Ever wonder what it's like inside the mind of an indie dev owner? Man you are in luck. I am a co-owner of an indie company and I am willing to tell you a little bit about it in case you are curious or hoping to open a place yourself. Let me give everyone a bit of insight here:
It's a fun job but it's still a job
We see videos and pictures of Dev teams having nerf wars in the office or razor scooter races in the halls and stuff like that and we all think: "Damn these guys just have fun all day!" Well we only post stuff like that since to watch us work is utterly boring. We sit at our computers or drawing tablets and for 12 hours (sometimes more) that's our day. This job kicks the ass out of every job I have ever had before it but the blood sweat and tears it takes to make it in this business cannot be understated. I love it and it is never boring for me but it is not the screw off job most of us tend to think. In fact the last time we had fun as a team was...
Gambling your future
When you open a company and you have investors and employees; it's about as real as it gets. You have contractual obligations to investors and workers and it is your sole duty to make the investor's money back and then some. If you fail to do so you will more than likely fail as a business. Should you fail as a business it becomes tougher to seek out more loans and investors to try again. In short you may get at max two tries to realize your dream. The pressure is enormous. Screw up once and it's over-one life and no continues the hardest of all games. Now some people get into this and literally empty the family savings into it. Sometimes future college funds are gambled in the hopes of a self supported business. It takes an awful lot of courage and confidence in your abilities to go ahead with something like this. Think about it-Your dream. If someone said you can have a shot at it but you must empty your bank account, risk future financial devastation and enter a realm where there are tens of thousands of competitors-would you do it?
People are People
Your workers depend on you for a living. Unlike some folks I give a damn about my employees. If they don't feel good don't come in if it is the anniversary of a death and you need time off-have it. We're doing Mc Donald's if you drive I'll buy for you-stuff like that. At the end of the pay period the check needs to clear they have responsibilities and mouths to feed. This seems obvious but it also seems that the gaming industry treats their workers as literal slaves. 38 Studios did not pay their workers for a period of a month, Free Radical Design failed to do so for about 3 months-the list goes on. In a world where such large profits can be made owners have a habit of forgetting where those games came from. My company hasnt turned huge profits and yet I still value my workers as people. We are still very small so I have the luxury of hanging out in the break room playing games and talking with my employees. I try not to forge friendships but rather just know more than their name and schedule. It's much nicer to hear "Hey Bill, how'd your sister's surgery go?" Rather than not being paid for a month. That's how I do things.
Engaging the market
Fans of games come in all frames of mind. I will admit that even in my 20's I had no idea where games came from-that they just appeared on shelves. This mindset is still around today and it's alright I know how that goes. There are others that think if it isnt AAA it is crap and there are about a million other ways of thinking about games. We often forget though that EA Activision and all these goliaths also were beginners at some point. That they were no different from my company at their start. A handful of guys with basic gear and a dream. Some people who look down on the indie side of gaming and claim it lesser than AAA are to a degree right. We cannot make a game to that quality-we simply can't. We do not have the staff or money to hire all kinds of experts and folks with 20 years experience and motion capture suits and stuff. We just don't. Basically we are the visual equal to a garage band. Rolling Stones Led Zeppelin all these rock gods were kids making noise in a basement somewhere at some point. If you don't like or don't support the indie scene that's fine but remember that those mega AAAs you love so much started there.
Watch the fine print
I have engaged in numerous contracts. Some I write up for others some I have to read thoroughly and discuss the benefits before signing. When I approach another company worth way more than mine I have to remember-They have something to gain from this or else they wouldnt bother. I have to find out what that something is and if it will in turn hurt me. Huge corps like Microsoft Sony etc they all swim in the hundreds of millions or billions per agreement. Asking me for a handful of Gs doesnt seem like anything to them but it could quite possibly be the world for me. Knowing what you are getting yourself into is huge. Typically a store or restaurant is in start up phases for three to five years. That may be the case here depending on my decisions. The important thing is to not get blind sided by the hopes and allure of millions. Huge distribution can promise you anything but whether or not it'll happen is up to the fans. Huge distribution won't give a damn if I cease to exist because of their contract-they need to make money too. Selecting how you go about growing and creating a buzz is more important than immediate return or simply going with huge distribution just so you can say you have to sound cool at a party or something. No one will do anything for free really so when negotiating or reading always remember that your potential partner wants something of yours. If it doesnt seem like a lot remember your fiscal year and tax season.
Quality of life
My wife and I do not live fabulously. We barely live. One of our cars is still broken and we havent had the money to fix it. My car is ten years old-very few indie devs strike a chord with the public and can retire early if they choose to. The other 10's of thousands of us get by and hope the next game does better. There is a myth out there that any good game will "just make money". It doesn't work like that. You have to invest time and money into ad campaigns and hope that professional reviewers give you a thumbs up hope people talk about it or go viral or something. Basically big time time success boils down to quality and dumb luck. I like to think we made a nice game here at my company but until it gains some momentum I won't really know if I can look for a house yet. Unlike a 9-5 where X is more or less guaranteed every week I rely on sales and nothing more. Nothing is certain. This has got to be the hardest yet most fulfilling job I have ever had. Those of you who are considering a future in gaming I applaud and encourage you. But I will tell you what no one told me. "Grab the bull by the horns and never let go baby cuz this fight is gonna last for a long time."
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Censorship: The Final Boss?
Video games are pieces of art. They stimulate our eyes and ears. The music, the visuals, the writing behind it all-yeah it's art. Now it's important to note that video games have come leaps and bounds from pong and 3bit home consoles to those that employ visuals better than the special effects we were seeing in the late 90's early 00's. People sometimes forget that the kids who grew up playing this stuff are now making the games for the next generation-in short sometimes people tend to forget that Gaming hasn't evolved or worse shouldn't evolve. Somehow that medium should stay jumping over barrels and rescuing the princess. Somehow I disagree.
As mentioned the kids who experienced early games are now making the games. The gaming companies that aged with the users succeeded; the ones that did not went the way of the dinosaur. Art is ever changing and ever elvolving and all these creations we had in our minds growing up are now coming to light in gaming. The question is when is the envelope pushed too far? We all have a different answer and that is both beautiful and a problem. You see, defining art is a fool's quest you cannot place a blanket definition over something so varied and eclectic. Video games are going to range from kid friendly jump and run games to well...ones that might actually incorporate a sexual assault.
We are all probably aware of the next Tomb Raider and the controversy surrounding it. (for those who don't know-Lara Croft will be sexually assaulted in that game during a cut scene) I already wrote about how I feel when it comes to how women should be treated in games and I can't say that this idea is sitting well with me. But here's the thing I also don't believe in censorship. I'd like to see Lara treated better by her dev team but they made their decision-I won't be buying the game but that doesnt mean that there should be an empty spot on the shelf where it should be. When someone moves to censor something they are literally saying "I know what is best for you more than you do." That is probably the most insulting thing one adult can say to another. I can understand why people would be uncomfortable about certain things but I feel that art should not be censored. Don't agree with what's gonna happen to Lara? Join me-I am not buying the next Tomb Raider.
Now is this game that contains sexual assault art? I wince as I say yes. It is art that makes me uncomfortable but that is a reaction artists sometimes seek to invoke. Is it in good taste? My personal opinion is NO but I can't sit here and say that this vision of Tomb Raider doesnt fit MY expectations so therefore it must be destroyed. When has anyone ever said this about a movie? "There is a sexual assault in the movie so it should not be finished and what a bunch of degenerate scum these people are to make this." Maybe it has been said but it is never as loud or louder than the groups who try and shout down video gaming.
I believe in open discussion-shout the game down-applaud it-be apathetic whatever you want to do. But please do not tell me what offends you. I could spend all day telling you the things that offend me but in the end what good does it do? I am not the moral guide stick of the world...in fact no one is. All these folks who come out against this stuff love to think that they are moral crusaders and making the world a better place. They often approach the situation in a way that they are trying to "fix" someone who has broken morals. Or shake their finger in your face for indulging in something they don't like...so logically you're not supposed to like it either. That is quite a way to think of yourself! As mentioned I don't like this treatment of Lara but far be it from me to assume that I know the dev team although I am sure some people feel that they do based solely on this incident.
Stay with me on this one. My grandfather served in WWII and literally saw the war from D-day to Berlin. He was part of a war where at least 50 million people perished. He saw his men mowed down in gunfire. He literally wore the blood of the men he ordered into combat alongside him. He watched helplessly as one of his men screamed for an hour with his guts hanging out before finally passing away as a handful of medical personal worked on him. This man met his end laying there in the rain on a cobblestone street somewhere in France. My grandfather personally broke the locks off the gates at some concentration camps. Places where humans were systematically tortured and killed off. Skeletons wrapped in flesh wandered around and begged him for food. He shed tears at the sheer brutality and unimaginable treatment of fellow humans...Somehow this makes great video game material though. How many WWII games are out there? There have to be dozens. When was the last time you heard of some group picketing a developer for making a WWII game? Why not? It was one of the darkest chapters in human history. Humans were committing genocide! Probably the worst offense we can commit on one another. What-It had a "happy ending" so it's ok? Well I am sure Lara ends up ok in this next Tomb Raider so what's the big deal?
Simply not liking something simply being offended by something isn't grounds for censorship. If we as creators bowed to everyone who was offended-nothing would be created. Literally nothing. What it boils down to is cowardice. These people who seek to censor this game are afraid to let the public decide if this game should be successful or not. Should it be successful it would rock their world. How can anyone like something that I don't? Hell, it may be the best game ever made I don't know and neither does anyone else-but let's assume and further more let's act on an assumption is their attitude. Not the best and most thought out strategy really. I wholeheartedly disagree with what they are doing to Lara but I applaud this dev team solely on the grounds that they didn't cave in to try and please everyone. Art is tough. As an artist (a literal one I do concept work) not everyone is going to like what I do and I am ok with that. I have thick skin. I hear "this design sucks" and "make it more like this and that." Or "this isn't up to snuff." Where is the thick skin in the acceptance of art? What-if your idea of art is narrow I somehow have to pilot my art onto this narrow airstrip of yours in order for it to be ok with everyone? No-just no. I keep coming back to the fact that I don't like this but I accept it as a video game.
When developers cave in to special interests we suffer and we do not progress. Somehow gaming is seen as something that is supposed to be pure or wholesome and I guess it would be cool if it was but why this expectation? Where did this expectation come from? How long before we realize that imposing a vision on an art in turn destroys that very art? Now I am not saying that the sexual assault of Lara will help gaming move forward but it does indeed charge head on at a boundary that is seemingly very present in gaming. Think of some good movies take Raging Bull for example I mean the guy flat out abuses his wife. But it is an amazing and powerful story of a man who is battling inner demons. This film is not censored. La Motta (the character with the inner demons) beats his wife and it's hard to watch. Somehow this is ok as entertainment but if I were holding a playstation controller while experiencing it-it now somehow becomes too taboo . It almost turns my brain to shit thinking about it.
Oh and while we're at it...Raging Bull is considered by most critics as one of the BEST-FILMS-OF-ALL-TIME! No one calls DeNiro or the critics who like it "degenerate scum" no, they are visionaries.
Tomb Raider isnt even out yet and people are saying it's the worst thing to happen to gaming and etc. But let us not forget that gaming although amazing is still in its infancy. Been around for what-roughly 40 years? Not even an average human lifetime. Every new art is criticized and shunned and there are movements to ban it. Rally the mob-bring your pitchforks and torches! Comic books went through a witch hunt too. Some good companies and artists went down in flames because of it. They were guilty of spreading Satanism and "instilling homosexuality into our youth" without so much as producing a shred of tangible evidence of a link between the two. Gaming has already endured the rating system-which movies and music have so I suppose it's only "fair". But now what? Video games are the subject of a neo witch hunt so what's the end goal here? What is it that we hope to accomplish? By banning or censoring something the goal is to keep it out of people's possession. This in turn generates a new kind of desire for said product but I won't even address that.
The end goal I can assume is nothing more than control. Weak people with weak minds who cannot look past the surface of what they see or choose to stay within their sheltered confines and prefer if we all did would love nothing more than to make this world in their image. A world where nothing is challenged and nothing explored. The world is scary-bad things happen, disasters kill innocent people, maniacs go on shooting sprees this is our insane world. The Tomb Raider guys didnt invent a horrible act-they mirrored what sometimes happens in reality. While this fact absolves them of nothing we often forget that art imitates life. Lucky for all of us this life has something for everyone. If beautiful sunsets and a porch swing is your thing-you can have it. Why can't someone else have theirs?
As mentioned the kids who experienced early games are now making the games. The gaming companies that aged with the users succeeded; the ones that did not went the way of the dinosaur. Art is ever changing and ever elvolving and all these creations we had in our minds growing up are now coming to light in gaming. The question is when is the envelope pushed too far? We all have a different answer and that is both beautiful and a problem. You see, defining art is a fool's quest you cannot place a blanket definition over something so varied and eclectic. Video games are going to range from kid friendly jump and run games to well...ones that might actually incorporate a sexual assault.
We are all probably aware of the next Tomb Raider and the controversy surrounding it. (for those who don't know-Lara Croft will be sexually assaulted in that game during a cut scene) I already wrote about how I feel when it comes to how women should be treated in games and I can't say that this idea is sitting well with me. But here's the thing I also don't believe in censorship. I'd like to see Lara treated better by her dev team but they made their decision-I won't be buying the game but that doesnt mean that there should be an empty spot on the shelf where it should be. When someone moves to censor something they are literally saying "I know what is best for you more than you do." That is probably the most insulting thing one adult can say to another. I can understand why people would be uncomfortable about certain things but I feel that art should not be censored. Don't agree with what's gonna happen to Lara? Join me-I am not buying the next Tomb Raider.
Now is this game that contains sexual assault art? I wince as I say yes. It is art that makes me uncomfortable but that is a reaction artists sometimes seek to invoke. Is it in good taste? My personal opinion is NO but I can't sit here and say that this vision of Tomb Raider doesnt fit MY expectations so therefore it must be destroyed. When has anyone ever said this about a movie? "There is a sexual assault in the movie so it should not be finished and what a bunch of degenerate scum these people are to make this." Maybe it has been said but it is never as loud or louder than the groups who try and shout down video gaming.
I believe in open discussion-shout the game down-applaud it-be apathetic whatever you want to do. But please do not tell me what offends you. I could spend all day telling you the things that offend me but in the end what good does it do? I am not the moral guide stick of the world...in fact no one is. All these folks who come out against this stuff love to think that they are moral crusaders and making the world a better place. They often approach the situation in a way that they are trying to "fix" someone who has broken morals. Or shake their finger in your face for indulging in something they don't like...so logically you're not supposed to like it either. That is quite a way to think of yourself! As mentioned I don't like this treatment of Lara but far be it from me to assume that I know the dev team although I am sure some people feel that they do based solely on this incident.
Stay with me on this one. My grandfather served in WWII and literally saw the war from D-day to Berlin. He was part of a war where at least 50 million people perished. He saw his men mowed down in gunfire. He literally wore the blood of the men he ordered into combat alongside him. He watched helplessly as one of his men screamed for an hour with his guts hanging out before finally passing away as a handful of medical personal worked on him. This man met his end laying there in the rain on a cobblestone street somewhere in France. My grandfather personally broke the locks off the gates at some concentration camps. Places where humans were systematically tortured and killed off. Skeletons wrapped in flesh wandered around and begged him for food. He shed tears at the sheer brutality and unimaginable treatment of fellow humans...Somehow this makes great video game material though. How many WWII games are out there? There have to be dozens. When was the last time you heard of some group picketing a developer for making a WWII game? Why not? It was one of the darkest chapters in human history. Humans were committing genocide! Probably the worst offense we can commit on one another. What-It had a "happy ending" so it's ok? Well I am sure Lara ends up ok in this next Tomb Raider so what's the big deal?
Simply not liking something simply being offended by something isn't grounds for censorship. If we as creators bowed to everyone who was offended-nothing would be created. Literally nothing. What it boils down to is cowardice. These people who seek to censor this game are afraid to let the public decide if this game should be successful or not. Should it be successful it would rock their world. How can anyone like something that I don't? Hell, it may be the best game ever made I don't know and neither does anyone else-but let's assume and further more let's act on an assumption is their attitude. Not the best and most thought out strategy really. I wholeheartedly disagree with what they are doing to Lara but I applaud this dev team solely on the grounds that they didn't cave in to try and please everyone. Art is tough. As an artist (a literal one I do concept work) not everyone is going to like what I do and I am ok with that. I have thick skin. I hear "this design sucks" and "make it more like this and that." Or "this isn't up to snuff." Where is the thick skin in the acceptance of art? What-if your idea of art is narrow I somehow have to pilot my art onto this narrow airstrip of yours in order for it to be ok with everyone? No-just no. I keep coming back to the fact that I don't like this but I accept it as a video game.
When developers cave in to special interests we suffer and we do not progress. Somehow gaming is seen as something that is supposed to be pure or wholesome and I guess it would be cool if it was but why this expectation? Where did this expectation come from? How long before we realize that imposing a vision on an art in turn destroys that very art? Now I am not saying that the sexual assault of Lara will help gaming move forward but it does indeed charge head on at a boundary that is seemingly very present in gaming. Think of some good movies take Raging Bull for example I mean the guy flat out abuses his wife. But it is an amazing and powerful story of a man who is battling inner demons. This film is not censored. La Motta (the character with the inner demons) beats his wife and it's hard to watch. Somehow this is ok as entertainment but if I were holding a playstation controller while experiencing it-it now somehow becomes too taboo . It almost turns my brain to shit thinking about it.
Oh and while we're at it...Raging Bull is considered by most critics as one of the BEST-FILMS-OF-ALL-TIME! No one calls DeNiro or the critics who like it "degenerate scum" no, they are visionaries.
Tomb Raider isnt even out yet and people are saying it's the worst thing to happen to gaming and etc. But let us not forget that gaming although amazing is still in its infancy. Been around for what-roughly 40 years? Not even an average human lifetime. Every new art is criticized and shunned and there are movements to ban it. Rally the mob-bring your pitchforks and torches! Comic books went through a witch hunt too. Some good companies and artists went down in flames because of it. They were guilty of spreading Satanism and "instilling homosexuality into our youth" without so much as producing a shred of tangible evidence of a link between the two. Gaming has already endured the rating system-which movies and music have so I suppose it's only "fair". But now what? Video games are the subject of a neo witch hunt so what's the end goal here? What is it that we hope to accomplish? By banning or censoring something the goal is to keep it out of people's possession. This in turn generates a new kind of desire for said product but I won't even address that.
The end goal I can assume is nothing more than control. Weak people with weak minds who cannot look past the surface of what they see or choose to stay within their sheltered confines and prefer if we all did would love nothing more than to make this world in their image. A world where nothing is challenged and nothing explored. The world is scary-bad things happen, disasters kill innocent people, maniacs go on shooting sprees this is our insane world. The Tomb Raider guys didnt invent a horrible act-they mirrored what sometimes happens in reality. While this fact absolves them of nothing we often forget that art imitates life. Lucky for all of us this life has something for everyone. If beautiful sunsets and a porch swing is your thing-you can have it. Why can't someone else have theirs?
Monday, July 16, 2012
Do Video Games Promote Violence Against Women?
Do Video Games Promote Violence Against Women?
When I was a kid...Forward, Down, Forward, High Punch and suddenly the world would never be the same. In case you don't know that is the decapitation fatality for Sub-Zero in the original Mortal Kombat. You could do it to Sonya Blade too but...no one really gave a shit about that-they just wanted the whole game obliterated.
Almost every game has a female in it these days. Most if not always when they are hurt it is because they are engaging in combat themselves. I like to think Violence begets violence and live and let live and etc. Somehow some people don't see it that way. For instance let's take a look at this:
Ok there is PLENTY to be said about this. I want to start from the top. Somehow when women show up in games they almost always wear lingerie and carry weapons. Sure on the surface it looks cool but it makes no sense. This is like a guy showing up in a pair of briefs wielding machetes-it is ludicrous. Let's not forget to have a few gracious camera angles where we can see some ass cheeks or something too. Try to think of it in terms of realism. "We have to kill a highly trained assassin? Should I wear the kevlar vest or the thigh high latex boots with corseted mini with attached garters? Kevlar-or-hmm..."
Now the portion of the video where the Hitman proceeds to beat up and kill these women? Well-what is the character supposed to do? Let them kill him? Wouldn't be much of a game if he did. So he proceeds to beat them and shoot them like he would with any man who was trying the same. Ok...
I don't know about you but I had a hard time watching this. I can watch men beat each other up all day and thanks to my inner city upbringing it doesnt faze me. This does. Even though this is far from real there is something about dead women and beating them up that just doesn't sit well with me. It doesnt bother me when it's a guy and I am aware that it is a double standard and I am trying to deal with it.
Yes these women were looking for a fight-yes they got it-no argument here. My question is-well I have a few actually but why do they have to be lingerie clad women with guns? why can't they look more like this?
If a hit team showed up looking like this would it be a big deal? Would sales really suffer because of it? I don't know. In a game that strives to look real why do we suddenly take a detour when women are involved? Make them sexy as hell make them pole dancers with guns-then go back to realism to show how they can be beat up and killed? Look at how sexy these women are-now beat em up! what? Kinda comes off a little Sado-Masochistic if you ask me. Mind you these are active decisions made by development teams and publishers. So it boils down to one thing...fantasy.
Some guy(s) somewhere had to hatch this idea and realize it into fruition. I'll be honest I am guilty of creating female characters that appeal to my sense of sexuality and I'm pretty sure that's what happened here. We basically got to see some dude's fantasy fight with chics. If it wasnt that and simply about showing how bad ass our hitman was why not have a male hit team try and take him?
It would be silly not to explore the argument further
Another question is: Why is it that when men beat each other up it seems to be more accepted than when it's women being beaten? I thought we were about equality in today's society? Suddenly a woman taking a punch to the face is more over the top than a man taking a punch to the face? Feminism would say that it promotes violence against women...they may be right to a certain degree but they don't seem to care that men are burned, blown up, dropped into acid, and shot in the face in games. Saying one is ok and not the other is bull hockey. Flat out bull hockey. It means you care about how one group is represented more than another. So let's call it how it is. (the word is bull hockey) These feminists only care about a woman's plight and if men have to suffer in games well then fuck him-he's a man.
I personally didn't like seeing those women being beaten up and killed in that video even if our hitman did the moral duty of closing the eyes of the people he killed cuz you know that's pretty noble and the least he can do-we should look as peaceful as we can with broken necks and multiple gunshots to the chests anyone who doesnt do that for someone they killed is just an asshole. Back to the other side of the ball. Women who complain about this sort of thing usually have a "Women should do everything a man does" attitude. Well in gaming this means fighting killing and...being killed. Again I come back to Sonya Blade in Mortal Kombat the first time we really saw a woman (or man for that matter) being impaled on spikes or burned alive. No one made much of a stink about the fact that it was a woman-parents and other supposed moral crusaders just wanted it off the shelves. Sonya wasn't given special treatment in that game (aside from Johnny Cage's split punch didnt work on her but come on now) So why is it that we suddenly feel women should be treated any different than a man in games now?
Are we not the protectors?
Well the answer may be that as a man I see stuff like this and you know call me "old fashioned" but I just don't like it. I am more of the mindset that our women are our treasures. When there is a disaster what is our programming? "Women and children first!" We will and are expected to give up our seat in a lifeboat for someone else's wife or daughter. This is what we are programmed to do. There is a reason for that. Nature made most men bigger and stronger than most women so we usually have a better shot at surviving physical harm. Also let's not forget that women bear the children that are the future of our species so no doubt there is a primal urge to ensure their safety because of this.
So what we saw was fantasy. Some sexy chics will come to your hotel room and instead of taking turns on you they'll try and take your life instead. Um...ok not quite the fantasy story we are used to seeing/hearing about. Snuff them out one by one and then when you can-gun them down and beat them up. Yeah ok. Listen you are to protect yourself from any danger male or female in this world but I highly doubt she'll be a latex clad 'nun' who uses rosaries to choke you out. Just sayin...
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
A New Challenger Has Emerged
Cowardice begets nothing.
Ouya is coming out and if you dont know about it it's pretty sweet sounding. So far it has just shy of 2 million donated towards it's creation and I am sure by time you read this it'll have more. In fact every time I click refresh they have more money...amazing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console?ref=live
Now small timid minds who don't drink or smoke, wear seat belts, and eat their vegetables say stuff like this:
http://kotaku.com/5924983/history-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-failed-consoles?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
If we learned anything from Trip Hawkins we can surmise that a good idea and deep pockets won't be enough. However, this does not mean you should shelve your plans for a new console. Nintendo is looking like they are choosing suicide by putting out yet another under powered box and even Katsuhiro Harada (Producer of the next Tekken) spilled the beans about it having trouble matching PS3 and Xbox 360 capabilities.
The stage is set PS3 is buying Gaikai and Microsoft is keeping things behind the curtain but expect no small feat from them either...someone is going to lose. It sucks and I am sad but some stuff we learned in gaming translates into real life-dumb choices will get your ass killed.
So with Nintendo launching what more than likely will be another dud there IS room for a cheaply priced "Mr. Irrelevant". Ouya is set to be 100 bucks...hell yeah! For the price of a collectors edition run of the mill shooter with DLC you can get a console. With the rise and popularity of indie and mobile gaming as well as cheap and free to play games Ouya might have something here.
You Must Cast Out Fear
Ouya is diving right into this and based on their kickstarter page it's looking like people want this thing. The douche from Kotaku doesnt really seem to grasp this. Launching a console is no small potatoes no but if the Indie market has taught us anything it's that not everyone in the world needs to buy your game in order for you to carve out some success. I have no idea how many units will be part of the first line but even if there are only 10,000 it doesn't really matter. They already have over 20,000 backers and not all will be getting a unit. If I have to put myself on a list to get one no problem...who here did that for a Wii raise your miserable hand. Good thing you can't see me raising mine. Point is it happens even in mega corporations.
The Only Enemy Is Yourself
It looks like they're gonna get a good chunk of money but in business you can never really have 'enough' especially where R&D is concerned. But hey if they punched the numbers and a million is what they need then they should be pretty well prepared for surprises and there will be some. So long as this project is well managed they should at least make launch. whatever happens after that is fate but Ouya can only defeat itself right now. XBL and PSN mess around in Indie gaming-they're not too-too serious about it at least not yet. Hundreds of thousands and millions in Indie profits is piss water to juggernauts like them and they simply dont want to be bothered by it. How about you? Would you manage a business worth/taking in that much?
Fun Is a Hell of a Decider
Ultimately what will make or break Ouya is whether it will be fun or not. I for one find 90% of AAA titles clones of each other or copying other media and as such-utterly boring. Ouya will depend solely on Indie gaming (at least at first) and that IS kinda scary. But then again I never dreamed video games would be a billion dollar industry with most games being what I mentioned above. So whatever, I salute you Ouya and as a developer I am pissing myself like an excited dog for that Dev kit that comes standard.
Ouya is coming out and if you dont know about it it's pretty sweet sounding. So far it has just shy of 2 million donated towards it's creation and I am sure by time you read this it'll have more. In fact every time I click refresh they have more money...amazing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console?ref=live
Now small timid minds who don't drink or smoke, wear seat belts, and eat their vegetables say stuff like this:
http://kotaku.com/5924983/history-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-failed-consoles?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
If we learned anything from Trip Hawkins we can surmise that a good idea and deep pockets won't be enough. However, this does not mean you should shelve your plans for a new console. Nintendo is looking like they are choosing suicide by putting out yet another under powered box and even Katsuhiro Harada (Producer of the next Tekken) spilled the beans about it having trouble matching PS3 and Xbox 360 capabilities.
The stage is set PS3 is buying Gaikai and Microsoft is keeping things behind the curtain but expect no small feat from them either...someone is going to lose. It sucks and I am sad but some stuff we learned in gaming translates into real life-dumb choices will get your ass killed.So with Nintendo launching what more than likely will be another dud there IS room for a cheaply priced "Mr. Irrelevant". Ouya is set to be 100 bucks...hell yeah! For the price of a collectors edition run of the mill shooter with DLC you can get a console. With the rise and popularity of indie and mobile gaming as well as cheap and free to play games Ouya might have something here.
You Must Cast Out Fear
Ouya is diving right into this and based on their kickstarter page it's looking like people want this thing. The douche from Kotaku doesnt really seem to grasp this. Launching a console is no small potatoes no but if the Indie market has taught us anything it's that not everyone in the world needs to buy your game in order for you to carve out some success. I have no idea how many units will be part of the first line but even if there are only 10,000 it doesn't really matter. They already have over 20,000 backers and not all will be getting a unit. If I have to put myself on a list to get one no problem...who here did that for a Wii raise your miserable hand. Good thing you can't see me raising mine. Point is it happens even in mega corporations.
The Only Enemy Is Yourself
It looks like they're gonna get a good chunk of money but in business you can never really have 'enough' especially where R&D is concerned. But hey if they punched the numbers and a million is what they need then they should be pretty well prepared for surprises and there will be some. So long as this project is well managed they should at least make launch. whatever happens after that is fate but Ouya can only defeat itself right now. XBL and PSN mess around in Indie gaming-they're not too-too serious about it at least not yet. Hundreds of thousands and millions in Indie profits is piss water to juggernauts like them and they simply dont want to be bothered by it. How about you? Would you manage a business worth/taking in that much? Fun Is a Hell of a Decider
Ultimately what will make or break Ouya is whether it will be fun or not. I for one find 90% of AAA titles clones of each other or copying other media and as such-utterly boring. Ouya will depend solely on Indie gaming (at least at first) and that IS kinda scary. But then again I never dreamed video games would be a billion dollar industry with most games being what I mentioned above. So whatever, I salute you Ouya and as a developer I am pissing myself like an excited dog for that Dev kit that comes standard.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Gamer Girl Phenomenon
We've all seen stuff like this before or half naked or cosplaying women performing fellatio on a controller or laying them over their naked breasts or crotch or something. We all have. Has anyone aside form me stopped to wonder "Why?". I mean yeah sure soft porn mixed with pop culture is guaranteed to ensure popularity but is that all there is to it?
Video Games are seen mostly as a man's realm. Women who enter this realm know this and they also know that sexuality is what makes men tick for the most part. So entering this realm will not be easy-they will be met with ridicule, disdain, and even aggression. So some turn to the Siren's call approach which is of course what this post is about.
Now society has deemed a few realms as "for men" and let's take a look. Guns. Has anyone here seen sexy chics holding guns? check. Cars. check, Sports. Check. Now more often than not your wife or girlfriend is a hard sell on all of the above. Most guys dont often come home to their naked girlfriend holding an uzi while wearing heels or find their wife spread eagle on the hood of their car. I have never personally come home to my wife in a cheerleader get up (we're working on that though). The point is that these things are not considered normal things for women to like nevermind feeling the desire to make them sexy.
Yet it happens in photos and videos everywhere. At the end of the day we all have to admit that this behavior while appealing to the eye is a lie. Women have forever used the Siren's Call in order to attain things-in this case it is popularity and acceptance. It's kinda shitty when a women has to bare herself in order to feel a measure of acceptance in anything really but in the end no one makes them do it. So the ridicule these "gamer girls" face is completely warranted. What they do is silly, often a lie, and their choice to do both in the name of acceptance and popularity in what society deems a male dominated area.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
WiiU is Life Support
I'm gonna start this off how I always start off when speaking about Nintendo. I love Nintendo I truly want to see them succeed-I think they are making lots of bad choices and now we are seeing the effect of these choices. Nintendo is leaking money like a shot up clunker leaks oil. Let's go down a brief list of recent developments in the past month alone.
-Iwata makes a weak comment hinting at how the WiiU is draining their bank account
-3DS games like Mario Bros 2 are cleared for DLC (first time for Nintendo and it comes now)
-Iwata is disappointed at American 3DS ownership (much lower than japan)
-Iwata says that pricing is "very crucial" to the WiiU's success (and Nintendo's ability to stay a major player)
-Iwata makes mention that some online services will cost money
All of these spell out financial troubles in Nintendo and like I said this is just the past month and there will probably be more after this post. Now again I love Nintendo they raised me and I have them to thank for my job. But I always called it as I saw it and this looks like garbage.
While Sony is buying up GaiKai Nintendo is trying to figure out how to manage the 3DS and launch a new console on the cheap. Yeah ask Trip Hawkins if launching a console is cheap. Now let's also be honest-aside from downloading your 8bit collection Nintendo didnt offer much as far as online presence goes. But hey it's free so whatever I guess.
Here in lies a problem-it can't be 'whatever' anymore. At least the pay service can't be whatever. The Nintendo loyal are aware of their situation and will be buying anything they throw into the digital realm or Gamestop just in the hopes to keep them alive. Nntendo will really need to step up their game in order to charge for online services. Have you seen the new online presence-the Miiverse? The Miiverse looks very stupid at least in its visuals. As always with Nintendo I want to be proven wrong and I want them to finally give me what I want but I find my gut reaction is usually right. I wish Nintendo would stop the crap and just go back to kicking ass again. Ever since SNES I have felt abandoned. The Wii was meant to hook younger players-not nurture the gamer Nintendo raised. So all the bastard children go hang out at uncle Sony or Microsoft's house and some if not most don't want to come back. THIS is your plan? A console on par with Xbox 360 capabilities coming out when the technology is showing some age?
Good thing they kept the motion control gimmick crap. I love swinging tablets around like I'm somehow trying to swat flies with a lunch try. Maybe this is just me growling from the nursing home but this is not the Nintendo that raised me; I keep saying it-they didnt used to fuck around...On the one hand I want to see them succeed and hope they get back to kicking ass and on the other hand I am so tired of them letting down the generation that they raised that I am willing to let them go. How are you all feeling?
-Iwata makes a weak comment hinting at how the WiiU is draining their bank account
-3DS games like Mario Bros 2 are cleared for DLC (first time for Nintendo and it comes now)
-Iwata is disappointed at American 3DS ownership (much lower than japan)
-Iwata says that pricing is "very crucial" to the WiiU's success (and Nintendo's ability to stay a major player)
-Iwata makes mention that some online services will cost money
All of these spell out financial troubles in Nintendo and like I said this is just the past month and there will probably be more after this post. Now again I love Nintendo they raised me and I have them to thank for my job. But I always called it as I saw it and this looks like garbage.
While Sony is buying up GaiKai Nintendo is trying to figure out how to manage the 3DS and launch a new console on the cheap. Yeah ask Trip Hawkins if launching a console is cheap. Now let's also be honest-aside from downloading your 8bit collection Nintendo didnt offer much as far as online presence goes. But hey it's free so whatever I guess.
Here in lies a problem-it can't be 'whatever' anymore. At least the pay service can't be whatever. The Nintendo loyal are aware of their situation and will be buying anything they throw into the digital realm or Gamestop just in the hopes to keep them alive. Nntendo will really need to step up their game in order to charge for online services. Have you seen the new online presence-the Miiverse? The Miiverse looks very stupid at least in its visuals. As always with Nintendo I want to be proven wrong and I want them to finally give me what I want but I find my gut reaction is usually right. I wish Nintendo would stop the crap and just go back to kicking ass again. Ever since SNES I have felt abandoned. The Wii was meant to hook younger players-not nurture the gamer Nintendo raised. So all the bastard children go hang out at uncle Sony or Microsoft's house and some if not most don't want to come back. THIS is your plan? A console on par with Xbox 360 capabilities coming out when the technology is showing some age?
Good thing they kept the motion control gimmick crap. I love swinging tablets around like I'm somehow trying to swat flies with a lunch try. Maybe this is just me growling from the nursing home but this is not the Nintendo that raised me; I keep saying it-they didnt used to fuck around...On the one hand I want to see them succeed and hope they get back to kicking ass and on the other hand I am so tired of them letting down the generation that they raised that I am willing to let them go. How are you all feeling?
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Anita Break after this...
Anita Sarkeesian seems to be drawing a lot of hate and ire. People are attacking her websites and disclosing personal information and all kinds of stuff. For those that don't know Anita is a Feminist who is targeting video games saying that they portray women in negative ways. Now I think she is full of it in just about everything she has to say and I am going to go into detail. The link to her video that I am addressing is at the bottom of this post.
First off the bat she is a critic of pop culture-this is a major problem. You can't be a feminist and give an objective criticism-you just can't. Feminism from what I understand comes from a point of view that women are shafted (no pun intended) every which way by evil men and most feminists think that all men fall into this category. I don't know how deep Anita's feminism runs but the fact that she thinks her gender is subjugated before she even knows what she is going to review makes her biased.
She believes that ALL female characters can be filed into 5 categories...this can be seen as more narrow minded thinking from Anita by some. Five? Really? Well first off categorizing anything means that you are not looking at something passed its surface. Red Cars to the right Blue cars to the left doesnt matter if they are convertible, rear wheel drive, import, domestic etc. Left and Right. So we have five enormous categories Anita has made for us...nothing like letting one decide for themselves...So...Is she right?
1 Damsel in distress. Most of us OGs conjure images of Princess peach
2 Fighting Fucktoy (as she calls it)
3 Sexy sidekick
4 Sexy Villain or "Villainess" which isnt even a real word but Anita uses it anyway
5 Women as background objects
Feminists have big problems with damsel in distress-they hate the idea that a woman might need to be rescued. To a degree it's understandable. How interesting would it be if Princess Peach was rescuing Mario this whole time? In fact "This whole time" would probably mean a 2 game series. But let's be honest most men are physically stronger, and faster than most women. Nature selected us to be the protectors and equipped us as such. That is a biological fact not some shit a man wants you to believe. Forget the fact that the man must go through endless trials and tribulations and physical harm to rescue the girl HE isnt being exploited the girl waiting at the end is. Hmm yeah.
Feminists hate the fighting fucktoy and this makes no sense. Women are far sexier than men period. They are graced and granted beauty that no man could ever hope for in this respect women are far superior to men. Does Anita embrace this empowering attribute? Well yeah-she wears make up in her videos and looks pretty nice for the camera I gotta say. She knows the power of a woman's beauty and by virtue of looking nice in her videos she exploits it...thats fine or it would be fine if she wasnt a hypocrite about it. She can look good for the camera but once Cammy comes out looking nice and showing some skin this is wrong only Anita can exploit beauty. Now 99% of women's costumes in games make no sense and revolve around sexiness-yeah I agree. But here's the thing: Feminists overlook the sheer power of sexuality. The fighting fucktoy...On the surface it's a woman in an outfit. Underneath is a person who controls that sexuality and she can knock the crap out of anyone who reaches for her catsuit. Feminists complain that they arent given power in games but Bayonetta, Cammy, and others are great examples of beautiful women you wouldn't dare mess with if they were real and they can beat the ever loving crap out of any man they encounter in their game. Somehow Anita looks passed the power and beauty and sees only a stripper.
The sexy sidekick...uh I don't really know where this one is even coming from. Does she mean the support role? Like Mei Ling in MGS? Ashley from RE4? She was a chic in a skirt and sweatervest...yeah all the fratboys are talking about the sexiest sweatervests they've seen. I dunno I can't think of any examples off the top of my head and you know I should be able to what with this being a full category and all...
Sexy Villain oh I mean "Villainess" we like to make up words when calling out the chauvinists. Again I think Anita is failing to see sexuality as power. Sex or sexiness is power when a sinister mind is in control. It is yet another way to control or harm another if you are evil. A sexy uh Villainess does something of this nature after all they are sinister. I think Anita hates women being portrayed as villains more so than she hates the sexual connotations.
Women as background objects. This is a common complaint from feminists. A woman who stands in the background and says nothing is considered eye candy or something like that. There are PLENTY of henchmen and minor characters in gaming that dont ever say a word and stand around all the time. No one considers henchmen or 'extras' harmful. Anyone care to elaborate on this one? I sure as hell don't feel like wasting time here.
So let's look past all the things that makes these women what they are. Heroic combat, rescue missions, self made billionaires man the list goes on. There are some great back stories to women in gaming. Nah screw all that positive stuff let's focus on how her blouse is low cut. That's the sign of a true review and intelligent fair mind.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day and sometimes Anita makes a point or two and then she ruins it by going completely overboard. She mentions the lego games where if the firefighters show up they're men and if the food delivery shows up they're women. Well first off Anita they're plastic fucking toys. This is like painting boobs on a rock and saying it depicts women-that is schwachsinn. Also she doesnt even put up the right graphic for a lego female when mentioning it in her video...kinda makes me think it doesn't happen the way she says/thinks it does...or that she doesn't research...or know much about games...but no it's more likely she knows what she is talking about but is stretching the truth and telling white lies that suit her needs. The outfit this toy is wearing helps Anita...too bad it isn't a lego figure.
In all fairness Anita does talk briefly about games that don't have "harmful tropes". Problem? well it's stuff like portal and other games where there are no humans at all or very limited exposure for human characters. This means she seeks out "harmful" stuff and sees it everywhere...because she wants to see it.
I think she is a joke but I don't care-let her make a fool of herself. I mean it-please do not attack or harm her or her cause in any way. She has every right to do this and she is no threat to gaming I promise. If a moron like me can dismantle her argument so easily no developer will give her or any group she happens to form what she/they want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8I0Wy58adM
First off the bat she is a critic of pop culture-this is a major problem. You can't be a feminist and give an objective criticism-you just can't. Feminism from what I understand comes from a point of view that women are shafted (no pun intended) every which way by evil men and most feminists think that all men fall into this category. I don't know how deep Anita's feminism runs but the fact that she thinks her gender is subjugated before she even knows what she is going to review makes her biased.
She believes that ALL female characters can be filed into 5 categories...this can be seen as more narrow minded thinking from Anita by some. Five? Really? Well first off categorizing anything means that you are not looking at something passed its surface. Red Cars to the right Blue cars to the left doesnt matter if they are convertible, rear wheel drive, import, domestic etc. Left and Right. So we have five enormous categories Anita has made for us...nothing like letting one decide for themselves...So...Is she right?
1 Damsel in distress. Most of us OGs conjure images of Princess peach
2 Fighting Fucktoy (as she calls it)
3 Sexy sidekick
4 Sexy Villain or "Villainess" which isnt even a real word but Anita uses it anyway
5 Women as background objects
Feminists have big problems with damsel in distress-they hate the idea that a woman might need to be rescued. To a degree it's understandable. How interesting would it be if Princess Peach was rescuing Mario this whole time? In fact "This whole time" would probably mean a 2 game series. But let's be honest most men are physically stronger, and faster than most women. Nature selected us to be the protectors and equipped us as such. That is a biological fact not some shit a man wants you to believe. Forget the fact that the man must go through endless trials and tribulations and physical harm to rescue the girl HE isnt being exploited the girl waiting at the end is. Hmm yeah.
Feminists hate the fighting fucktoy and this makes no sense. Women are far sexier than men period. They are graced and granted beauty that no man could ever hope for in this respect women are far superior to men. Does Anita embrace this empowering attribute? Well yeah-she wears make up in her videos and looks pretty nice for the camera I gotta say. She knows the power of a woman's beauty and by virtue of looking nice in her videos she exploits it...thats fine or it would be fine if she wasnt a hypocrite about it. She can look good for the camera but once Cammy comes out looking nice and showing some skin this is wrong only Anita can exploit beauty. Now 99% of women's costumes in games make no sense and revolve around sexiness-yeah I agree. But here's the thing: Feminists overlook the sheer power of sexuality. The fighting fucktoy...On the surface it's a woman in an outfit. Underneath is a person who controls that sexuality and she can knock the crap out of anyone who reaches for her catsuit. Feminists complain that they arent given power in games but Bayonetta, Cammy, and others are great examples of beautiful women you wouldn't dare mess with if they were real and they can beat the ever loving crap out of any man they encounter in their game. Somehow Anita looks passed the power and beauty and sees only a stripper.
The sexy sidekick...uh I don't really know where this one is even coming from. Does she mean the support role? Like Mei Ling in MGS? Ashley from RE4? She was a chic in a skirt and sweatervest...yeah all the fratboys are talking about the sexiest sweatervests they've seen. I dunno I can't think of any examples off the top of my head and you know I should be able to what with this being a full category and all...
Sexy Villain oh I mean "Villainess" we like to make up words when calling out the chauvinists. Again I think Anita is failing to see sexuality as power. Sex or sexiness is power when a sinister mind is in control. It is yet another way to control or harm another if you are evil. A sexy uh Villainess does something of this nature after all they are sinister. I think Anita hates women being portrayed as villains more so than she hates the sexual connotations.
Women as background objects. This is a common complaint from feminists. A woman who stands in the background and says nothing is considered eye candy or something like that. There are PLENTY of henchmen and minor characters in gaming that dont ever say a word and stand around all the time. No one considers henchmen or 'extras' harmful. Anyone care to elaborate on this one? I sure as hell don't feel like wasting time here.
So let's look past all the things that makes these women what they are. Heroic combat, rescue missions, self made billionaires man the list goes on. There are some great back stories to women in gaming. Nah screw all that positive stuff let's focus on how her blouse is low cut. That's the sign of a true review and intelligent fair mind.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day and sometimes Anita makes a point or two and then she ruins it by going completely overboard. She mentions the lego games where if the firefighters show up they're men and if the food delivery shows up they're women. Well first off Anita they're plastic fucking toys. This is like painting boobs on a rock and saying it depicts women-that is schwachsinn. Also she doesnt even put up the right graphic for a lego female when mentioning it in her video...kinda makes me think it doesn't happen the way she says/thinks it does...or that she doesn't research...or know much about games...but no it's more likely she knows what she is talking about but is stretching the truth and telling white lies that suit her needs. The outfit this toy is wearing helps Anita...too bad it isn't a lego figure.
In all fairness Anita does talk briefly about games that don't have "harmful tropes". Problem? well it's stuff like portal and other games where there are no humans at all or very limited exposure for human characters. This means she seeks out "harmful" stuff and sees it everywhere...because she wants to see it.
I think she is a joke but I don't care-let her make a fool of herself. I mean it-please do not attack or harm her or her cause in any way. She has every right to do this and she is no threat to gaming I promise. If a moron like me can dismantle her argument so easily no developer will give her or any group she happens to form what she/they want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8I0Wy58adM
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