dambalthings-blog

[dambalthings-blog]

Week 11

Today’s post is about “Drarf Fortress”. Is a complex game and they are not lying. “Slave to Armok: God of Blood” after spending 2 hours trying to figure out this game I finally lost it. 

First Dwarf Fortress mode it remind me of the old “Age of Empire”. I like AoE better. With the pixelated and only symbol to work with I was unable to play this game with enjoyment. I've stair at the screen for over 30 minute just to figure out what's happening. Those symbol really doesn't make me wanna have fun. I spend most of the time trying to make a move. All I manage to do is embark on a journey, once the preparation is done I press “Enter” a couple of time just to see what happen next. I arrive at a Drarven Oupost then press “Enter”. As I see those smiley move I still don't know what to do next. Do I just watch them until they stop or use a command key for me to move. I just wish I have the ability to pick one unit at a time to designated its job.

With the adventure move, I have trouble moving my player around as been block. The action I manage to do is drop my copper dagger and now am doom. FML.

The element that is fun is pressing random keys and hopping it will do something. I didn't enjoy the way its setup I was hoping to be more easy to understand all of its base action but that's just me.

Will I play this outside of homework? Maybe if a have time and have another friend playing with me.

[dambalthings-blog]

Week ten

Another week of study, so am here to talk about the article “When Good Intention Go Awry” by Gina Roussos. Creating a game that  change people attitudes is hard to achieve, then again media had already succeeded in this.

I agree that further research is needed for a prosocial game to have a positive influence over the player. But will not be my first choice of game to play. Most of the game that people play is ether mainstream or something that relate to there everyday life. A game that is enjoyable and fun to play. I game I like to play is a more relaxing game, after a hard day of work I turn in to game to switch of my mind and just enjoy the moment. I pretty much ignore the political nuanced, to evoked empathy using a game is not really reliable as mention it could end up  into a negative result.

A game to reduce prejudice is a great idea but you gonna look at the intended player to make it work. Not everyone play game after all. For me a virtual world is a place to rest my mind and not worry about the world gone to chaos.

[dambalthings-blog]

Week nine

When it come to Diegesis am not really well inform on this subject. But reading the article “Between the Line: Games and Diegesis” by Ian McCamant made realize that there is more to game narrative than just a story telling.

When it come to game, there are story(campaign) that is only mimetic to me as this is how I always see most of the mainstream game that I played. I agree that when it come to narrative it come to the writer to make it interesting enough for the player to enjoy. 

When is come to MMORPG, I never bother about its narrative. I look a MMO as another world other than our reality. Not many game have achieve this.   

[dambalthings-blog]

Week 8

https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol/episodes/jake-solomon

Listing to this podcast make more inform in making game. I like the idea of making game that people would like to plays for fun for hours.

The experience of failing is a good, as a student I use mistake as a learning process. Also learning not just a developer but doing some programing also add to what you can and can do in this industry. With the creative industry is getting bigger, I expect to have more variety of great design which is good in the industry. Also I plan to play more game as I build my career in the game industry. Just to be more diverse in my creative mind.

[dambalthings-blog]

Gamer

“Game” is simple a person who love game, I don't carry it as a title. I called myself a gamer some time's just to simple explain why I play video game. Because I have no time to sit down and convince you to accept why I play game, I got game to finish...

 But am a student now and I have to do this. I found this post https://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/tackling-the-gamer-identity-crisis/ by Rachel Kowert, I think she’s a doctor... Anyway I agree with her, world see gamer had change for the worst. I don't think reclaiming the word “Gamer” is worth a time. First time I heard the term Gamer is when I was called by a friend and then the social media back then it was a normal, no malice meaning to it. Unlike the word “OTAKU” which have negative in meaning (no social life, no friend, etc) But the Western culture confuse it as a positive as they become more into the Japanese Anime, Manga, etc.

Now that gaming community and culture becoming bigger every year due to its marketing and the developer are targeting a broad audience, will see a lot more type of person in the virtual world. I’ll just keep playing game and to this negative stereotyping and discriminations, ill just block you never to speak of it again(like I said I have no time for this, I got game to paly). plus I don't wanna be a social justice activists or something, I don't get how someone had so much hate in their word. Sometimes I think they are just trolling.

[dambalthings-blog]

Game Context

https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/57ps53/context_in_the_destiny_universe/

When it come to game playable context Destiny Universe is lacking. But wait if your read the Grimoire in there website you see that some of it context have some socio-historical in it. But you wont see it in the game as you have no time to wonder. Only when you have finish the campaign, done the strike, compete in PVP mode and completed the Raid multiple times, then you have time to go to the website and read all the unlock there Grimoire. Don't worry if you don't have a computer, they have an app for that.

But Grimoire is full of information about the game too bad they cant include it in the game. It will be a lot more interesting game play if they do, specially the Cosmodrome. I’ve found out that there is an abandoned Russian Cosmodrome, it was the first world largest operational space station during the space race of the 20th century. If you ever had the Patient and Time to read all the grimoire you’ll find that there is a lot more socio-historical in them. In the two I've played and spend more than 1000hours of my life, the game context did not matter anymore. All that matter now is an new shinny weapon to use in this endless violence that never stop and fought around the solar system. As I played mindlessly to strike after strike I ask myself am I the good guy or the bad guy in this game...

[dambalthings-blog]

Subjectivity in Game

Reading Critical Distance:Subjective 101, Lubogabble:Why We Need More Subjective Games Criticism, Richard Bartle: Player Who Suit MUDs, and Kyatric: Bartles’s Taxonomy of Player Types. I realize, that I hate this type of read. Having said that, I do agree with Stephanie that “No one can speak for everyone”. Different kind of approaches and method work for deferent kind of gamer. Subjective Criticism might work, if you tell me the game is boring and slow ill still play it to see if it’s to my liking, if you tell me the game is full of glitches, broken and unplayable ill wait till they patch it and fix the problem. In a way I will play game that look and feel interesting. When it comes to “ how to play the game” its up to the developer to make sure they fix’s those glitches and remove that box that player hide and destroy the enemy without taking any damage.

The player type theory, I've seen a lot of game lately that have use this theory and been successful. That's why we see a lot of game series coming out year after year. That's what made me avoid those type of repetitive game play, they did to put a quest line that take weeks to complete. That's why when it come to game I would go for MMORPGs as it have more content, better quest that can take up days to complete and a massive world to explore. And there is only one game in mind, after almost 15 years I still play it.. Knowing the theory doesn't necessarily means it would work, I do agree that this theory need to be break and redevelop for us to get a better game. As for Motivation why I play game, well I do it for because am bored and need of something deferent, books doesn't quite feel good anymore. In this visual world I need to see something deferent and I don't think I would last until space travel is available. 

[dambalthings-blog]

Ludonarrative Dissonance

http://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html

When it come to game critics am not one of those who is an expert or even have this unlimited vocabulary to use when it come to informing people about this game that I just played. As a gamer I try to avoid critic as they explain what's wrong with a game that everyone love and destroy it piece by piece. This maybe healthy for game developer but not for gamer. They might (“god forbid”) make a game base on those critics. 

Game for me is something you do for fun, although most of them are just after your money so that the company keep on creating game. But I can be hypocritical too, I play a game a over and over again then have a banter with my fellow gamer as to why we still play this game. When it come to online game there is nothing more satisfying than to see your name on top of the leader board, and see other rage over their connection problem. This maybe fun for some but boring for me.

Some of the early game I've played through out the year have some sort of balance between game paly and story. For me game play is a rule that you have to follow in in this world they have created. Although you have an option to have an open world game which let you visit other area or slow down just so that you are well prepared for your next boos fight. You spend countless hours to this world just getting stronger, new gear, meet other character in the game that will help you with your quest. My quest?.. One game that I still love to this day, as you listen to the soft melody played at the background, you see all this characters waiting, then a voice spoke “Listen to my story... This may be our last chance”, this I know that this role-playing game will be great and that I will never stop playing until I finish his story(which I did).

Is “lubonarrative dissonance” helpful of useful for games criticism? I don't think so, its not like I can stop everyone coming out a new term in the gaming community. Putting Story and gameplay is unnecessary for me, for example online shooting game, yeah each character had a background story, but does anyone cared. Most of us are a lot more concern about stage environment, weapon design, abilities, character skins and most importantly weapon balance. I’ve seen countless player quit over an unbalance game. In a way its kinda interesting to see how people behave. 

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That Feeling: RIME

http://gamechurch.com/beauty-ashes-unpacking-grief-rime/

The beauty of this game is something you don't see much in the game. With all our competitiveness, anger and frustration, this game takes a look of our self.  “Grief “, something most of us don't talk much but it’s certainly need to be discuss with the people we trust.

Tequila Works make me experience human emotion that I tried to hide. The simple yet magical environment and heartwarming music, RIME take you away from all those violence, constant levelling and the repetitive of the main stream game around. This puzzle platform game is not overwhelming, which make you more focus more on the journey and take everything in.

As a young boy, I am confronted with new emotion everyday. I may not be a young boy any more but, RIME had certainly capture that feeling through visual and musical expression. I feel like this game has so much more to say than word can describe. I reminisce the time when game story makes you connected to each character throughout the journey and watch them disappear before your eyes, bring up an emotional experience we always feared.

To me, RIME is a magical place that confront those unspoken emotion and accept it as part of your growing process. Being a curious creature as we are, it’s not often we get to see how we react to those feeling.

[dambalthings-blog]

Blog entry for Week 1 (Syd)

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I agree with Austin Walker about Battlefield Hardline is nothing new when it come to story about police crime. Just like a Crime fiction from movies and TV seems to focus on war on drugs, where a corrupt cop and a good cop always end up fighting in the end. To be honest with you I am more interested on the story of how a good cop become crooked. Political correctness is the last thing in my mind when I saw this game.

The campaign does look like a TV show with its intermission scene, it makes me remember most of the TV show waiting patiently for the next episode. At the beginning of the story or should I say the mid-point, I ask myself how did you end up here. Then flash back 3 year ago to where it all started, you start with a moral courage to use “less-lethal force” to feel good about yourself as you lay down the law. Experts Point, yeah you need that to unlock better weapon because as you go deeper to the game you realize that this is war and you’ll need all the help you can get. Most of the time you be out number and unless you’re Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell, a pistol and a Taser just won’t do.

Hardline to me is a multi-player shooting game, a game that you and your friend had been playing over countless of hours, the constant struggle to destroy other players moral is always been there. The campaign mode is there for you to be amazed on how much better the graphic is, but if you look at the story don’t over analyse it, you might end up not trusting anyone around you.