Well the “Matt Hawkins Anthology” is officially under way. I contacted the first wave of cartoonists earlier this week and there’s already a solid group of folks that I’m pretty psyched to have on board for the project. So as I might have mentioned before, a mini featuring the work of three or so stories will hopefully be available later this year at SPX.
On the video game front, that email from the woman representing clients looking for adult games turned out to be bogus. It was just some bullshit service call, like Jason suggested. We played email/phone tag for a while which culminated in the following conversation:
Woman: “Um… hello?”
Me: “Hello.”
Woman: “Hi… I’m Blah Blah Blah from Blah Blah Blah and we represent clients from a variety of fields, introducing them to potential partners…”
Me: “Yes, you mentioned that you know a party that’s interested in adult oriented web games, right?”
Woman: “Um… yes. I represent many different parties, all with various interests…”
Me: “But you said in your email that you specifically had clients that wanted adult games for the web. Who are these folks?”
Woman: “… I represent many different parties via out network…”
Me: “Is this is a sales call?”
Woman: (silent for about ten seconds) “… Our network can…”
Me: “Listen; first off, I am NOT interested in your service. Second, if I get any further unwanted solicitations by phone, I will know who they’re from and report you to the proper parties.”
Then she just hung up. And since then I haven’t gotten any other sales calls. Though the amount of spam in my inbox has increased exponentially since then, and I really don’t think its any coincidence. So anyway, no JizzMoppa 2 for the time being, sadly.
Oh also, I forgot to mention that the fall session of my History and Exploration of Game Design class is now open for registration. You can get all the necessary info right here. Though to be perfectly honest, I have to wonder if it will even take place…
You see, this past summer session never ran; I didn’t have the necessary amount of students signed up. Does that mean that no one’s interested in learning how to make games? Nope, cuz there were other game design classes that were offered this summer at SVA, two others, and they both ran, with plenty of kids in each. So I guess just my class wasn’t popular. Why? Well the answer might get me it hot water, but basically…
Video games are pretty popular right now, as everyone knows. What used to be looked down upon by virtually all parents is now starting to be held in high regard, at least with those who see their child making a possible career out of them… and I mean a highly successful career, with much money involved. No where is this belief more evident with colleges across the nation which are pushing this rather misguided message pretty heavily. So many schools are now offering courses in video game design, but the problem is, most have no clue what video game design actually is.
One route that many are choosing is by showing students how to modify an existing game, such as Unreal Tournament, since it has a level editor and the such, and calling it a game design course. But the problem is this is not game design. This is game modification, which is completely different. There are elements of design in modification, of course, but that’s like saying you can learn everything you need to know about filmmaking from just editing one film. Its really not the same thing. And is often the case, there is no in-depth look at the theories and philosophies behind game design, let alone any meaningful discussion of the history. Mentioning Pac Man and Mario the first day of class alone just does not cut it.
My class on the other hand addresses all these missing, yet extremely important aspects. Hell, there’s no actual programming involved, its all just analytical thinking and discussion; I simply introduce and layout the basic groundwork of what makes a game “a game” and have them all explore the various elements via exercises. One actually has them go beyond the realm of video games via the creation of board games and other forms of interactive play. My attitude is that if you want to make a game, any game, you need not just a love for the medium but a proper understanding of it, both historically and instinctually.
But at the end of the day, kids don’t want to sit around and learn why a video game “works” or how to make a board game, they just want to blow shit up, hence why the quick and dirty, and easy, game mod classes are so successful. And since the colleges are making so much money, which should they care? Especially when students are so happy to fork over the cash and go away very happy with the experience. Again, and I’m sorry, but there’s only so much one can learn from modifying a preexisting game, let along a first person shooter. My biggest concern is what’s going to happen in the next few years when the job market is cluttered with so called game designers who won’t be able to create even the most rudimentary of games, at least ones that don’t have a first person person perspective or blowing things to pieces. Not to say I’m a jack of all trades, but I prided my ability to design whatever game in whatever genre when I was working as a designer full time.
So is the educational sector in regards to games totally doomed? Na, I just find the current climate extremely frustrating for a person such as myself, especially in the position that I’m in. But I am working on ways to change this, even at SVA; there are now plans for me to teach a game creation workshop next year, one that will be divided into two parts. The first will concentrate purely on design, which I will be overseeing, with the same things covered in my regular class except pared down and more concise. And the second will have the students taking everything they’ve learned and applying it towards the creation of an actual fully-functional game in Flash via another instructor. I’ll details regarding this, and other things, in the future.
Oh, and some quick bits of gaming news:
- A new, and I’m guessing final, version of the American Katamari 2 box art was just unveiled and… its not so hot.
Everyone seems to positively hate it, while I don’t mind it that much, I certainly liked the first placeholder one much better (which I really wish I kept a copy of), even a tiny bit more so than the Japanese original. Though hopefully it won’t deter box art snobs from picking up the game (I’m guilty of being a box snob, though only when it comes to avoiding the Greatest Hits version of any given game).
Luckily the general audience won’t really care, though now that the price tag is $30, ten dollars more than the original, its expected that the sequel won’t do nearly as good. Granted, the insane amount of critical praise certainly helped to make it the sleeper hit that it was much, but it was mostly the cheap price of admission really.
Though personally, I would have absolutely no qualms paying $50 for the game.
- Here’s something that’s been spreading around like wildfire on gaming message boards after it appeared on G4′s Attack of the Show (which means they probably got it from the GAF): an application which emulates the boss intro from Mega Man 2 whenever any other application is launch in OS X. Hey, if you’re a Mac person and big time Mega Man, like myself, you’ll love it… for like five minutes, after you’ve launched all your apps for in that amount of time for no real good reason.
- Hey, I love seeing prototype hardware. Well here’s some pics of Dreamcast protos that some guy on the GAF passed along.
Reminds me, I finally got a replacement DC case for the one MK passed along, which was somewhat beaten-up up from her brother, the original owner. It’s translucent green; I wanted blue, but couldn’t find one anywhere… gee, can you guess why it’s such a popular color? Anyway, I’ll try replacing the case this weekend, but I’m afraid of screwing it up somehow. Its sort of an irrational fear, which I wish I could get over, cuz its the only thing stopping me from adding a mod chip into my PS2 myself, which would alleviate a ton of headaches.
- Meanwhile Insert Credit just recently posted news of a hand-held Neo Geo.
- And someone on the IC forums finally shed some light on the reasons why Super Mario Bros for the arcade is different from the NES version. For those who don’t know, some parts are much different, with far more creative and fun levels in spots (wheras in the home version, certain levels just recycle previous levels). If you don’t believe me, fire up Vs. Super Mario Bros in MAME and see what I mean. Anyway, I always assumed that it was done to make the home version easier, or for perhaps reasons related to cartridge space.
But it was actually pointed out that the home version came first, and the arcade version second, with stuff added in, to make it more difficult and less repetitive! In a sense, the arcade version of SMB is almost like a “director’s cut.” Well mystery solved!
On a side note, I really wish whoever followed the same forumula when creating the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros 2, or Lost Levels here in the states. Besides being extremely repetitive, its waaaay too difficult.
- Jiji pointed this one out, and it’s about time that some porn games for the DS started showing up. There’s even a mini-game on the site that gives you a bit of a taste, though it’s nowhere near as sexy as this (NSFW people, and I mean seriously).
Because its from Tecmo, the first thing one might wonder is if its from Team Ninja, makers of the oh so sexy Dead Or Alive series, which Tecmo publishes, but they’re not, as far as I can tell. Though I think Team Ninja’s head honcho Igataki has been quoted as saying that he wants to do a DS game eventually, something for the kids. I’m guessing DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball for Kids, with gratuitous diaper shots.
- The word is that production on Shenmue Online has just been halted, for anyone that cares. Though what I want to know is what the hell is Yu Suzuki up to these days?
- Finally, an 80 year old woman has her sights on reclaiming her world’s record for the highest score in Q-Bert. And what’s the best part of all this? The man, Billy fucking Mitchell, is in her corner! I feel almost compelled to make a trip to wherever just to see history unfold…
