Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
With only one lead on Makarov and no way of connecting the ultranationalist to the attack at Zakahev International, taskforce 141 is hard pressed to find credible evidence to prove the Russian attack on US soil is unwarranted. Desperately fighting a battle to clear civilians from Russian occupied territory the bulk of the United States military is engaged with the Russian invasion. Reunited with General Sheperd, the 141 hatches a plan to attack the Kamchatka Peninsula in an attempt to gain a foothold on Russian soil and prepare for a counter attack. Coincidentally, the gulag holding the mystery prisoner is close at hand. After securing oil rigs off the costs being used as surface to air missile strikes the taskforce attacks the gulag in a joint effort with US naval forces. The 141 finds the prisoner who is revealed to be Captain Price. Price has been locked away, seemingly to keep him from Makarov and the British and US governments alike. After a narrow escape from deep within the prison Price joins the 141 and the hunt for Makarov.
Captain Price doesn’t waste any time catching up with current events. Whether he was being fed information through some friends in the prison is unclear but he certainly is not surprised by current developments in the world. He immediately heads an effort by the 141 to attack a Russian military dock yard, enters a nuclear submarine armed with ICBM with nuclear warheads, and then launches one aimed squarely at the United States. The missile is detonated high in the atmosphere creating a huge magnetic pulse which knocks out all electronics and communications of the US and Russian forces fighting in the nation’s capital. Despite his intentions, the launch of the missile has one repercussion Price did not plan on. The US military may have managed to regain the high ground and the advantage against the Russian invading force but the ICBM spurs the secretary of defense to give General Sheperd more control over US military activities.
12.28.2009
12.13.2009
Slow As Sunday: Modern Warfare 2 retold (part three)
Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
part one can be found here.
part two can be read here.
Taskforce 141 returns from their mission, having successfully retrieved the ACS module, only to find that the CIA’s undercover operation has gone awry. Now the whole of Russia is crying for retribution and General Sheperd is ordering 141 to find the information that connects the bullet that killed Pvt. Allen to Makarov and the wholesale slaughter at Zakaev International Airport. The good news is that General Sheperd knows where Makarov’s favorite gun dealer is, the bad news is that so does Makarov. Just as the 141 catches up with Alejandro Rojas in Rio de Janeiro a conflict breaks out. Suddenly 141 is chasing Rojas while fending off armed militia in a chase that leads to a favela, a.k.a. a slum, just outside the city. Captain McTavish finally apprehends Rojas, but the information gained through his interrogation reveals little of the physical connections between Makarov and the Zakaev incident. What the team does discover is the location of and serial number for a prisoner in Russian custody that Makarov has expressed hatred toward.
Before the taskforce can be extracted and use this new intel, the Russian military invades United States soil. A carefully coordinated attack by air by-passes early warning systems. 141 was too late in retrieving the ACS module and now the Russians have used the encryption module to slip in undetected. Sergeant Foley and his Army Rangers, who have recently returned from Afghanistan, engage this new threat and defend civilians as they are evacuated. During there efforts, Foley is contacted by Gen. Sheperd and ordered to escort a person of importance to safety. Fighting heavy resistance, the Rangers mange to push through but find the MVP dead and an open briefcase besides his corpse. The contents are picked up by Private James Ramirez and remain and mystery for the rest of the story.
part one can be found here.
part two can be read here.
Taskforce 141 returns from their mission, having successfully retrieved the ACS module, only to find that the CIA’s undercover operation has gone awry. Now the whole of Russia is crying for retribution and General Sheperd is ordering 141 to find the information that connects the bullet that killed Pvt. Allen to Makarov and the wholesale slaughter at Zakaev International Airport. The good news is that General Sheperd knows where Makarov’s favorite gun dealer is, the bad news is that so does Makarov. Just as the 141 catches up with Alejandro Rojas in Rio de Janeiro a conflict breaks out. Suddenly 141 is chasing Rojas while fending off armed militia in a chase that leads to a favela, a.k.a. a slum, just outside the city. Captain McTavish finally apprehends Rojas, but the information gained through his interrogation reveals little of the physical connections between Makarov and the Zakaev incident. What the team does discover is the location of and serial number for a prisoner in Russian custody that Makarov has expressed hatred toward.
Before the taskforce can be extracted and use this new intel, the Russian military invades United States soil. A carefully coordinated attack by air by-passes early warning systems. 141 was too late in retrieving the ACS module and now the Russians have used the encryption module to slip in undetected. Sergeant Foley and his Army Rangers, who have recently returned from Afghanistan, engage this new threat and defend civilians as they are evacuated. During there efforts, Foley is contacted by Gen. Sheperd and ordered to escort a person of importance to safety. Fighting heavy resistance, the Rangers mange to push through but find the MVP dead and an open briefcase besides his corpse. The contents are picked up by Private James Ramirez and remain and mystery for the rest of the story.
12.07.2009
Slow As Sunday: Modern Warfare 2 retold (part two)
Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
Part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2 can be found here.
With taskforce 141 currently busy (read “running for their lives”) General Sheperd briefs his latest recruit, Private Joseph Allen, on his plan to deal with Makarov. The CIA has gone to great lengths to obtain a cover ID, Alex Borodin, that will be used by the Private to get close to Makarov. What Allen will do once he is close to Makarov is unclear. The implication is that he will be deep under cover for the purpose of reporting Makarov’s activities and plans. What neither Allen or Sheperd realized is Makarov was prepared for the army ranger turned undercover agent. Before you know it Allen, now Borodin, is deep under cover and is participating in an attack on the Russian Zakahev International Airport. Hundreds of Russian civilians and law enforcement are killed while the Makarov, Borodin, and two Ultra-Nationalists all armed to the teeth carve a path of death and destruction through the airport. Just when it looked as if these villains were going to get away, Makarov turns and kills Borodin/Allen, sending a message to the Russian people.
The information revealed during and directly after the “No Russian” mission colors the rest of the story. First, we assume that Allen is quickly identified by Russian intelligence and the news of his identity is either leaked or deliberately given to the media. What kind of half truth the Russians fabricated is not known. Undoubtedly Allen was identified as an American, and in all likelihood as a solider, but his ties to the CIA were not verified. Even if they did release information that Allen was a CIA operative, Russian media could use that fact to call into question what involvement the Americans had in recent terrorist attacks. Maybe not all acts of violence were the doing of mad man Makarov but secret operations by the American government. Whatever the case may be, the right individuals in power were swayed, and now the Ultra-Nationalists plan was coming together. They have partial control of the military and support from those who were once on the fence. Makarov and the Ultra-Nationalists have aligned Russia and its people squarely against the United States of America.
Part 3 next week!
Part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2 can be found here.
With taskforce 141 currently busy (read “running for their lives”) General Sheperd briefs his latest recruit, Private Joseph Allen, on his plan to deal with Makarov. The CIA has gone to great lengths to obtain a cover ID, Alex Borodin, that will be used by the Private to get close to Makarov. What Allen will do once he is close to Makarov is unclear. The implication is that he will be deep under cover for the purpose of reporting Makarov’s activities and plans. What neither Allen or Sheperd realized is Makarov was prepared for the army ranger turned undercover agent. Before you know it Allen, now Borodin, is deep under cover and is participating in an attack on the Russian Zakahev International Airport. Hundreds of Russian civilians and law enforcement are killed while the Makarov, Borodin, and two Ultra-Nationalists all armed to the teeth carve a path of death and destruction through the airport. Just when it looked as if these villains were going to get away, Makarov turns and kills Borodin/Allen, sending a message to the Russian people.
The information revealed during and directly after the “No Russian” mission colors the rest of the story. First, we assume that Allen is quickly identified by Russian intelligence and the news of his identity is either leaked or deliberately given to the media. What kind of half truth the Russians fabricated is not known. Undoubtedly Allen was identified as an American, and in all likelihood as a solider, but his ties to the CIA were not verified. Even if they did release information that Allen was a CIA operative, Russian media could use that fact to call into question what involvement the Americans had in recent terrorist attacks. Maybe not all acts of violence were the doing of mad man Makarov but secret operations by the American government. Whatever the case may be, the right individuals in power were swayed, and now the Ultra-Nationalists plan was coming together. They have partial control of the military and support from those who were once on the fence. Makarov and the Ultra-Nationalists have aligned Russia and its people squarely against the United States of America.
Part 3 next week!
11.29.2009
Slow As Sunday: Modern Warfare 2 story retold (part one)
Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
Five years after Imran Zakhaev was killed and a nuclear launch against the United States prevented, attitudes in Russia have shifted towards the teachings of the once radical. While not explicit, I believe that Zakhaev’s followers were more prevalent than first believed. Infiltrating the military and government at all levels, Zakhaev’s spiritual successor Makarov was able to slowly twist the Russian peoples’ attitudes to those of the Ultra-Nationalists. Like Zakhaev, Makarov has a thirst for death and destruction and uses them as tools to further his agenda of war. Attacks are made at various targets worldwide fueling the bloodlust of Makarov’s recruits and training them for the coming war.
While Makarov is seen as a threat by the United States there is little action taken to reign in this mad man. Whether Makarov is protected by the Russian government or is slippery enough to evade all nets is not revealed. There is at least one US military leader that is taking steps to put an end to the destruction and death. General Sheperd, who lead the military action against Al-Asad in Afghanistan, is now the head of a small military operation. The General's Taskforce 141 is composed of various special operations members, hand picked by General Sheperd, from the British and United States military and intelligence agencies. Their current mission is the retrieval of the encryption module from a downed US satellite from a Russian military base. At the same time General Sheperd is recruiting the latest member of his taskforce from the Army Rangers, Private Joseph Allen. While inspecting the abilities of this new recruit there is a rebel attack in the Afghani city near the military outpost Allen’s unit is stationed in. General Sheperd goes with the unit to retaliate against the attack. The counter attack is successful and the General takes Pvt. Allen with him to his new assignment.
Thus ends part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2. Check back next week for the second part.
Five years after Imran Zakhaev was killed and a nuclear launch against the United States prevented, attitudes in Russia have shifted towards the teachings of the once radical. While not explicit, I believe that Zakhaev’s followers were more prevalent than first believed. Infiltrating the military and government at all levels, Zakhaev’s spiritual successor Makarov was able to slowly twist the Russian peoples’ attitudes to those of the Ultra-Nationalists. Like Zakhaev, Makarov has a thirst for death and destruction and uses them as tools to further his agenda of war. Attacks are made at various targets worldwide fueling the bloodlust of Makarov’s recruits and training them for the coming war.
While Makarov is seen as a threat by the United States there is little action taken to reign in this mad man. Whether Makarov is protected by the Russian government or is slippery enough to evade all nets is not revealed. There is at least one US military leader that is taking steps to put an end to the destruction and death. General Sheperd, who lead the military action against Al-Asad in Afghanistan, is now the head of a small military operation. The General's Taskforce 141 is composed of various special operations members, hand picked by General Sheperd, from the British and United States military and intelligence agencies. Their current mission is the retrieval of the encryption module from a downed US satellite from a Russian military base. At the same time General Sheperd is recruiting the latest member of his taskforce from the Army Rangers, Private Joseph Allen. While inspecting the abilities of this new recruit there is a rebel attack in the Afghani city near the military outpost Allen’s unit is stationed in. General Sheperd goes with the unit to retaliate against the attack. The counter attack is successful and the General takes Pvt. Allen with him to his new assignment.
Thus ends part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2. Check back next week for the second part.
11.25.2009
The gloves that touch
I was out and about with my buddy Sean this last Saturday. We visited a local sports apparel retailer and found something quite unexpected. Tucked away in the winter wear were these nifty pairs of gloves specifically designed to work with touchscreen devices without needing to take off the gloves. The 180's touch it gloves are a winter necessity for technophiles. The little nubs on the tips of the thumb and first finger allow the use of touchscreen devices while keeping your digits toasty.
I hardly expected to find this techie winter god send in the same place where I used to buy inline skates but wonders never cease. If you want to get your hands into a pair of these iPhone friendly coverings you can order them directly from 180's.
11.20.2009
Reinventing sports franchises continued
When a new sports video game is slated for release nearly the entire staff, all three development teams, would work together to lay the ground work for the project. Cooperation will help the project in the initial phases and bring together the unique expertise from different areas of development together. The three team structure will remain intact while members from both the support team and content team would join the main dev team in an effort to bring fresh new ideas, support, and help to the development of the new title. The support and content team’s separate projects will not be abandoned. Essential staff will remain to work on those projects until after the new title has reached a more complete stage. This would all but guarantee that each team will have working knowledge of the methods and inner workings of the other dev teams, and a deeper understanding of the mechanics of the new title.
This policy of flexible team structure, sharing of information and resources, and a spirit of unified effort towards making the franchise the best it can be is a boon for the workers and management. Each team will have their own respective lead project coordinators and their ability to communicate and work together is key to the success or failure of this model. In this respect each lead will have to have a clear picture of their own team’s projects, their team’s abilities, and how their efforts mesh with the overall goal of making a great videogame.
After the release of the latest entry in the sports franchise series the content dev team should begin work on the DLC. Chances are the season has already begun for the sport has already begun or will begin shortly after the release. Within months the content on the disk will not be an accurate picture of the real life state of the sport. The content team will need to work in overdrive to provide constant updates and new content to players of the new title. Thanks to the three team model they don’t have to work alone. While the main dev team takes a break before starting on the next game, the support dev team will help the content dev team test new content and provide player feedback. This feedback will help guide the direction of the DLC. Requested content could be rapidly produced, meeting the demand of the player’s quickly and to their satisfaction.
Each team lead will be responsible for their respective team and also participate in the design and construction of new titles and features for future iterations of the franchise. Here we come to a point where my own ideas come to an impasse. I’ve little experience when it comes to the workings of higher levels of software development management. What I do know comes from books on game design, which stick to more traditional models. Should there be a group of producers and higher management that over see the whole of the franchise or should the team leads be solely responsible for the content they produce? Tradition would suggest the former but I have misgivings about taking creative power and authority away from the lead designers.
There’s still a lot to cover, including the benefit this structure would have for fans, but I’m going to stop here. When I first had the idea for this article I didn’t realize the scope and complexity that needs to be addressed. I’ll probably come back to the topic in the future, especially if I’m reviewing a new sports title, but for right now I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
This policy of flexible team structure, sharing of information and resources, and a spirit of unified effort towards making the franchise the best it can be is a boon for the workers and management. Each team will have their own respective lead project coordinators and their ability to communicate and work together is key to the success or failure of this model. In this respect each lead will have to have a clear picture of their own team’s projects, their team’s abilities, and how their efforts mesh with the overall goal of making a great videogame.
After the release of the latest entry in the sports franchise series the content dev team should begin work on the DLC. Chances are the season has already begun for the sport has already begun or will begin shortly after the release. Within months the content on the disk will not be an accurate picture of the real life state of the sport. The content team will need to work in overdrive to provide constant updates and new content to players of the new title. Thanks to the three team model they don’t have to work alone. While the main dev team takes a break before starting on the next game, the support dev team will help the content dev team test new content and provide player feedback. This feedback will help guide the direction of the DLC. Requested content could be rapidly produced, meeting the demand of the player’s quickly and to their satisfaction.
Each team lead will be responsible for their respective team and also participate in the design and construction of new titles and features for future iterations of the franchise. Here we come to a point where my own ideas come to an impasse. I’ve little experience when it comes to the workings of higher levels of software development management. What I do know comes from books on game design, which stick to more traditional models. Should there be a group of producers and higher management that over see the whole of the franchise or should the team leads be solely responsible for the content they produce? Tradition would suggest the former but I have misgivings about taking creative power and authority away from the lead designers.
There’s still a lot to cover, including the benefit this structure would have for fans, but I’m going to stop here. When I first had the idea for this article I didn’t realize the scope and complexity that needs to be addressed. I’ll probably come back to the topic in the future, especially if I’m reviewing a new sports title, but for right now I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
11.15.2009
Slow As Sunday: Reinventing sports franchises
Every year it is the same story again and again. The next installment of a big sports franchise is coming to stores. The new game features only slight improvements over past installments but still feels like the same old same old. Production values suffer from the lack of time spent on development. Time is not a luxury sports games can afford. Athletes are injured or traded, old teams fade into oblivion or new teams spring up in less time than it takes to create a well crafted AAA title. There are also problems with expanding the size of the development team. Changes take place in the real world far more quickly than even yearly installments can adapt to. Only the best and most energetic team leads can keep track of all the personnel and resources that would be needed to create a masterful videogame.
While playing SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 I thought of a solution to these problems. After discussing the ideas with Editor in Chief of Gaming Nexus Charles Husemann I was able to take my own ideas and his suggestions and come up with a rough model; a new way to offer content to gamers and fans of sports franchises while offering a polished gameplay experience. Instead of the normal one year development cycle, development teams should shift to a two year cycle. I can hear the arguments already “Wouldn’t that mean less content?” Well the answer is yes and no.
Yes, there will be less features and “innovations” to gameplay coming out every year. Most would admit that despite the new features that come out every year it takes two or three years for them to reach refinement. Team management, player created characters, and online multiplayer are all features that have just recently hit the sweet spot for many franchises. No, there would be even more content made available to players via downloadable content. DLC has already extended the life of videogames, and unlike mods, are proven source of revenue for publishers and developers. Regular roster updates are already in NBA ‘09 and ‘10 and the FIFA series but updates don’t have to stop there. New players, coaches, announcers, content for created athletes, sound tracks, and many other forms of content can be updated, changed, or added to.
Let us explore the development team structure needed for a two year, continuously updated, development cycle. Three separate teams working together on every game title would be ideal. The teams will be the main dev team which focuses on the creation of a new title, the support dev team that works to fix bugs in the new title and DLC, and a content dev team that focuses on creating new content for the new title and the DLC to follow the initial release. Splitting into three teams has many advantages. The main dev team will have two years to create new features and a polished gameplay experience without having to worry about staying up to date with every change in the sport. The content dev team will be constantly working with the tools provided by the main and support team to continuously update the experience for the user and the new content featured in the current and future title. The support dev team will be responsible for communication between all three teams, testing content, and communicating and sharing the ideas of the fans with the other dev teams in order improve upon the franchise. Over the course of two years, these three teams will be constantly working, creating, and inventing with enough time to polish, test, and innovate.
The costs and profits of creating videogames, distributing them, and advertising them is not a responsibility I envy. A publisher might think that by offering a new title every other year may hurt the bottom line and keep the franchise from being able to compete. This is not so. A two year cycle would produce a more polished video game without having to swell the development team to an unmanageable size. Any disadvantage that might come from not having the latest and greatest features of the rival company will only be relevant for a year. When the new entry in the series is released, has the new features, and implements them better than the competition it will be clear that their brand has the better game. PR could be shifted away from advertising the new slight improvements that come each year to supporting and growing user created content and the DLC offered by the developer. There is even potential to make more money using the two year cycle. For a small monthly price, say $5, publishers could make just as much money as they did before and potentially more with intelligent use of in-game advertisements. I’m not a particular fan of the practice, but I do like the idea that with constant updates there will be more changes in advertisements and more free content made available by sponsors.
I’m afraid this entry is already running long and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the how and whys of a two year development cycle. I’ll be continuing to discuss the different elements of the production cycle and how publishers, developers, and, most of all, players will benefit from the two year cycle. If there are any particular aspects or ideas you’d like to offer leave them in the comments section. I’ll try to address all concerns and suggestions later this week.
While playing SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 I thought of a solution to these problems. After discussing the ideas with Editor in Chief of Gaming Nexus Charles Husemann I was able to take my own ideas and his suggestions and come up with a rough model; a new way to offer content to gamers and fans of sports franchises while offering a polished gameplay experience. Instead of the normal one year development cycle, development teams should shift to a two year cycle. I can hear the arguments already “Wouldn’t that mean less content?” Well the answer is yes and no.
Yes, there will be less features and “innovations” to gameplay coming out every year. Most would admit that despite the new features that come out every year it takes two or three years for them to reach refinement. Team management, player created characters, and online multiplayer are all features that have just recently hit the sweet spot for many franchises. No, there would be even more content made available to players via downloadable content. DLC has already extended the life of videogames, and unlike mods, are proven source of revenue for publishers and developers. Regular roster updates are already in NBA ‘09 and ‘10 and the FIFA series but updates don’t have to stop there. New players, coaches, announcers, content for created athletes, sound tracks, and many other forms of content can be updated, changed, or added to.
Let us explore the development team structure needed for a two year, continuously updated, development cycle. Three separate teams working together on every game title would be ideal. The teams will be the main dev team which focuses on the creation of a new title, the support dev team that works to fix bugs in the new title and DLC, and a content dev team that focuses on creating new content for the new title and the DLC to follow the initial release. Splitting into three teams has many advantages. The main dev team will have two years to create new features and a polished gameplay experience without having to worry about staying up to date with every change in the sport. The content dev team will be constantly working with the tools provided by the main and support team to continuously update the experience for the user and the new content featured in the current and future title. The support dev team will be responsible for communication between all three teams, testing content, and communicating and sharing the ideas of the fans with the other dev teams in order improve upon the franchise. Over the course of two years, these three teams will be constantly working, creating, and inventing with enough time to polish, test, and innovate.
The costs and profits of creating videogames, distributing them, and advertising them is not a responsibility I envy. A publisher might think that by offering a new title every other year may hurt the bottom line and keep the franchise from being able to compete. This is not so. A two year cycle would produce a more polished video game without having to swell the development team to an unmanageable size. Any disadvantage that might come from not having the latest and greatest features of the rival company will only be relevant for a year. When the new entry in the series is released, has the new features, and implements them better than the competition it will be clear that their brand has the better game. PR could be shifted away from advertising the new slight improvements that come each year to supporting and growing user created content and the DLC offered by the developer. There is even potential to make more money using the two year cycle. For a small monthly price, say $5, publishers could make just as much money as they did before and potentially more with intelligent use of in-game advertisements. I’m not a particular fan of the practice, but I do like the idea that with constant updates there will be more changes in advertisements and more free content made available by sponsors.
I’m afraid this entry is already running long and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the how and whys of a two year development cycle. I’ll be continuing to discuss the different elements of the production cycle and how publishers, developers, and, most of all, players will benefit from the two year cycle. If there are any particular aspects or ideas you’d like to offer leave them in the comments section. I’ll try to address all concerns and suggestions later this week.
11.01.2009
Slow As Sunday: Videogame Burnout
Tis the season of videogame release dates. From now until the beginning of next year reviewers and players alike will be bombarded by a large number of AAA titles that many of us have been waiting for since their announcement a year or more ago. Already I’m feeling overwhelmed by the number of great games that are coming out and have stopped caring about the hype associated with big name titles. How does one deal with videogame burnout? Let us explore some possibilities.
Take your time
You get that one title you’ve been waiting for all year and then realize that just one week from now you’ll also be picking up your pre-order for another title you’ve been wanting to play. Soon you’ll be sitting down for your nightly video game fun faced with the choice of which two game you will spend time with. This may sound like a problem that a hardcore gamer would want to have, more choices between great games, but it can be difficult to make a decision. The best way to solve this problem is realize a simple truth; you do not have to play a game because you own it. Take your time getting to the next game on your list. Your brain will be much better off focusing on one epic game at a time rather than bouncing back and forth between two story lines.
Moderation
You’ve finally got that 100 hour epic RPG and can’t wait to get started creating a customizing your character. Before you put the finishing touches on the nose of your new mage/fighter half elf an hour has already flown by and you don’t even know what the premise of the story is yet. There are those games that hold our attention for a very long time and we escape into a well crafted virtual world for the better part of our free time. Beware burnout! If you know that a game will take you the better part of a month to complete then plan some days where you don’t touch the game at all. I’m sure there are those who can afford to submerge themselves completely in a game, but my rule is that when I start dreaming about the video game it’s time to cut back on how often I play it.
Socialize
You just beat that game you’ve been playing for two weeks and you can’t wait to tell your friends. Then you realize that you haven’t called your friends and have hardly left your home for two weeks. Staying connected to the outside world is essential in avoiding videogame burn out. I’m not talking about chatting on forums or posting your recent achievement on face book. Step out of the virtual world and connect with real people. The familiar virtual worlds of video games have rules and mechanics that will become familiar to the point of seeming second nature. Refresh your mind by interacting with one of the most unpredictable and entertaining of nature’s creatures; humans.
These are only three different methods for three different problems and videogame burnout can take on many different forms. Fortunately most can be solved simply by prioritizing and managing your time with videogames in order to keep things fresh.
Take your time
You get that one title you’ve been waiting for all year and then realize that just one week from now you’ll also be picking up your pre-order for another title you’ve been wanting to play. Soon you’ll be sitting down for your nightly video game fun faced with the choice of which two game you will spend time with. This may sound like a problem that a hardcore gamer would want to have, more choices between great games, but it can be difficult to make a decision. The best way to solve this problem is realize a simple truth; you do not have to play a game because you own it. Take your time getting to the next game on your list. Your brain will be much better off focusing on one epic game at a time rather than bouncing back and forth between two story lines.
Moderation
You’ve finally got that 100 hour epic RPG and can’t wait to get started creating a customizing your character. Before you put the finishing touches on the nose of your new mage/fighter half elf an hour has already flown by and you don’t even know what the premise of the story is yet. There are those games that hold our attention for a very long time and we escape into a well crafted virtual world for the better part of our free time. Beware burnout! If you know that a game will take you the better part of a month to complete then plan some days where you don’t touch the game at all. I’m sure there are those who can afford to submerge themselves completely in a game, but my rule is that when I start dreaming about the video game it’s time to cut back on how often I play it.
Socialize
You just beat that game you’ve been playing for two weeks and you can’t wait to tell your friends. Then you realize that you haven’t called your friends and have hardly left your home for two weeks. Staying connected to the outside world is essential in avoiding videogame burn out. I’m not talking about chatting on forums or posting your recent achievement on face book. Step out of the virtual world and connect with real people. The familiar virtual worlds of video games have rules and mechanics that will become familiar to the point of seeming second nature. Refresh your mind by interacting with one of the most unpredictable and entertaining of nature’s creatures; humans.
These are only three different methods for three different problems and videogame burnout can take on many different forms. Fortunately most can be solved simply by prioritizing and managing your time with videogames in order to keep things fresh.
10.25.2009
Slow As Sunday: Ultimate Mario
Nintendo's official mascot is a multi-talented mustachioed Italian gentleman with a thirst for adventure and a penchant for sports. So I ask the question: Why hasn't there been a Mario game that showcases all of Mario's talents? Imagine, if you will, a video game that is the ultimate tribute to Mario's past and present, mixing game elements that include puzzle solving, platform navigation, cart racing, golf, tennis, baseball, soccer and everything that the little plumber that could can take on. The game would take place in an open world where the player chooses what objectives to tackle, without any strict story progression to hinder exploration. Sure the Mario Party games showcased many of Mario's unique talents but players were stuck traversing a wacky "life sized" board game. Let's take a romp through this imaginary land and see where we end up.
Starting at Princess Peach's castle, Mario heads to the garage attached at the west end to borrow a motorcycle. Proceeding down a path he comes to a broken bridge on a cliff with platforms in the sky in sight. Revving the engine, Mario leaps off the bike and equips his flying cap in mid air, taking to the skies and the nearest platform. From the floating disk he can see the mighty expanse of the kingdom below and notices he is not alone on his perch. Two flying Koopas are arguing who can fly the fastest, Mario stumbles into the conversation and instead of pouncing on the Koopas right there and then, accepts their challenge to a race. The next thing he knows Mario is waiting for the timer to count down while he and the koopas line up to jump off the platform and race around an obstical course of flying rings. Finishing the race in first, and collecting his winnings in gold coins, Mario looks for his next challenge, and notices far below a tennis court...
This Ultimate Mario game should be made, as it has been a good long deal since I've tramped about the Mushroom Kingdom with a sense of freedom and a lust for exploration. More importantly I think a game like this needs to be made for all the other Mario games to make sense. Mario's list of skills and abilities have increased dramatically since his days as a plumber and I don't think it is necessary for a princess to be kidnapped in order to enjoy deploying them. Call me looney or a mad genius, I just think it would be a good time.
Starting at Princess Peach's castle, Mario heads to the garage attached at the west end to borrow a motorcycle. Proceeding down a path he comes to a broken bridge on a cliff with platforms in the sky in sight. Revving the engine, Mario leaps off the bike and equips his flying cap in mid air, taking to the skies and the nearest platform. From the floating disk he can see the mighty expanse of the kingdom below and notices he is not alone on his perch. Two flying Koopas are arguing who can fly the fastest, Mario stumbles into the conversation and instead of pouncing on the Koopas right there and then, accepts their challenge to a race. The next thing he knows Mario is waiting for the timer to count down while he and the koopas line up to jump off the platform and race around an obstical course of flying rings. Finishing the race in first, and collecting his winnings in gold coins, Mario looks for his next challenge, and notices far below a tennis court...
This Ultimate Mario game should be made, as it has been a good long deal since I've tramped about the Mushroom Kingdom with a sense of freedom and a lust for exploration. More importantly I think a game like this needs to be made for all the other Mario games to make sense. Mario's list of skills and abilities have increased dramatically since his days as a plumber and I don't think it is necessary for a princess to be kidnapped in order to enjoy deploying them. Call me looney or a mad genius, I just think it would be a good time.
10.23.2009
Side Note update
An interesting turn of events did occur. When I took that step, as described in my side note, of offering something meaningful to say in response to a "u suck" comment, I opened up a line of communication. When I treated that player with respect I received respect in turn and now we have a meaningful, yet stunted conversation going on Xbox Live. The negative image giving to Live by its overzealous and immature users has twisted other users' expectations. Instead of treating everyone we meet online as a prepubescent slavering X-bot, we should treat each other with respect. Matching any hostile, vulgar, and crude comment with a response that is respectful, or offering up no response at all. I'm not saying take out all the trash talk and competition. We can still taunt, one-up, and goad each other to distraction with respect.
Case in point. A day after my exchange with this individual we played another match, afterwards I received this message
"teams grew uneven towards the end,but pretty fair at 1st.well played."
If that isn't a major improvement over "u suck" I don't know what is.
Case in point. A day after my exchange with this individual we played another match, afterwards I received this message
"teams grew uneven towards the end,but pretty fair at 1st.well played."
If that isn't a major improvement over "u suck" I don't know what is.
10.21.2009
Side note
I just got done playing a rather unbalanced match of Battlefield 1943 on Xbox Live. I played my best, as I always do, but my team struggled in the first 3-4 minutes as the teams were at a 5/7 split with mine being the former. Perseverance prevailed and as is want from competitive online games with open teams, the balance of the match quickly swung in our favor as more players joined. In the end I was the top scorer for my team on account of staying in the match for the duration and my humble (read:top notch) sniping skills.
I just got done with the match and was about to shut off for the night and get some sleep when a the top scorer from the other team sent me a message. I expected a congratulations or a like minded gripe about the unevenness of the teams but that was foolish of me.
The message was simply "u suck".
I understood the player's frustration all too well and I know why he might have thought it was I who somehow managed to snag the win out of nothing. While I confess to being good at the game, I'm not that good. So I sent a message back which read "it was a good match. the tides of war change swiftly. i look forward to playing you in a match where the teams are even for the duration."
I suspect the response will not be as kind.
I just got done with the match and was about to shut off for the night and get some sleep when a the top scorer from the other team sent me a message. I expected a congratulations or a like minded gripe about the unevenness of the teams but that was foolish of me.
The message was simply "u suck".
I understood the player's frustration all too well and I know why he might have thought it was I who somehow managed to snag the win out of nothing. While I confess to being good at the game, I'm not that good. So I sent a message back which read "it was a good match. the tides of war change swiftly. i look forward to playing you in a match where the teams are even for the duration."
I suspect the response will not be as kind.
10.20.2009
Getting hammered and waxing philosophical
My weekend was full of surprises, dissapontments, and some startling realizations. On Saturday I went with my younger sister to the Haunted Trail of Horror in Kenton, OH as part of her senior project for high school. The experience was, different. I was used to her clinging on to my arm for dear life and jumping at shadows while I laughed all the while. This time her friend Elizabeth had joined us, who I suspect is secretly a world renowned track star, and she dragged my sister from haunted horror to frightful obstacle with my large frame following close behind the man chasing them with a chain saw. The video that was recorded is dark, with mostly screams and curses in the audio, none of which were mine.
Later that evening after a long car ride home, my buddy Sean and I took to the road once again in search of an elusive party which I had been invited. It ended up being a dud. I got a call from Bobby, the guy who invited me, explaining that the party had died down and there was no reason to come out anymore. So I wandered the streets of downtown trying to get back to the freeway to go home, meanwhile Sean was proclaiming our inevitable death around every street corner saying "Man, were going to get shot!"
Sunday was stress and more stress as I dealt with issues at home while trying to get some play time in with a preview copy of SmackDown vs Raw 2010, which was buggy as hell. Thankfully a form of salvation came when a recent acquaintance, waxing on friend, named Collin invited me out for a smoke at the Shi Sha lounge downtown. After a hookah of melon and mango we sauntered on down to Hound dogs to grab a pie and some beer. I thought we were done after that but Collin had other plans. He took me to one of his favorite haunts. A place that I had passed up once in search of a Guinness because of the loud Eminem song playing on the juke box. I have nothing personal against Eminem, but that is not the type of music I expect when I enter a pub.
Ah, so to make a long story short and to get to the culmination of the weekend, I had some fun. I met Collin's pub friends and then he took me home but beer brings out the philosopher in all of us, it should be said. We had a smoke and I prompted a discussion of the possibilities of human memories being mapped and stored. A honest and deep conversation began that I had no intention of starting, but which seems to be fueled by alcohol like gasoline to a fire. Many revelations and reflections took place and I walked away feeling quite refreshed and hopeful. It may sound strange, but discussions of death help me to find hope in life.
Later that evening after a long car ride home, my buddy Sean and I took to the road once again in search of an elusive party which I had been invited. It ended up being a dud. I got a call from Bobby, the guy who invited me, explaining that the party had died down and there was no reason to come out anymore. So I wandered the streets of downtown trying to get back to the freeway to go home, meanwhile Sean was proclaiming our inevitable death around every street corner saying "Man, were going to get shot!"
Sunday was stress and more stress as I dealt with issues at home while trying to get some play time in with a preview copy of SmackDown vs Raw 2010, which was buggy as hell. Thankfully a form of salvation came when a recent acquaintance, waxing on friend, named Collin invited me out for a smoke at the Shi Sha lounge downtown. After a hookah of melon and mango we sauntered on down to Hound dogs to grab a pie and some beer. I thought we were done after that but Collin had other plans. He took me to one of his favorite haunts. A place that I had passed up once in search of a Guinness because of the loud Eminem song playing on the juke box. I have nothing personal against Eminem, but that is not the type of music I expect when I enter a pub.
Ah, so to make a long story short and to get to the culmination of the weekend, I had some fun. I met Collin's pub friends and then he took me home but beer brings out the philosopher in all of us, it should be said. We had a smoke and I prompted a discussion of the possibilities of human memories being mapped and stored. A honest and deep conversation began that I had no intention of starting, but which seems to be fueled by alcohol like gasoline to a fire. Many revelations and reflections took place and I walked away feeling quite refreshed and hopeful. It may sound strange, but discussions of death help me to find hope in life.
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