Link: http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/videogame/top-10-trash-talk-video-games.html
Link: http://gamerant.com/10-ways-to-stop-video-game-piracy-rr-80879/
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Fun Links
I am tired after a pretty long week so I am just gonna give you these two links to read.
Link: http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/videogame/top-10-trash-talk-video-games.html
Link: http://gamerant.com/10-ways-to-stop-video-game-piracy-rr-80879/
Link: http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/videogame/top-10-trash-talk-video-games.html
Link: http://gamerant.com/10-ways-to-stop-video-game-piracy-rr-80879/
The Diva Gets Sued
After being accused of being a "Diva Grinch", Beyonce Knowles is being sued for $100 million.
She supposedly ruined Christmas 2010 for employees of Gate Five because she demanded more money to appear in the dancing game, Star Power: Beyonce.
"It was a very shocking and disappointing turn of events that no one saw coming, and now we're all trying to pick up the pieces." says Gate Five CEO Dareh Gregorian. Beyonce's Representatives have nothing to say about the case as of yet.
She apparently forced over 70 employees into unemployment a week before Christmas. The game was going to come out in Christmas, 2011, but the game was scrapped.
Beyonce's dad says "Business is business and family is family. I love my daughter and I am very proud of who she is and all she has achieved. I look forward to her continued great success."
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter Egg Hunt
I am up to my shoulders in candy and Wii points for my Wii, so I want to give back in a simple way to my readers. As a happy Easter to you I have 2 Easter related video game links for you to enjoy. Happy Easter! Come again next weekend for more fun!
Link: http://www.cracked.com/article_18801_9-video-game-easter-eggs-that-took-years-to-find.html
Link: http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6131572/index.html
Link: http://www.cracked.com/article_18801_9-video-game-easter-eggs-that-took-years-to-find.html
 |
| "@#*& You!" |
Link: http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6131572/index.html
 |
| I don't believe in Easter Bunnies, but I do believe in Easter Kitties. |
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The Speedy History Of Video Games: Part 4
Well, so far it seems the video game controversy is starting to boil over the pot. What will happen next?
1994- Because of the previous year's court battle, the ESRB was started to inform parents of the violent nature of some games. That system is still used today.
1995- Sega's Saturn console was too expensive and did not sell well, and that really helped the rise of Sony's Playstation (and ego). The Playstation sold 2 million machines this year.
1996- Considered one of the first 64 bit consoles, the Nintendo 64 had many exciting games on it's launch.
1999- Sega's last stand, the Dreamcast was released. It was groundbreaking with it's online capabilities and such, but did not do all that well.
2000- The Playstation 2 (wow, look at the egos!) is released. It is a 128-bit system, that has better graphics capabilities than a computer and is the first console to use DVD technology.
2001- Grand Theft Auto 3 is released and is just as controversial as it was popular.
2002- The U.S. army produces a online action game used to recruit people to the army. The game cost 6 million to make, and is available for free.
We will stop there, as I hope you will remember the next 8 or 9 years. For the grand finale, I will show you a youtube video a fellow blogger made that will wrap it all up in a nice little bow.
Blog Link: http://thedeftgamer.blogspot.com/
Part 1: http://gamedesignersunite.blogspot.com/2011/04/speedy-history-of-video-games-part-1.html
1994- Because of the previous year's court battle, the ESRB was started to inform parents of the violent nature of some games. That system is still used today.
1995- Sega's Saturn console was too expensive and did not sell well, and that really helped the rise of Sony's Playstation (and ego). The Playstation sold 2 million machines this year.
1996- Considered one of the first 64 bit consoles, the Nintendo 64 had many exciting games on it's launch.
1999- Sega's last stand, the Dreamcast was released. It was groundbreaking with it's online capabilities and such, but did not do all that well.
2000- The Playstation 2 (wow, look at the egos!) is released. It is a 128-bit system, that has better graphics capabilities than a computer and is the first console to use DVD technology.
2001- Grand Theft Auto 3 is released and is just as controversial as it was popular.
2002- The U.S. army produces a online action game used to recruit people to the army. The game cost 6 million to make, and is available for free.
We will stop there, as I hope you will remember the next 8 or 9 years. For the grand finale, I will show you a youtube video a fellow blogger made that will wrap it all up in a nice little bow.
Blog Link: http://thedeftgamer.blogspot.com/
Part 1: http://gamedesignersunite.blogspot.com/2011/04/speedy-history-of-video-games-part-1.html
Get the Darn Lamp!
Have you guys ever heard of text adventures? (Sometimes they are refered to the formal name, Interactive Fiction.) Somehow, these very old computer games still capture you and pull you in like Pong never could. If you have not, read this wikipedia article or play a few. Hint: If you look closely in Call Of Duty: Black Ops, you might find a text adventure to play...
To Play Them: http://www.xs4all.nl/~pot/infocom/
Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_fiction
Below is a trailer for a very recent documentary on Interactive Fiction, called "Get Lamp". The full movie is available for purchase.
Next week I will help you make them.
To Play Them: http://www.xs4all.nl/~pot/infocom/
Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_fiction
Below is a trailer for a very recent documentary on Interactive Fiction, called "Get Lamp". The full movie is available for purchase.
Next week I will help you make them.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Speedy History Of Video Games: Part 3
Last time in part 2, we witnessed the rise of Nintendo, the start of Activision and the uprise of Pac-Man. What will happen next? Keep reading to find out...
1985- Russian programmer Alexey Prajitnov writes the famous game Tetris, which is based on another Russian puzzle game, Pentominos.
1986- The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) is released in the U.S. The 8 bit graphics and great sound make the NES a critical hit for Nintendo.
1989- One of the first of a line of many sim games is released by Will Wright. That game is Sim City, a game where you create and run a city.
1990- After seeing the success of the Sega Genesis's 16 bit graphics, Nintendo striked back with the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertaiment System). It does well, but the Genesis's CPU is faster.
1991- The first game in the strategy series Civilization is released and designed by Canadian designer Sid Meier.
1991- The second Street Fighter is released to critical acclaim for it's smooth animations and quick, complicated controls and helps to further popularize the fighting game genre.
1992- An extremely controversial fighting game, Mortal Combat is released. While very popular, it was controversial for it's use of digitalized actors and gory fighting moves.
1993- The release of Mortal Combat and games of that nature such as Doom resulted in a senate investigation, with the help of senators Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl.
Well, that was an interesting few years. What happens next? Come back next time to find out.
Part 4: http://gamedesignersunite.blogspot.com/2011/04/speedy-history-of-video-games-part-4.html
1985- Russian programmer Alexey Prajitnov writes the famous game Tetris, which is based on another Russian puzzle game, Pentominos.
1986- The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) is released in the U.S. The 8 bit graphics and great sound make the NES a critical hit for Nintendo.
1989- One of the first of a line of many sim games is released by Will Wright. That game is Sim City, a game where you create and run a city.
1990- After seeing the success of the Sega Genesis's 16 bit graphics, Nintendo striked back with the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertaiment System). It does well, but the Genesis's CPU is faster.
1991- The first game in the strategy series Civilization is released and designed by Canadian designer Sid Meier.
1991- The second Street Fighter is released to critical acclaim for it's smooth animations and quick, complicated controls and helps to further popularize the fighting game genre.
1992- An extremely controversial fighting game, Mortal Combat is released. While very popular, it was controversial for it's use of digitalized actors and gory fighting moves.
1993- The release of Mortal Combat and games of that nature such as Doom resulted in a senate investigation, with the help of senators Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl.
Well, that was an interesting few years. What happens next? Come back next time to find out.
 |
| Senator Joe Lieberman |
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Wii 2?
Well, the next E3 is coming up and the very first of the juicy rumors just surfaced a little while ago about another Nintendo console called the Wii 2. Nintendo is supposed to announce a new console sometime in the next couple months, so in E3 or earlier.
Very little features were announced beside the possibility of HD graphics (to keep up with the Xbox 360 and PS3.) Other sources also say that it may be able to play the first Wii's games and will be more powerful than the other current generation consoles. Another group of sources say that Nintendo will announce a controller with built-in HD screens. What?
An interesting move for Nintendo indeed.
Very little features were announced beside the possibility of HD graphics (to keep up with the Xbox 360 and PS3.) Other sources also say that it may be able to play the first Wii's games and will be more powerful than the other current generation consoles. Another group of sources say that Nintendo will announce a controller with built-in HD screens. What?
An interesting move for Nintendo indeed.
Level Design
Level Design By DXSmiley
Designing levels for your games may sound easy and fun but it is actually one of the hardest things to do well. After reading this, you should be able to produce levels of higher quality in less time.
Level 1This should be by far the easiest level of the entire game. Everything should be clear to the player. The controls can be explained here instead of with separate instructions. The obstacles should start very simply, a small hole or one zombie. As you progress through the level, there should be wider holes or more zombies. But you still have to remember this is level one, so remember to keep the difficulty incensement to a bare minimum.
Remember to only use a few game elements in the first level. Keep the moving platforms and fire breathing zombies for later. If you use too many things, the player may feel overwhelmed and you’ll run out of ideas later.
New elementsNew game elements should be introduced slowly, about one for every three short levels, to let the player have time to adjust. Before you introduce the next element into the game, think for a moment and ask yourself “Can the existing elements be used together to create something else?”. Take a moving platform and lava. Moving platforms are hard at the best of times, but what if it went under the lava for a second or two? The player would have to jump at various intervals to avoid getting burnt. A good example of this would be New Super Mario Bros. Wii, World 8 Level 7.
The new elements should be introduced by themselves, with nothing else interfering. The fire breathing zombie should be encountered by itself first. After the player knows what it does in an unstressed environment it can be encountered with a few other zombies as well.
Tile setsUsing them can speed up your game immensely, but are a real pain to put down. Having some code to do this automatically helps immensely. Of course this should only be attempted if you are fluent in GML and understand the workings of Game Maker. My game Jelly Box does this. In the create event of the 32x32 walls, four instances of a special object (16x16) are made. The instances check for other instances of the same object and depending on what they find, they create a certain tile. The instances are then destroyed to speed up the game. If you want really amazing environments, you’ll have to do the tiling yourself.
Difficulty incline and game lengthThe easiest level should be the first one and the hardest the last. Every level should be a bit harder than the previous one. If you feel the levels are out of order, just rename the rooms and swap them around. Remember that you made the game and know all its secrets. Your players have probably never seen it before. If your levels are short, there should be lots of them. Games with longer levels should not have as many.
Stuck for ideas?If you have run out of ideas or simply can’t design any more half-decent levels, get some of you friends to help. If you don’t have any friends then you have a major problem.
Final wordsCreating levels still requires a lot of time and effort but it is time well spent if you use it wisely.
DXsmiley is a game designer who uses Game Maker to make games. Games he made are located here to be played: http://www.yoyogames.com/users/DXsmiley
Designing levels for your games may sound easy and fun but it is actually one of the hardest things to do well. After reading this, you should be able to produce levels of higher quality in less time.
Level 1This should be by far the easiest level of the entire game. Everything should be clear to the player. The controls can be explained here instead of with separate instructions. The obstacles should start very simply, a small hole or one zombie. As you progress through the level, there should be wider holes or more zombies. But you still have to remember this is level one, so remember to keep the difficulty incensement to a bare minimum.
Remember to only use a few game elements in the first level. Keep the moving platforms and fire breathing zombies for later. If you use too many things, the player may feel overwhelmed and you’ll run out of ideas later.
New elementsNew game elements should be introduced slowly, about one for every three short levels, to let the player have time to adjust. Before you introduce the next element into the game, think for a moment and ask yourself “Can the existing elements be used together to create something else?”. Take a moving platform and lava. Moving platforms are hard at the best of times, but what if it went under the lava for a second or two? The player would have to jump at various intervals to avoid getting burnt. A good example of this would be New Super Mario Bros. Wii, World 8 Level 7.
The new elements should be introduced by themselves, with nothing else interfering. The fire breathing zombie should be encountered by itself first. After the player knows what it does in an unstressed environment it can be encountered with a few other zombies as well.
Tile setsUsing them can speed up your game immensely, but are a real pain to put down. Having some code to do this automatically helps immensely. Of course this should only be attempted if you are fluent in GML and understand the workings of Game Maker. My game Jelly Box does this. In the create event of the 32x32 walls, four instances of a special object (16x16) are made. The instances check for other instances of the same object and depending on what they find, they create a certain tile. The instances are then destroyed to speed up the game. If you want really amazing environments, you’ll have to do the tiling yourself.
Difficulty incline and game lengthThe easiest level should be the first one and the hardest the last. Every level should be a bit harder than the previous one. If you feel the levels are out of order, just rename the rooms and swap them around. Remember that you made the game and know all its secrets. Your players have probably never seen it before. If your levels are short, there should be lots of them. Games with longer levels should not have as many.
Stuck for ideas?If you have run out of ideas or simply can’t design any more half-decent levels, get some of you friends to help. If you don’t have any friends then you have a major problem.
Final wordsCreating levels still requires a lot of time and effort but it is time well spent if you use it wisely.
DXsmiley is a game designer who uses Game Maker to make games. Games he made are located here to be played: http://www.yoyogames.com/users/DXsmiley
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Speedy History Of Video Games: Part 2
Well, so far we have witnessed the creation of pong, the first controversial game and the first ever video game. What is next?
1977- The first multi-game home console is released called the Atari 2600. You could plug cartridges in to play the games.
1978- Magnavox releases another console called the Odyssey2, the first game console to come with a full keyboard.
1979- The first third-party developer is formed called Activision. They made games for the Atari 2600. The company was founded by former Atari employees.
1980- Namco releases Puck-Man to the U.S. Afraid that the Americans would try to make it seem more offensive, they changed the name to Pac-Man. Fuck it!
1981- A Nintendo employee named Shigeru Miyamoto creates Donkey Kong. This is the first really successful game for Nintendo and also the first in a very long line of Mario games.
1982- Microsoft's first journey into the video game industry starts with the Flight Simulator series's first game.
1983- Another third-party company, Mystique releases another controversial game, Custer's Revenge, where you rape a Native American woman tied to a pole.
1984- Nintendo releases the highly popular 8-bit Famicom console in Japan.
That raps up this part. Tune in next time...
Part 3: http://gamedesignersunite.blogspot.com/2011/04/speedy-history-of-video-games-part-3.html
1977- The first multi-game home console is released called the Atari 2600. You could plug cartridges in to play the games.
1978- Magnavox releases another console called the Odyssey2, the first game console to come with a full keyboard.
1979- The first third-party developer is formed called Activision. They made games for the Atari 2600. The company was founded by former Atari employees.
1980- Namco releases Puck-Man to the U.S. Afraid that the Americans would try to make it seem more offensive, they changed the name to Pac-Man. Fuck it!
1981- A Nintendo employee named Shigeru Miyamoto creates Donkey Kong. This is the first really successful game for Nintendo and also the first in a very long line of Mario games.
1982- Microsoft's first journey into the video game industry starts with the Flight Simulator series's first game.
1983- Another third-party company, Mystique releases another controversial game, Custer's Revenge, where you rape a Native American woman tied to a pole.
1984- Nintendo releases the highly popular 8-bit Famicom console in Japan.
That raps up this part. Tune in next time...
 |
| A screenshot of the arcade game Donkey Kong. |
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Video Games In Stroke Rehab?
Playing video games after a stroke seems to help with arm strength and function, says a bunch of canadian researchers. The games seem to "promote motor recovery."
75% of stroke patients experience "motor" problems such as weakness and difficulty to balance. These all affect their quality of life. (See, games make everything better!)
Treatment varied in each study, however, most patients played 20 to 30 hours over four to six weeks of therapy, the authors noted. The systems used included three traditional video game systems (Glasstron, IREX, PlayStation Eye Toy) and nine virtual reality systems (including Virtual Teacher, CyberGlove, VR Motion, PneuGlove and Wii).
These studies were published on April 7th, in the journal Stroke.
75% of stroke patients experience "motor" problems such as weakness and difficulty to balance. These all affect their quality of life. (See, games make everything better!)
Treatment varied in each study, however, most patients played 20 to 30 hours over four to six weeks of therapy, the authors noted. The systems used included three traditional video game systems (Glasstron, IREX, PlayStation Eye Toy) and nine virtual reality systems (including Virtual Teacher, CyberGlove, VR Motion, PneuGlove and Wii).
These studies were published on April 7th, in the journal Stroke.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Gamers Heart Japan
Famous game designers from around the world discuss Japan's influence on the industry in this hour long video. Feel free to donate to the red cross while you are at it.
Link: http://www.gamersheartjapan.com/
Link: http://www.gamersheartjapan.com/
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Speedy History Of Video Games: Part 1
If you are ever wondering how this all started, read on. Just read fast, because this will be pretty quick! This will be a series, and we will follow the history till 2003.
1952- It all started here, when A. S. Douglas invented Noughts and Crosses, a tic tac toe game that worked on the Cambridge University computer.
1958- William A. Higginbotham, the creator of the Atom bomb, invented Tennis For Two at the Brookhaven National Laboratory for the open house.
1962- Steven Russel creates Space War, a game that played on the PDP-1 computer.
1968- Ralph H. Baer gets a U.S. patent for a "Television Gaming and Training Apparatus".
1971- Nolan Bushnell creates Computer Space, the first arcade game. It was not very popular in the pubs it was placed in.
1972- Using the patent from Ralph H. Baer, Magnovox released the Odyssey, the first home console. It could play 12 games.
1975- Pong was created and sold through the Sears Roebuck catalog, and with that, it jumpstarted Atari's company.
1976- A game called Death Race was the first controversial game, as the objective was to run over pedestrians. It never sold well.
We will stop this part here. Come back next time to see the creation of various more gaming icons.
Part 2: http://gamedesignersunite.blogspot.com/2011/04/speedy-history-of-video-games-part-2.html
1952- It all started here, when A. S. Douglas invented Noughts and Crosses, a tic tac toe game that worked on the Cambridge University computer.
1958- William A. Higginbotham, the creator of the Atom bomb, invented Tennis For Two at the Brookhaven National Laboratory for the open house.
1962- Steven Russel creates Space War, a game that played on the PDP-1 computer.
1968- Ralph H. Baer gets a U.S. patent for a "Television Gaming and Training Apparatus".
1971- Nolan Bushnell creates Computer Space, the first arcade game. It was not very popular in the pubs it was placed in.
1972- Using the patent from Ralph H. Baer, Magnovox released the Odyssey, the first home console. It could play 12 games.
1975- Pong was created and sold through the Sears Roebuck catalog, and with that, it jumpstarted Atari's company.
1976- A game called Death Race was the first controversial game, as the objective was to run over pedestrians. It never sold well.
We will stop this part here. Come back next time to see the creation of various more gaming icons.
 |
| A screenshot from the game Pong. |
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Video Games Are More Popular Than Movies And CDs
It was bound to happen. Video game sales are very high. Call Of Duty: Black Ops, now the bestselling game of all time, has beaten the ticket sales of James Cameron's behemoth Avatar. The funniest thing is the fact that Black Ops costed way more than a ticket to the movies (unless you are a snack guzzler like me and spend 90$ on boxes of smarties. That is why some people sneak snacks in. Ooops! Wow! That big lump by your stomach is dumping popcorn!) Fifa 11 even beat sales of the Toy Story 3 DVD this year!
Sales of video games went down 12% last year. I think we passed 12% this year. It is just proof that video games are probably here to stay. Now I need to go. The popcorn I popped is falling down my pants...
Sales of video games went down 12% last year. I think we passed 12% this year. It is just proof that video games are probably here to stay. Now I need to go. The popcorn I popped is falling down my pants...
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| I hope nobody notices... |
Friday, April 1, 2011
Top Ten Video Game Hoaxes
Well, it is April 1st, and that means it is April Fools day today. I don't currently have a prank planned. Maybe next year, but here is a list of the top ten video game hoaxes of all time.
Link: http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/84040/top-ten-widely-believed-video-game-hoaxes-and-urban-legends/
Link: http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/84040/top-ten-widely-believed-video-game-hoaxes-and-urban-legends/
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