I mentioned it because amongst the game industry people there is alot of comparison with the movie industry. For good reason in most cases.
As for game length, it is starting to happen in some cases. Usually single player RPGs are typically 40 hours long. Or that is what many developers aim for. Sometimes they aim for less.
It is just a matter of time until the length of time in certain game genres becomes nearly standardized. Such as the "average" movie length of 75 minutes.
Can Gamespot be trusted? My answer is, who cares? Besides linkage from slashdot and other websites I, generally, trust; I would never read the trash they dribble out.
What I want to know is why this subject is brought up by a man? Are not women supposed to take care of womens-lib, not men?
"I think men are inherently incapable of doing an adequate job of properly presenting female characters in games."
Perhaps you could make that case if they were TRYING to properly represent a female in thier game. But they were not. They typically make games geared towards males.
As for Metroid, Samus being female was a small tiny part of the game MOST people didn't know about for the first five years the game was out. I remember hearing Samus was female 3 years after I first played it.
Publishers know about the Independent crowd quite well. Most of the people in the game industry started out there. The way things are, publishers do not need to go looking for the independent makers come to them. The bottom line is, virtually everyone is turned away unless they win awards from various institutions (thus getting notice). And even then it is not a sure thing.
Frankly, there have been primarily story driven games known as 'point and click' adventures. They are all but extinct now since they aren't very engaging *as a game* as opposed to a form of *interactive media*.
They are not engaging for you. My wife, on hte other hand, absolutely loves the "point and click" games like "The Longest Journey" and "Siberia". She has played and beaten both a handful of times each. She is quite engrossed with them when she plays too.
Woops, I meant to put the quote below this above the statement 'maybe chris needs to find a new job?'
"I seldom play computer games, because it's such a depressing experience," said Chris Crawford, a game designer who is building a program to create interactive stories. "I end up shaking my head in dismay at how stuck the designers are in a rut."
If you experience so much cynicism about your own "industry", maybe you should find a new career.
Such as, "I don't watch movies becuase they all suck, even tho I help make them"
Therein lies the difference...
Text adventures relied on imagination for the images. Most games these days attempt to circumvent that need and place the user in the "now", where you could experience the "breath taking view" without the need to imagine. (except the need to imagine it is real)
At least, this is what they are attempting to make, they are still a few years off from being able to keep up with my imagination. =)
That's where academics believe they play an important role. By raising the bar on game criticism and analysis, they hope to also raise the bar on how games are made and how they are perceived by the public ? and the courts.
Game makers are, generally, raising the bar themselves. If you think that "most games suck" or "most games have little or no depth", then maybe you should include games other then the ones that appear on the store shelves. There are many games out there that will knock your socks off one way or another. Ever heard of the Independent Games Festival?
The most terrible injury I have sustained from game playing is not being around girls(women) for several years. Luckily, I was able to realise what danger game playing trully is and put a stop to my activities. It was hard at first, but I must say that I have made a firm recovery. I do not look back except to say "whew, that was close!"
Notice that the two cited games from this year that "suffered from some notable feature trim" are both Sony Online Entertainment games. Planetside and Star Wars Galaxies are both put out by SOE. The problem these two games have are NOT from lack of players (Planetside is NOW having a player shortage). The problem is they are UNFINISHED GAMES.
I read the whole thread in which 'Marweas' flamed the community he was hired to interact with. It's actually interesting to see all the reactions it caused. Many people are angry at this dude, and rightly so. Game companies need to realize that certain actions that are ok in other types of businesses are NOT ok in the Gaming industry.
Slashdot Mirror
Can I have his stuff?
Isn't this the new expansion that just came out for Sims 2?
It's Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
for those wondering why what I posted was amusing, zors initial tagline said "Now reply to this".
I mentioned it because amongst the game industry people there is alot of comparison with the movie industry. For good reason in most cases. As for game length, it is starting to happen in some cases. Usually single player RPGs are typically 40 hours long. Or that is what many developers aim for. Sometimes they aim for less.
It is just a matter of time until the length of time in certain game genres becomes nearly standardized. Such as the "average" movie length of 75 minutes.
OK, I clicked on the "Reply to This". Now what?
The biggest buzzword at the annual Game Developers Conference this year was "Innovation".
My friends and I didnt not take it as a joke when we found out, after playing the original metroid for years that Samus was a female.
Can Gamespot be trusted? My answer is, who cares? Besides linkage from slashdot and other websites I, generally, trust; I would never read the trash they dribble out. What I want to know is why this subject is brought up by a man? Are not women supposed to take care of womens-lib, not men?
"I think men are inherently incapable of doing an adequate job of properly presenting female characters in games." Perhaps you could make that case if they were TRYING to properly represent a female in thier game. But they were not. They typically make games geared towards males. As for Metroid, Samus being female was a small tiny part of the game MOST people didn't know about for the first five years the game was out. I remember hearing Samus was female 3 years after I first played it.
Oh I guess next time I will read the article next time. Sheesh, I hate doing that.
Where can you find it for $45. Every place I see it for sale, an UPGRADE is in the $80s to $90s for the home version. More for the Pro version. WTF
You say that like its a bad thing.
Publishers know about the Independent crowd quite well. Most of the people in the game industry started out there. The way things are, publishers do not need to go looking for the independent makers come to them. The bottom line is, virtually everyone is turned away unless they win awards from various institutions (thus getting notice). And even then it is not a sure thing.
Therein lies the difference... Text adventures relied on imagination for the images. Most games these days attempt to circumvent that need and place the user in the "now", where you could experience the "breath taking view" without the need to imagine. (except the need to imagine it is real) At least, this is what they are attempting to make, they are still a few years off from being able to keep up with my imagination. =)
The most terrible injury I have sustained from game playing is not being around girls(women) for several years. Luckily, I was able to realise what danger game playing trully is and put a stop to my activities. It was hard at first, but I must say that I have made a firm recovery. I do not look back except to say "whew, that was close!"
Amusing concept. I think the logo should have a version number, for the "hacker community" would never be able to agree on a final image.
I don't see how this would affect players other then the lack of message deletion in the forums. SOE_tech_support = joke_in_the_best_of_times;
Notice that the two cited games from this year that "suffered from some notable feature trim" are both Sony Online Entertainment games. Planetside and Star Wars Galaxies are both put out by SOE. The problem these two games have are NOT from lack of players (Planetside is NOW having a player shortage). The problem is they are UNFINISHED GAMES.
I read the whole thread in which 'Marweas' flamed the community he was hired to interact with. It's actually interesting to see all the reactions it caused. Many people are angry at this dude, and rightly so. Game companies need to realize that certain actions that are ok in other types of businesses are NOT ok in the Gaming industry.