Video Games and Moral Choices

Finished!

Lecture Update: Almost Done!

At long last, I have found a window of time to work on a new episode. I've spent most of the last three days working on the thing, and it's well over half finished. I think I can have it done within a week.

Thanks a lot for your patience, guys! You're all very, very good sports.

Gaming Can Make a Better World

Someone linked me to this TED video, and I thought I'd share it here. It's a talk about how the skills gamers are developing while they conquer virtual worlds could be turned on the problems in the real world. Definitely an interesting watch. At the very least, it may help to encourage you that we aren't completely wasting our time with this hobby.

GDC is Coming!

No, no that thing. The actual conference. And I'm going to be there!

No, not doing anything interesting. Mostly I'll just be begging for a job. Even now, I am feverishly trying to add some polishing touches to my animation shots before editing them into a reel, burning a hundred DVDs and stuffing them into labeled cases. Yeah, that's right. What are you doing this weekend?

Anyway, if some of you happen to to be going as well, say hi!

"Streamlining" Does Not Mean "Dumbing Down"

Nathan Grayson posted a great article over at Maximum PC yesterday, and I thought you guys might enjoy it.

He explains why gamers should stop raising hell every time we hear that a game has been "streamlined." By clinging to our old standards of what a genre is "supposed to be," we stand in the way of experimentation and progress, holding back the industry at large.

On the one hand, I know why many of us do it. We like the way many of these genres play now. We get attached to these games, and we want to play more like them. Then we hear they're changing the formula, and we freak out. There's no guarantee that the new gameplay will be as good, and - even if it is - it's not the same gameplay we already liked and wanted more of. I don't think there's anything wrong with liking a successful formula and wanting to enjoy more of the same.

But when we cling too tightly, and close our minds to potential improvements, we really do cripple forward progress for the industry. Sometimes, these daring changes lead to games that we treasure and wonder how we ever did without.

We would all do well to try and keep an open mind. You miss out on a lot of great gaming experiences otherwise.

Lecture Update: Script Complete / Narration Recorded

I've been recording the next lecture this afternoon. I might have to trim it a bit to fit inside Youtube's ten minute limit, but it's shaping up nicely!

For the next episode, we'll be returning to the Game Design Corner. Our new topic: Moral Choices.

I know this is going painfully slow (as always), but thanks for putting up with me!

Internet Radio Appearance: 91.8 "The Fan"

Just letting you guys know, tomorrow at 3:00 PM (EST), I'm going to be talking with the guys from anime-centric radio show, "The Fan". I have no idea if it's going to be played live, or recorded, or what, but I'll give more details as soon as I hear them.

You can tune in at their site.

Edit:

If you missed it, you can now listen to the interview on their site!

Another Guest Appearance on the Digital Cowboys

Where is my head? I completely forgot to tell you guys that I appeared on the Digital Cowboys podcast again last week. We discussed the topic of my next video: moral choice systems in games.

If you'd like a little preview of the topic, go give it a listen.