Games
Comparing storytelling in games & literature
I was asked to give a talk comparing storytelling in games and literature by Access Creative College. This article is based on that talk.
It’s easy to think that interactivity is the key difference between games and literature. Video games are interactive, which makes them unique. It’s an easy statement but misses the point that all forms of storytelling are interactive.
Games
How to steal from a giant spaceship
Heat Signature is fantastic at telling unauthored, emergent stories. Here’s a cool video all about its procedural generation of characters:
And here’s a personal anecdote, generated entirely by a combination of the game, my actions and circumstance: (more…)
Games
First 5 Minutes: Heat Signature
It’s video time! Actually, it was video time back in September, but I’m useless at remembering to post on this blog. So much for working in marketing.
Games
Returning to No Man’s Sky
Just over a year ago I did something I very rarely do these days, which is buy a game at launch. Due to a daft backlog and not much time to play I tend to wait for heavy discounts before committing, but No Man’s Sky grabbed me with its early trailers and I couldn’t resist diving in to explore its universe. (more…)
Games
The Stanley Parable: First 5 Minutes
Trying to put one of these out more frequently. The Stanley Parable is probably the best ‘first 5 minutes’ game imaginable, so it’s a little silly that it’s taken me this long to get round to it:
Games
Applying some game design to Quasar
I’ve now been twice to Quasar, the laser tag venue in Norwich, and both times have felt like I’m missing something. While running around in the dark with lasers guarantees at least a minimum level of fun, there’s a handful of changes they could implement to make it much more satisfying as a game. Essentially, approaching it like you might design a computer game offers up some obvious areas for improvement.
I’ve no idea whether any of this applies to other laser tag places, or whether the Norwich version is the only one to be needing some of this refreshing, but here goes… (more…)
Games
Titanfall 2 – new First 5 Minutes video
It’s been a while but I’ve finally put together another First 5 Minutes video. Here it is: Titanfall 2 is an incredible game and arguably my favourite shooter since Half Life 2. That’s a big statement.
Games
Virtual photography gets easy
By which I mean that it’s technically far more achievable than previously; the ability to take good images is a whole other thing, just as DSLRs have made professional quality photography available to all without putting photogs out of business.*
I’m specifically referring to game photography here – the art of taking great screenshots, essentially. Games are inherently visual and always have been, with screenshots being part of their marketing since the earliest days. Three distinct changes have occurred which make taking in-game images suddenly more interesting. (more…)
Games
I lost my spaceship in No Man’s Sky
I wrote a while back that I only started enjoying Far Cry 3 when I applied my own artificial restrictions to its free-form playground (in that case, using only the bow, despite the plethora of weaponry on offer). Taking an accidentally similar approach to No Man’s Sky, I gave myself a similar limiter: not having a spaceship. In this instance, though, it was entirely accidental. (more…)