So yesterday I was drawing random stuff in my notebook.
I drew a pretty sweet picture. It was basically Blackbeard's flag, except more dynamic.
Then I started drawing some Jolly Roger variations, and other random stuff that would look good on a pirate flag.
Later I may scan the page and repaint some of the cooler ones on the computer.
But anyway, it got me thinking about pirates in general, and how I've always kind of wanted to make a game with them (I guess I've sort of already done one, but it was a very small thing). I came up with a good idea, and an amusing story to go with it.
But I am determined to not make this game until I'm done with one of the two I'm already working on, so I put down some notes and filed them away for later.
I find it's usually best to wait on these ideas for a while, anyway, to make sure I'm still interested in them later.
But in the mean time, I have plenty to work on.
Oh, by the way!
If you haven't heard yet, I released a beta version of Purple Jelly. It's still pretty small, but it has a lot more content than the small demo I released earlier.
You can get it here. (Remember, it's an executable and it only works on Windows. I think if you do it right you may be able to get it to work in WINE, too, but I'm not exactly sure.)
I also updated the appropriate page on my website, so if you want more details, go there (remember, it's http://www.elasticapogee.co.cc).
I plan to add Purple Jelly to YoYo Games, too. I'll probably get that done either today or tomorrow.
I've been getting some funny emails lately.
In my "dummy" account, I've gotten several emails saying that a friend has sent me an electronic greeting card. The email looks all nice and official, and then it has a link to a file that says something like "/postcard.gif.exe".
Dot GIF dot EXE. Haha.
They must think I'm incredibly stupid... But they didn't do such a good job in the intelligence department themselves.
I've also gotten a few scam type things, but I don't feel like responding to them at the moment; I haven't yet posted a transcript from the last one, anyway.
Before I forget, I should also give some updates about Bob-
1. I watched a trailer on his website... It showed a lot more than the videos I had seen before. So now I've ruled out the possibility that he doesn't actually have a substantial game, I guess. Still, it's highly suspicious, what with the whole "Welcome to Bob's Game" thing. I think that's at least a significant aspect of it.
2. He allegedly received a letter back from Nintendo, denying him developer status. He hasn't said anything about it, though. So I don't know what he plans on doing at this point, but he is now pretending to throw some sort of party in his "outer space secret lair" or whatever he's calling it these days.
Also, did I mention that the weather here has been amazing lately? Not that, you know, I ever go outside. But still. Just saying.
True, I could be going outside. I mean, my career as a vampyre is basically over. (If you haven't heard, I retired once they got all mainstream... So you can basically blame Stephenie Meyer for that.)
But then, it's not as if there's a whole lot to do outside other than ride my bike around. I really need some sort of life. But I think it's only partially my fault, and even if that's not really the case, it's more relaxing to think of it in those terms.
But on to the actual point of this post.
So I was going to talk about games. But not games in general, specific ones.
Games that were not only among the most amazing I've ever played, but were disturbingly beautiful. And I don't mean they just had shiny graphics. I mean they were art in ever sense of the word... These are the games that have had a strong impact on my life; games that have been a huge inspiration, and not just for game design, but for... anything at all. Everything, really.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking this is crazy. Because most people these days still see games as just another form of entertainment. I mean, there are still a lot of people who see films as just another form of entertainment, too. But they're not.
I mean, sure, there's stuff out there that's very casual and relaxed, and is very much focused on just being fun. But deep down, it still has a tiny bit of artistic value. Some, though, are just overflowing with it... Not that everyone is going to recognize it. If you're determined to see a game as frivolous entertainment and a complete waste of time, that's the only way you will ever see them. But don't get on my case for believing there can be games that can impact people as well as good literature. There's really no sense in that, because it's not going to accomplish a whole lot.
But enough of that; let's get on with it.
=The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time=
I think this is the first game I ever played that impacted me strongly. It was what really made me see that a game could be much, much more than just a game.
The story and setting are fairly simple, but they're immensely engrossing. And the gameplay and general design are great. They did everything right with this one. One of the best parts was all the little things... There were so many awesome, memorable moments. They did a great job evoking strong emotions and the right mood.
But you know what's weird and sad? After all these years, I've still never finished the game myself. I'd really like to, but at the moment, I'm not sure where it is...
=The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past=
I didn't play this until after OoT, because I purchased the GBA version when it was released again on the handheld (the original game was for SNES).
But wow. It's just a great game. I think the thing I loved most about it was its incredible amount of depth. The main story is quite long, and there are tons of extra items to recover and secrets to find. I was determined to get everything, so I must admit I had to look up many things online.
Finishing the game was kind of sad. I mean, it felt great, but at the same time, I didn't want it to be over. It wasn't by any means over quickly (I think I must have spent a year or two off and on with this game), but maybe that made it worse... It was amazing, and I was sad to see it end.
=The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass=
I loved this game because it's considerably deep and has a huge amount of polish. It reminded me a lot of Wind Waker... but it was on DS. I kept thinking to myself: "They can DO that?!" It's a very impressive game. And it just gave me a great feeling... I had something enormous, and it was sitting there in my hands.
I know a huge part of this was because I skipped over Twilight Princess (I still haven't played it), so I was coming back to the series after a somewhat lengthy hiatus.
I was playing Zelda again, and it felt awesome.
=FINAL FANTASY VI=
This game is the most impressive RPG I've ever played. It's tremendously long, and in the best way, because it's far too riveting to bore you. It has a very interesting setting; the whole game gives off a very strong "renaissance vibe".
And the story is amazing. It doesn't do many unique things, I suppose, but it just hooks you. Every character in the game has his or her own story, and they're all brought together by a series of complicated events. The whole storyline is filled with depth and emotion; it's like a very dramatic play instead of "just... a game".
Unfortunately, I never quite finished this one either. I got right to the end, but my save file got deleted, probably by one of my mischievous brothers who didn't know what he was doing.
I don't think I have the energy to play through it again, so now I'm waiting for a DS remake. They must do one; I don't know what's keeping them.
=The World Ends With You=
This is widely regarded as an amazing game, but I don't think it hit anybody on earth with a force as great as the one it crushed me with. TWEWY just did something for me, and I'm still a little confused about what it was.
It was a little difficult to get into at first, I won't deny that... It's wildly different in many ways, particularly in regard to the whole general setting and premise behind the game... At the beginning, the protagonist is a total jerk. You just hate him; he's impossible to relate to because he never reacts the way you would to the situations he's put in. But you're not meant to like him at first. Because he changes over time. He's not angelic by the end of the game by any means... But the transformation he goes through over the course of the game is so powerful that you can't help but love him by the time it's over.
Of course, I didn't know this at first, but I was determined to play it, because I had a feeling I would love it if I stuck with it. I was right.
The whole game was a crazy roller coaster ride of one awesome thing after another, all held together by the equally awesome fabric that was the engaging and unique nature of the game as a whole.
When I was finished, I felt... numb. I just sat there, overwhelmed. It's actually pretty creepy.
I bought the game last April, and I have not purchased another since then, as far as I can remember. For months, no game looked like it could compete.
The funny thing about this, of course, is that it's so weird that I cannot recommend it to anyone I know. I don't know if I can think of anybody else who would love it.
When you see something amazing, your natural inclination is to get the word out to as many people as you can... But it's kind of odd when you don't know who to tell.
=Iji=
I think the reason I loved this game so much was that it came at an excellent time.
At the time, I was playing a lot of games made with Game Maker, and I found a lot of great ones, but they were all very simple. But Iji was different; it's a really huge game.
At first I downloaded the game to see what it was all about (because I had read a bit about it on various websites) and couldn't get it to run. But I came back to it later and it worked.
This is one of those things where you can just tell a gigantic amount of work went into it. It has a lot of polish and is just fun to play. It doesn't do anything too new or crazy, but it's so solid that it's impossible to not like it.
...I think there were more, but I don't want to think about it right now... Time to wrap this up.
Some quick notes-
As the poll draws to a close (it's over in two days), the undisputed winner appears to be "Ammunition > Heroics". I'm happy with that. I might have liked "The Robot Manifesto" a tiny bit more, but I like this one too.
Oh, and this is my 100th post. Not too shabby, but considering how long this has been around for, it's kind of sad. I really need to post more....
:::Source expected
:::11.02.09
:::STOP
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- Paul M-unit 19.91 MKII
- I won't waste too much time here because you can't get to know me very well just by reading a profile. Quick summary: I like games and game design. Also music, literature, and movies.
10 comments:
Hey Paul,I downloaded your Purple goo game. Really impressive, but I can't get beyond the first level! What exactly is the object of the game? I couldn't figure out a way to destroy the enemies. Maybe you can enlighten me.
About inspiring video games ...
yea, I have to admit video games were a huge part of my world growing up. I guess I could provide my own list games that tapped into something deep ... if I can put it that way.
Legend of Zelda--Link to the Past
Totally agree with you on that one, Paul. Its strange, but that game did have a pretty amazing impact on me. Probably one of the best moments was when I realized after acquiring the three pendants that there was a whole other world to explore (Golden land). I thought the game ended with defeating the wizzard! I was totally surprised, gleefully surprised. Another awesome moment was when I stubbled upon the flippers--it was just cool to go exploring and find new items. Good puzzle elements too in the dungeons. I loved this game so much that me and a friend began designing our own Zelda game.
Secret of Mana
This game is a lot like Zelda, at least in some ways--there wasn't nearly as strong an exploratory element. nonetheless, the combat engine of the game and the story-line was quite compelling. the best moment of the game was when I was able to enter this forbidden land on the map, called the "Holy land" of which, according the story, no human was ever allowed the enter. I don't know how to explain, but it felt like entering into Eden--this prestine, paradisal, yet haunting garden where you feel the "presence" of something larger, beautiful, and terrible. It kind of reminds me of the secret garden in Magician's Nephew.
Privateer (for PC)
This game put exploration on steroids. I loved this game. Its basically a space flight simulator, but the game is built around choosing your own story. Starting out with a standard ship, you can decide to live as a pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, etc. There were a whole galaxy of star bases, planets, etc. to fly around in and do jobs. Plus there was a great plot if you wanted to jump in on the main story ... but you didn't have to. not every element was was morally kosher (like choosing to traffic in drugs and slaves), and the overall worldview of the game was cynical and godless, but was hard to deny the draw of this kind of game.
Myst (another PC title)
This was a puzzle solving game that, really on account of its story and setting, was just sublime. the graphics were incredible (for its time) and the story utterly engrossing. It too awakened in me a sense of a beauty bigger and larger than life. i found myself simply enjoying the calming experience of listening to the waves on the sea shore and looking at the scenes. And the best part is that the storyline reflected a profoundly deep Christian worldview--the makers are Christians in fact.
Well, there's my list of most inspiring games. There have been others I've liked, but I think these one in particular set my imagination going for years. Few were able to do that.
Sorry to ramble like crazy on your blog here, but ... I guess I shouldn't apologize. You of all people should understand ;)
In reading over your post I got the sense that you too often experienced something "big" or "sublime" when playing a particular game. Its unblushingly a spiritual experience. From my own experience I can say that I know exactly what you are talking about.
As I have reflected over the years on these experiences, I've come to realize that they are small tastes of what I crave in God. They are pointers of our deep awareness that life has got to have a purpose and there is something beautiful and terrible that walks unseen behind the scaffolding of the universe. its kind a like what Jacob experienced in Gen. 28.17 after waking up from his dream and getting this "feeling" of this dreadful and awesome presence in that place. Its a haunt of God.
Paul, I want you to read this sermon by CS Lewis: http://www.doxaweb.com/assets/doxa.pdf. It would be a pleasure to talk about it with you over coffee or hot cocoa some time.
One word of caution. Once you have been given this experience of the "sublime" its almost impossible to conjure it up again bythe same means. And this is particularly true of video games, as I have found through my own experience. Lewis alludes to this in his article. I have often found myself trying to play some games that did something for me in the past only to find the experience substantially subdued or dead. For instance, I picked up Zelda, Link to the past a few years ago just because I wanted to play it again--when it comes right down to it, my heart was crooning for the nostalgic feeling I had when I first played the game. In my heart, I thought the game itself could satisfy me. I was wrong. Yea, it was fun to play, but I discovered that I was just playing it just to play it. It was no longer this sweeping epic, but a childish little game and it left me at the end profoundly unsatisfied. The game is not God, and it was idolatrous of me to try to be satisfied with it.
I know you won't like this, but I think I should say it--be careful how much you invest in video games. To some degree they can awaken a sense of God, and in some very noble instances be designed with that end in mind (as Myst was), but in reality they have replaced for our culture what poetry, art, literature, and story telling has been for all previous generations. And I think the exchange has not been an improvement. One of the dangers I have found in my own life, is that video games (especially because I invest so much value in them), boost me sense of self-worth in unhealthy ways. the interactive experience creates the illusion that I am Great, an incredible fighter, a heroic savior. In most forms of literature that is simply not the case, because you are an observer, not an actor in the story--it makes a world of a difference I think. I spent countless hours as a kid imagining myself as the most important person in the world, and many video games subtely cheer me on. The problem is, that when I get to the real world, I become a passive nincompoop. The best forms of art give you a new way of looking at real life and inspire you to live differently--I have personally not found that to be true of video games in general, and I tie that, not to their content, but to the nature of the medium as an interactive experience that placed me center stage as "God's gift to the world."
I hope that makes sense, and I am perfectly willing to debate it with you ... ooo I love good, fiery debate!
Pastor Matt
Regarding the sermon- I believe I have read that before at least once, but I read through it again anyhow.
I agree with most of what you have to say, because unsurprisingly I've given a great deal of thought to these things myself.
I do disagree in one point (well, more than one, but the rest are very small), but I'll get to that at the end.
As far as trying to experience something twice goes, I discovered early on that this never works, and since then have not tried. Interestingly, I was actually going to post about something very similar (and I still may), specifically in regards to books and why in most cases I do not read things more than once. Part of that goes into some entirely different reasoning, but I'm losing the subject here.
As you said, I don't think it's a good idea to actively attempt feeling something like this at all, because it means you are seeking satisfaction from something thoroughly empty that cannot satisfy and was never intended to.
I struggled with this quite a bit a few years ago, when I often felt "bored" and unfulfilled. I tried to remedy that by searching for a good book to read, or a movie to watch, or starting a new project to invest time in, etc.
Ultimately, of course, this did nothing. But it took a while before I caught on to that...
So then, regarding how much should be invested in video games -- or any other sort of game, or in literature, or in film, or in anything at all -- I of course, agree with you. They are primarily a form of entertainment, because that is, essentially, what art is for. However, that does not mean any of this is without merit. Because, as you said, the best art is something you can take something out of. Regardless of this, I think that we should not be placing art on an equal level with something that is specifically constructed so that we can learn something from it. As an example on a significantly smaller scale, a history textbook should be studied far more intently than a historical fiction novel. When you read the former, you expect to learn. And when you read the latter, you expect to be entertained and perhaps educated at the same time. (Again, this is on a smaller scale, since this kind of learning is of a purely practical, knowledge-oriented sort.)
Any time we are doing something that is entertaining, we are doing it because we want to be entertained. There's no getting around that, of course.
So we should never say that some specific examples of art are "more acceptable" than others because they hold a message. (And, by the way, I know that's not what you were saying -- I was just interjecting my thoughts on the matter. Actually, that statement could pretty much be applied to this entire comment; I didn't feel like saying "Yes, I agree" and leaving it at that. =P)
In the end, then, there is nothing wrong with art, but its primary purpose is still to entertain. Entertainment is not bad, but it has its place, just like everything else. And as you seemed to be saying, it shouldn't distract from what is truly important.
Now, regarding games, specifically-
The interactive element is certainly a significant problem, but I still place games on the exact same shelf as I do all other forms of art. This is because I don't think the lack of lasting "value" in games can be blamed on the interactivity; I think those are two entirely different subjects, so I'll address them as such.
Firstly, the interactive elements and how they affect pride. I think this is a serious issue with not just video games, but a lot of other types of games, too; with what you were saying specifically, though, video games are the main "offender".
I think this can be divided into three separate factors, all of which we should pay attention to and be careful about.
1. This mostly applies to the designers of a game, but it's something the people on the other end should also be aware of: Some games naturally put more on the shoulders of the player. A game can make the player feel entirely isolated from its events without removing much control from him. If the character or characters the player controls or is in charge of have their own distinct personalities and thoughts, it can have a significant affect on what you were talking about. The attention turns from "Look what I was able to do!" to "Look what he just did!" or perhaps "Look what I helped him do!" This decreases with every thing the player and character have in common.
Of course, if we were speaking purely in artistic terms of what is more fun, there are merits to any level of association the player has with his character. But, of course, that's not what we're talking about here... Although that is not to say that games where you feel more removed from your character are "better" morally. It's just that it makes points two and three that we are getting up to a lot easier when that invisible barrier is wider.
2. A very important thing is our own mindset when we play a game. If I do something very difficult in a game and say "Yeah, I'm awesome!" I need to step back and think about how involved I'm getting in the game (which is point 3), but at the same time, the real problem is my own pride. Getting rid of pride does require carefully monitoring the environments and factors that give me pride, but it's up to me to be a more humble person. I realize this is more difficult for some people than others; everyone is different, so some people should concern themselves more with point 2, and others more with point 3:
3. I've basically covered this already; we should pay close attention to how much time we spend playing games, and also how much importance we put on them.
I believe too much gaming can be very unhealthy... I also believe the same principle applies to many, many other things, and the reasons for each often share several principles in common.
Now, getting back to whether games can have "lasting value" or can teach anything.
I think that games often feel more frivolous, but this is not because the medium as a whole does not lend itself well to serious impact, but because it is a relatively new form of art and that aspect of its merits is vastly unexplored. Movies still have the traces of the same problem for the same reason; they're a lot newer than, say, literature.
At the same time, I think the gap between "low" and "high" art is largely imagined, because the primary purpose of both is to entertain. Things that have more impact and have more potential to change lives are of course a bit more significant, but that does not change the fact that they are a form of entertainment.
But then, I'm back to what I was talking about before, so I guess I'm done.
On to the disagreement I mentioned at the start of things:
I don't think the sort of experience we are describing should necessarily be called spiritual. It's a dim reflection of something much greater, and they're certainly comparable, but in the same sense that a light bulb is comparable to the sun because they both give off heat and light.
But the point in the end is the same: Light bulbs do have their place, but we shouldn't be chasing after them as a substitute for the sun.
I guess I'm done... If that read like I was being defensive or disagreeing, I really am not; like I said, I agree with what you have to say for the most part.
If, then, it read like I was repeating everything you said in a more wordy fashion, well... I suppose that's basically what I was doing.
xD
Oh, and I almost forgot your first, entirely unrelated question:
A large portion of the people who play the game(not that there have been all that many, of course) ask that same question.
The goal really is to get rid of all of the monsters. It's very difficult, but it's not impossible, and it's a lot easier if you know what you're doing...
The general strategy should be to stay out of the way until you can jump in and get the monsters from behind... Only their mouths hurt you, so while you sometimes have to come at them head on, it's best to come up behind them wherever possible.
In the first level, specifically, you can actually get pretty close to the spikes on the rightmost wall (that's where you want to knock the monsters eventually).
The monsters jump when they come near a short wall so that they can clear it. So you can actually stand right next to a wall and not get hurt, as long as it's short enough that the monsters jump over it...
So here there are two short walls... You can sit on the outside of the one on the right and wait for all the monsters to jump over you. Once they come back, you can slide over and knock them into the spikes.
Great discussion Paul!
I'll be chewing on this for a little bit and will get back with you.
Wow. After this discussion, it almost seems like I have no right to comment. But I will anyway.
I really should get The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and the other Zeldas I don't have. I already have the first two, OoT, PH, and TP. I think it's just a matter of either going to Gamers or getting on Amazon sometime. And then my parents won't let me get some of them and I'm saving my money for other things.
And a lot of people think I'm this crazy person who plays video games all day. But I agree with both of you. It would be very unhealthy for me to do that. And honestly, I can't remember the last time I played video games. It was at least a month ago.
I don't see how video games are addicting or become an idol [for Christians, of course]. Video games don't seem very... fulfilling, I guess. They just feel empty, they don't satisfy. A lot of times, I just don't have a desire to play video games.
This Pastor Matt character seems to be a smart guy.
Hey, pirates are cool!
And zelda is cool!
Aaand...
*sigh* I really hate this mac.
And you spelled vampire weird.
No, *you* spelled vampyre weird.
xD
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