win millions. Sue retail stores for wet floors, win millions. Heck, they even advertise it on TV: Were you injured in the workplace? Do you suffer from mesothelioma as a result of exposure to hazardous conditions?
Honestly, how hard would it be to set up a subscription-based content database with unlimited access? Considering how little artists get from record sales, and how you're completely eliminating manufacturing and distribution, even $0.50 per song is a bit pricy, but I'd probably pay it for music I liked (of which there is dreadfully little past 1989, but then, I'm livin' in the past).
Of course, for me the real issue isn't that the music I want is easier to download than buy: It's just that I already have all the music I want. No, really. I don't want any more. I don't see anything that I enjoy coming down the pipeline, and I'm satisfied with what I have. What little I might be interested in getting is out of print or just plain tough to find new, like some of Steve Taylor's early stuff, or just about anything by Hokus Pick. Besides, that stuff's not really being shared on P2P.
Or just plain poor communications between departments?
Am I alone in thinking it a little strange that Sony announced this device more than a year before they intend to show even the physical shape of it?
In fact, it seemed that the initial announcement was more of an excuse to show off a new storage medium (which also won't be available for about a year).
Don't get me wrong: I'm pretty excited about the PsP, and all the possibilities it could offer. I'll probably buy one, but then again, I have a Game.com and every game ever commercially available for it.
As I see it, these aren't the only two options. Truly open-ended gameplay usually gives way to chaos (GTA). Linear gameplay can be fun (Klonoa/Super Mario/Metroid).
There is third choice: Multilinear gameplay. This is almost what Morrowind does. There are definite, linear quests. Do X, Y happens. Take the McGuffin to mister Johnson. Pardon me, did you happen to find the ring I lost? That sort of thing. However, discovery of these pathways is so open ended as to frustrate and bore most gamers.
A truly magnificent game has a linear path which gives you a minimalist tour of the game, implicitly showing the extras which can be achieved (Super Mario 64, Ratchet and Clank). Would that more games applied this concept. More to the point, this minimalist tour should be about 1/4 to 1/3 the actual length/complexity of the game.
Of course, all this only really applies to action/adventure/rpg games. Puzzle games can be anything they like. They can even be ZooCube.
Slashdot Mirror
Does it occur to no one else that A) The test subject is rarely fully informed on the nature of the study as it is ongoing, and B) The frustration factor may be intentional?
I don't think any reasonable researcher expected the subject to play violent games and suddenly, without provokation, punch someone in the face. However, they might expect someone who plays violent games to be more likely to break or throw a controller in frustration.
The "complete the following words with the first word that pops into your head" section is clearly a stacked deck, probably to increase frustration in the test subject, hopefully leading to a violent outbreak.
Almost anyone can be pushed to an outbreak: I suspect that the researchers are checking for whether players of violent games have a shorter fuse.
Well, color me stupid.
I just didn't notice that there were multiple pages of "Related Games."
Still, the Super Gem Fighters Mini Mix thing wasn't mentioned.
Now I just need to find an ISO of the UK version of Megaman: Battle & Chase.
Also no mention of Megaman: The Power Battles, Megaman 2: The Power Fighters (both arcade games), Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 & 2, and the semi-Mega cameo in Pocket Fighter (Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix): Felicia can morph into a pink MegaMan (MegaCatWoman?).
Oh, and Rockman: Battle & Fighters for the Neo Geo Pocket Color.
And EXE Transmission for GameCube.
My question: So why isn't there a MegaMan puzzle game yet?
Correction: No one who doesn't work at Eidos has ever cared about playing Tomb Raider.
Quite a lot of people have cared about what you said.
I may be missing something here, but if I design and manufacture a device with a specific purpose in mind, and then add-on other features, the true nature of the device is whatever the heck I say it is.
Nokia says it's a gaming device. That's what they designed it to be. But at the cost, it just doesn't compete with anything on the market.
There are plenty of other ways to satisfy your gaming/audio/video/cell phone fix, most of which have a bigger screen and don't require partial disassembly for changing games. A Palm-device with a cell-phone attachment springs to mind, for instance. And for $300, you could easily get a mid-to-high level model and a few snazzy gizmos to boot.
The N-gage is not going to generate positive buzz, no matter which audience it gets pitched to. I'm honestly surprised that EBGames has seen fit to showcase demo units in their stores, although it does work as a great deterrant to wasting large amounts of money.
Actual quote: "Wow, I was going to get one of those things. Dude, that screen sucks!"
Hopefully, this will once and for all prove that you simply can't buy good press and have it work for any lasting period of time.
I await the Zodiac.
Number of legally available ROMs:
Less than 100 (StarRoms isn't the only source. I'm counting things like Sega Smash Pack for the PC. There's still very few).
Number of games supported by MAME:
About 2000 unique titles.
Number of unique PCEngine, Vectrex, Atari 2600, 5200, 7800 and other non-readibly available games:
A very large portion.
Seems Slashdot is using an exotic definition of the word "no."
First, let me say this: I love getting stuff for free, even some stuff I "shouldn't" (It's not technically legal to download data you own from a source other than the original medium, so even though I have Duran Duran's Decade album, I'm not allowed to download the tracks unless I rip them myself. That's not going to stop me from grabbing "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Wild Boys" off of Kazaa).
The eventual point is, while I am in favor of companies giving away things for free, and especially things that used to be not free, I don't think it's a good idea, commercially speaking. Sure, it builds market base, but it also guarantees a market decay: I hardly ever buy any software new, because I'm patient enough to wait 5-6 months and get it for half the price or less. If companies make a habit of giving away full products for free, I might not buy them at all, save for an occasional token purchase to keep the system alive.
I'm not alone in that sentiment, either. In several areas, movie ticket sales are down, while rentals are up. Reason: Rentals are cheaper. If the public became aware that, within the forseeable future, the product would become completely free, the system collapses. It then becomes a delicate balance of patience versus price.
That's not going to stop me from getting my free copy, though.
N-Gage! It's still stupid!
...There's only one thing that really bugs me about the N-Gage, and that's the screen size.
I could excuse poor design choices like the battery compartment thing, and even the poor placement of the phone hardware, but honestly, the screen is what, 1.25" diagonal?
That and the level of promotion they're running in retail outlets. I've had multiple EB employees tell me "No, the N-Gage acutally has a bigger screen than the GBA," and "You don't really have to remove the battery cover to change games." Both statements were immediately followed by "Would you like to reserve one? If you don't, we probably won't be able to get one for you."
I realize that EB usually gives employees some level of compensation for pre-sales, but they're pushing to the point of overbearing.
Now if only they'd go about it the right way.
The typical approach of education through gaming works like this: "Let's make education fun! We'll make a game-like program, only instead of having an exciting game-like theme, it'll be educational! Kids will learn and have fun!"
The result: Edutainment. Be honest, given the choice between an edutainment title (any edutainment title) and a good non-educational game, which would you play?
The approach they should be using is this: "Kids are playing a lot of this game. What concepts does it convey, and how could those be applied to learning?" Almost everything is educational in some way, so all you really need to do is figure out how you're learning from the things you enjoy.
Resource management relates directly to economics. Tech/Research trees relate directly to the fundamentals of Sociology (which, when you understand them, make History easier to understand). Most any luck-based game has an observable level of probability and statistics. Lots of card games (Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, MagiNation) have algebra in them. There's high-school level material in Monopoly, but any 10-year-old can play and understand it.
Someone really ought to take all the education checkpoints for K-12 (that's Kindergarten through High School in the US) and cross reference them to popular "non-educational" board, card, and video games. As an educational resource, that would be gold.
No, by that logic, Coca-Cola should have a consistant advertising budget, which they do.
Increase the advertising budget tenfold!
I thought the purpose of advertising was to increase sales, not to affirm sales already made. Why not just continue with the current campaign of the "Now just $99.99"?
Oh well. At least with an uncracked system, they can't blame low sales on piracy.
Liberal and exotic usage of the words "nice" and "portable!"
Get a far better effect by hooking a GBA TV-out convertor to either an Olympus Eye-Trek or Sony Glasstron head mounted display.
Honestly, the things can be had for right around $200 on Ebay. This person probably spent about that much on his little setup.
This is the second time in recent history that someone has been sued for violating an agreement they made, and people are acting surprised again.
When did it become a viable business model to violate an agreement if the penalty is less than the benefeit? Does consumer opinion count for nothing these days? Sure, breaking contract will only cost you $50,000, and you stand to gain $120,000 by doing so, but doesn't that create a negative consumer image with the public?
Or don't morals matter anymore?
What next! A grand turismo RPG?
Funnily enough, doesn't Gran Turismo already meet the definition of a stats-based RPG? Can't you tune and improve your car based on money earned from your performance in races?
Actually, on the same level, most sh'mups could be interpreted as a form of RPG, since the biggest part of most of those is upgrading your weapons.
So what's wrong with a Megaman RPG? Or a Mario RPG, for that matter? These were games which were meant to be RPGs, since the creators wanted to thrust the players into the role of the hero.
Now if they start to make Pong or Tetris RPGs, then I'll start to worry.
So now it's newsworthy to mention that something no one expected to change hasn't changed? "Oceans Still Full of Water?"
/. readers would want to know more.
Koreans embrace PC games in general (and RTS games specifically) because they aren't Japanese. The Koreans have a huge grudge against Japan socially, and avoid Japanese media and technology like the plague. There are probably exceptions, but they are in the minority.
I would consider this newsworthy if it were the complete opposite story: "Korean Game Market Suddenly Dominated by Japan" or "Pachinko Parlor Opens/Arcade Huge Success in Downtown Seoul."
Heck, it might be somewhat newsworthy to mention that the Japanese PC game market is still dominated by Hentai (which literally translates as "pervert") games. At least then a lot of the
Recent Slashdot headline not a baseless rumor!
Can't recall where it was originally pointed out, but if Nintendo gave away a system to everyone in America, they would make a signifigant amount of money.
270 million people in America, how many do you think will become loyal N-fans from getting a free system? Better still, how many do you think will purchase 1 new game within the next 30 days after getting a free system? Even better than that, how many do you think will continue to buy games?
The video game industry already works on loss-lead economics (since manufacturers are losing money on the system hardware). They're just not pushing the equation far enough.
It wasn't really an issue when this was first pointed out to me, since Nintendo was -the- video game company at the time (the SNES was clear leader versus the Genesis), but now, with the GameCube lagging behind the PS2 pretty badly, they might want to consider throwing some free systems around.
On the other hand, Nintendo will probably start de-emphasising the 'Cube, and focus almost entirely on the GBA, since they do have clear dominance (currently) in that market.
"I Hunger" - Sinistar
"Aw am Gowf. Aw am hew to fave yoo" - Gorf (Supposed to be "I am Gorf. I am here to save you." Wacky speech synthesis.)
"You the foor, Loo" - Star Wars ("Use the Force, Luke")
The sound of eating a ghost in Pac-Man.
The awful synth versions of the songs in Journey.
The sound of launching to a new level in Time Pilot '84.
Every single sound from Tron.
Every single sound from Pong.
"Welcome, Stun Runner." - Stun Runner
"#@!%?" - QBert
The dog barking in Mouse Trap (Not that many played it)
"Dragon's Lair!" - Gee, I wonder.
And then the plethora of sounds from the pinball tables I could have bought if I'd saved my money instead of playing pinball: Dr. Who, Tommy, Addam's Family, Pin-Bot, Bride of Pin-Bot...
The list goes on, and on, and on.
"Parents not parenting," now that would cut to the heart of the issue.
This is completely a Type-A vs. Type-B personality issue. Think about it: Type-A's (obsessive-compulsive types, prone to checking their watches multiple times a minute) want to know where they stand in quantifiable terms: You have 115332 experience points, 2142 until the next level, etc.
Type-B's (the type which ordinarily doesn't wear a watch, and rarely has occasion to need the time in specific terms) want to know where they stand in general, relative terms: You have just gained an ability! Blue Archer has gained a level!
Perhaps the P2P networks are still flourishing at least in part because they aren't exclusively US based (where this sort of thing is actually being worried about by lawmakers and lawsuit-tastic companies).
Sure, there may be concerns elsewhere in the world, but RIAA only has any power at all in the US, and there isn't another country on the planet in which litigation is a legitimate business model. Here in the states, it seems to be the new Vegas: Sue McDonalds for hot coffee, win millions. Sue retail stores for wet floors, win millions. Heck, they even advertise it on TV: Were you injured in the workplace? Do you suffer from mesothelioma as a result of exposure to hazardous conditions?
Honestly, how hard would it be to set up a subscription-based content database with unlimited access? Considering how little artists get from record sales, and how you're completely eliminating manufacturing and distribution, even $0.50 per song is a bit pricy, but I'd probably pay it for music I liked (of which there is dreadfully little past 1989, but then, I'm livin' in the past).
Of course, for me the real issue isn't that the music I want is easier to download than buy: It's just that I already have all the music I want. No, really. I don't want any more. I don't see anything that I enjoy coming down the pipeline, and I'm satisfied with what I have. What little I might be interested in getting is out of print or just plain tough to find new, like some of Steve Taylor's early stuff, or just about anything by Hokus Pick. Besides, that stuff's not really being shared on P2P.
Or just plain poor communications between departments?
Am I alone in thinking it a little strange that Sony announced this device more than a year before they intend to show even the physical shape of it?
In fact, it seemed that the initial announcement was more of an excuse to show off a new storage medium (which also won't be available for about a year).
Don't get me wrong: I'm pretty excited about the PsP, and all the possibilities it could offer. I'll probably buy one, but then again, I have a Game.com and every game ever commercially available for it.
As I see it, these aren't the only two options. Truly open-ended gameplay usually gives way to chaos (GTA). Linear gameplay can be fun (Klonoa/Super Mario/Metroid).
There is third choice: Multilinear gameplay. This is almost what Morrowind does. There are definite, linear quests. Do X, Y happens. Take the McGuffin to mister Johnson. Pardon me, did you happen to find the ring I lost? That sort of thing. However, discovery of these pathways is so open ended as to frustrate and bore most gamers.
A truly magnificent game has a linear path which gives you a minimalist tour of the game, implicitly showing the extras which can be achieved (Super Mario 64, Ratchet and Clank). Would that more games applied this concept. More to the point, this minimalist tour should be about 1/4 to 1/3 the actual length/complexity of the game.
Of course, all this only really applies to action/adventure/rpg games. Puzzle games can be anything they like. They can even be ZooCube.
PS1 level graphics, maybe. TRS-80 level framerates, though.