"Don't be a dick." That simple notion is the first of Victor Lucas' 3D rules. The others? Don't dick around and don't hang out with dicks. Some would lead you to believe the games press is filled with dicks. It's not. With this in mind, I seek out the best games writing - from news to interviews to reviews and beyond - and highlight it here.
Theme by Andy Taylor, modified by Aaron Hudspeth.
On the Verge of Rapture
How many things have been said about BioShock by now? I’m sure we’ve all lost count, but here’s Rob Haines writing about it for Unwinnable, with a twist:
I want to flee the rising tide, the forces of nature working to reclaim the territory claimed by human audacity. I want to explore the ruins of Andrew Ryan’s magnum opus, destroyed by the indiscretions of its populace. But every time it feels like Rapture is within reach,BioShockblocks my path.
Four times, I’ve walked away and not looked back.
There is a deep discussion to be had here, and I think Haines gets to it well: At what point is suspending disbelief no longer feasible? Does this afflict even the most acclaimed games?
The Enslavement of Josef - A Machinarium Retrospective
Here’s a rather in depth look at Machinarium and its world. There are what may be considered spoilers if you still haven’t played it, so be warned.
Anyways, there’s commentary on genre, storytelling, and motivations. Deep:
A sadder notion might be that Josef simply has no choice – he’s a robot, after all. Automatons don’t need a story to frame or contextualize their actions, only commands. The taxidermied gazelle, the spiral staircase and the “Royal Robot” moniker are cultural signifiers of class and power; the gray robot’s story of imprisonment signifies – if not literal slavery – a lack of context and awareness, a lack of options and autonomy.
Leray, Joseph. “The Enslavement of Josef - A Machinarium Retrospect” (Unwinnable: January 3, 2012) <http://www.unwinnable.com/2013/01/03/the-enslavement-of-josef-a-machinarium-retrospective/>.
What We Missed 2012: Mothers
I love you, mom.
Here are two posts that reiterate that. No other introduction is worthy.
Read: My Mother, Commander Shepard by Daniel Starkey on Gameranx.
Read: Allow Natural Death by Jenn Frank on Unwinnable.
As we go into the New Year and make resolutions, these articles serve as a good reminder as to what the true meaning of the season is: Live for yoursellf and your family and friends.
From all of us at Good Games Writing, have a Happy New Year and healthy and prosperous 2013.
Lying To Your Child For Sanity's Sake
Man oh man is this ever great. Chris Dahlen struggles with his son’s obsession over Plants vs. Zombies—for better or worse, it’s annoying—and, ultimately, lies to his son. The lie? Telling him that a magic word can make him forget everything he knows about a game.
While he enjoys playing Plants vs. Zombies, he enjoys even more the process of thinking about it and playing with it in his head. It’s easy to sentimentalize the mind of a child. We like to picture them as boundless imagineers who can pick up a stick and build a world around it. But kids, like us, need something to work from – a character, an archetype, a story, a weapon – and something to play with in their hands and in their heads.
Dahlen, Chris. “Oceans Away” (Unwinnable: July 3rd, 2012) <http://www.unwinnable.com/2012/07/03/the-kid-v-plants-vs-zombies-2/>.
Jordan Mammo keeps things simple talking about Okami
Jordan Mammo’s brief analysis of Okami’s inspiration—Sumi-e—and how the title fails to live up to it is brilliant. The specific examples are great, sure, but the article should be used by aspiring writers as a reminder to use the fewest number of words possible to communicate. Which, in its own way, is exactly what the article is about:
Okami’s confidence doesn’t seem to extend past its audio/visual experience. At one point in its sequelOkamiden, an elderly man tasks me with scouring the area to find a collection of journals. My first thought is that these must be important, but instead he concludes, “If you can find all our journals, well, I just won’t know what to say.” The painter is throwing ink on the canvas via plenty of side quests, but there’s no sens
Mammo, Jordan. “The Aesthetic Failure of Okami” (Unwinnable: June 18, 2012) <http://www.unwinnable.com/2012/06/18/okami/>.
via @bradgallaway
Esther's Bones - Unwinnable
Two stories intertwine: Playing through Dear Esther and witnessing, from afar, one’s own relationship coming to an end.
The discrepancies between the things we saw in Dear Esther, the differences in our playthroughs that I deemed him “crazy” for – these merely echoed our relationship. I had grown tired and impatient after more than three years of a relationship that simply did not advance, a relationship that trapped me in its stagnation and my own inaction. I distanced him deliberately; I believed this island of Esther‘s limbs my own journey to undertake.
Williams, Katie. “Esther’s Bones” (Unwinnable: April 27, 2012) <http://www.unwinnable.com/2012/04/27/esthers-bones/>.
Take A Journey With These Articles
Journey has been the talk of the town lately, so Good Games Writing is looking at what all the fuss is about.
Gamesugar (as spotted by @megashaun) takes an interesting approach, in which Journey isn’t viewed as art outright, but rather, an experience.
The nameless stranger that lingers on my mind is the one that crossed the icy mountain path with me, taking shelter behind stone markers as strong winds threatened to thwart our advance, and huddling in the shadows while large beasts flew overhead. As we overcame these obstacles, the path forward began to vanish in the rising winds, and my feet became heavier with each step forward through the thickening snow.
What kept me pushing forward on the analog stick was my companion, slightly ahead and providing a beacon, a reason to continue pushing against the blinding storm.
Complementing that article is The Artful Gamer’s evaluation of Journey, in which it is deemed art and an experience:
If Journey is poetry-prose that explores the long march from childhood to death through the four elements, then Thatgamecompany has managed to dig deeper into truly human existence than any other game I can think of. Sure, Journey can be broken down into game mechanics, architecture, plot elements and characters, but ultimately the experience it offers involve primeval feelings, and those who will inexorably analyze the game will miss the point.
Unwinnable’s Brendan Keogh opts to avoid hyperbole and instead just relay a story:
How do you teach when you aren’t even really there? One was on their own dumb, blind, stumbling journey and I was on my own. We were together, in a sense, but we were so far apart. There was little I could do but tolerate their failings again and again. Still, I was glad to have a companion, and I think One was, too.
However, that sense of camaraderie can be marred, as Brad Gallaway found:
Prior to playing the game, I heard people talking about feelings of camaraderie or making some sort of connection with the partners have appeared, but I didn’t find that to be my experience at all. Instead, I think I resented the fact that this beautiful landscape was being shared with people who had no interest in partaking of it with me.
Finally, videogames can be seen as a language of their own—that argument came from Jason Killingsworth earlier this month, and it emerges here again—and Journey is proof positive:
There is no established language in Journey, barring a handful of early game button prompts, and as much of the game’s experience is instinctively felt as it is logically understood. As players explore the game’s desert landscape they are presented with visual cues that are recognizable from any context: tombstones, altars, stone shelters…All of it is presented in a way that combines the power of universally understood symbols with intuitive elements of play.
A wide array of approaches have been taken with writing on Journey. Games that elicit such varied responses—whether loved or hated—have enormous value. Viewed as art, experiences, or just games, they offer the chance for divergent viewpoints. Trust us when we says that’s a good thing.
Love, Jamie. “Sweet ‘N Low - My Journey” (Gamesugar: March 20, 2012) <http://gamesugar.net/2012/03/20/sweetn-low-my-journey/>.
Lepine, Chris. “Wind, Sand, Snow, and Stars: Thoughts on Journey” (The Artful Gamer: March 19, 2012) <http://www.artfulgamer.com/wind-sand-snow-and-stars-thoughts-on-journey/>.
Keogh, Brendan. “The Solitude Of Playing Journey for PS3” (Unwinnable: March 27, 2012) <http://www.unwinnable.com/2012/03/27/alone-together-in-journey/>.
Gallaway, Brad. “My Journey” (GameCritics: March 28, 2012) <http://www.gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/my-journey>.
McCarter, Reid. “Journey, Abstraction and the Invention of Language” (Digital Love Child: March 28, 2012) <http://digitallovechild.com/2012/03/28/journey-abstraction-and-the-invention-of-language/>.
Pretension +1: Luck and Gaming
Gus Mastrapa’s “Pretension +1” column is always filled with great insights. In his latest, he connects the real world experience of horse racing (derived from his tv viewing, of course) with how players treat their avatars in video games.
Recently, I experienced a moment in a videogame where I felt like a jockey, whipping the flanks of my horse. Opposing me wasn’t nature or fate or other horses but the game designer his/herself. There was what I wanted. And there was what the designer wanted. Between the two of us was my poor avatar. With my thumb wedged against the stick I pushed the puny thing against a brick wall, grinding it into the dirt. I suddenly felt bad for pushing so hard, for wanting to progress so badly that I paid no concern to the little life that was in my hands.
Mastrapa, Gus. “Pretension +1: Luck and Gaming” (Unwinnable: March 2, 2012) <http://www.unwinnable.com/2012/03/02/ride-em-till-they-break/>.
