Dawn of a New Year

Welcome to the New Year! It seems we have all survived the Earth patch 2.0.13 and are all moving on to 2.0.14. I hope everybody's patch downloads properly, since issues DO come up from time to time. So, a new year has dawned, and with that comes a flurry of New Year’s Resolutions. I don't particularly make a list or anything (hell, I didn't even celebrate New Year's Eve/Day this year), but I do want to improve myself in one major way: DOING WHAT I LOVE. Since I run a blog about video games, you can probably figure out that video games are a main focus of my life. Everything about them fascinates me. I play them, read about them, am an avid watcher of Twitch, am trying to collaborate on a book about them and am learning a programming language (Java). That's...that's a lot. BUT...I can proudly say I love it. You see, people (myself included) always tend to procrastinate and push things off till tomorrow. However, a vast majority of the time, tomorrow never comes. Doing it today and doing what you love is what life is all about. Finding the moments that make your jaw drop and cause chill to race down your spine. So, where am I going with this inspirational speech? Basically, I'm saying go for broke. You can't take "what if's" and "should have's" to the grave. However, these "what if's" and "should have's" are what fuel imaginations and you can play them (or read them or watch them). Video games are a gateway to a land of "what if's". Stories in general serve as this gateway, but video games let you interact with the content of the story/narrative in a stunning array of possibilities. What sets apart video games from the rest of the pack? YOU. You are the one behind all of it. You can go watch a movie and interpret it in your own way. Ultimately, however, how much control did you have over the characters? The story? The answer is none. Books act in a slightly different manner, because the reader can create the pictures of the characters and events in their minds. But, you still can't control any other aspects of the book. Video games allow YOU full control over the character. Even if it's a simple point-and-click game, YOU have to move that cursor to carry out the pointing and clicking. Even in simulation games, you are still manipulating conditions for the simulations. The power lies within yourself. As this new year is beginning, please remember that YOU control your life. Do what you love, and you'll never fail. Oh yeah, and keep playing video games!

Normal

Normal. That's a difficult word to define. What, exactly, is normal? Since perceptions of viewing reality alternate between people, normal cannot be defined. However, you will discover that people love to define things. "I'm nobody special. I'm just...normal." When it comes to video games, "normal" is often seen through the lens of an objective. "What do you do in that game, Bruce?" "Well, I'm killing these aliens, Mike." That simple explanation, that simple way of thinking has dominated gaming for years. It still does to this day. Video games are about completing objectives. That's the way it's always been. The objective of Pong? Keep hitting the ball. Don't miss. Sure, the objectives have progressed as the complexity of gaming has grown. In Pac-Man, you (the player) have evolved from hitting a ball back and forth to evading enemies in a maze. Fast-forward to the 1990's. A little game launches for the Nintendo 64 called Super Mario 64. Everyone loves it. Critics, the public, young, old. People fell in love with the game. The game's objective? Defeat Bowser and collect stars. Yes, it is an amazing open world experience and a first for the Super Mario franchise. But the game still has a tangible objective: defeat Bowser and collect stars. A hop, skip, and a jump later, we're in 2013. Now, gaming slowly begins to shift. Sometimes, the objective isn't always a necessary requirement. Take, for instance, the independent title Gone Home. What's the defined objective of this game? Absolutely nothing. There are no enemies to kill. No aliens to disintegrate. No side-scrolling action. No objective-ridden puzzles to solve. All the player does is explore a house. That's it. How can a game be successful (and fun) if that's all you do? Well, maybe we (as a people) are yearning for something more...simple. With all the technology, all the pressure, all the pain, and all the stress, maybe this concept simply lets us be free. Maybe it frees us from following the rules. After all, many rules exist in video games. "No, you can't shoot your teammate. You can only get to the next level after you've completed this one. You can't use that weapon here." Most of the time, these rules don't stick out to us. But, they’re there. We follow them. We just don't realize it. So, with video games, free exploring and the abandonment of objectives may become prevalent in more and more releases. Why? Why would game designers abandon this practice that makes games "have meaning"? Why would they create a game that's not "mainstream"? Why wouldn't they make it...normal? Perhaps it is because a different type of complexity can be achieved? While playing any type of game that involves exploring and having free reign over the gaming space, the player will gravitate towards what THEY WANT to do. Let me say that again. What THEY WANT to do. So many times, we are thrust into a specific role with defined characteristics. While playing Mario, we only have certain abilities to use with him. Granted, you can change his suits and with these suits come varying powers. However, can you choose which suit to wear when you uppercut a Question block? No. Rather, the game gives the player a chance to use the suit the designer has placed there. Ultimately, we are playing into the game designer's hands. With games such as Gone Home or Journey, the world is at your fingertips. Now, please do not twist my words. I am not saying games such as Super Mario Bros. 3 are not fun or don’t work well. They are absolutely brilliant. I am just trying to project my idea that games can go beyond objective-based gameplay and offer an alternate type of gameplay experience. But, what if that's not the reason these types of games are being made? Maybe the answer lies within the rapidly advancing technology of today's society. Devices such as the Oculus Rift are giving people the chance to EXPLORE whole new worlds. Sure, the FPS genre will be one of the most, if not the most, popular genre associated with the Rift and devices like it. But, concepts such as virtual reality are just brimming with possibilities of a different kind of interactivity. Virtual reality uses the environment to enfold you in the game. Instead of FPS's loaded with killing aliens, virtual reality can engross the player by different means. Something as simple as talking to someone or exploring a forest will provide an enthralling experience. Either way, games like this are here to stay. And they definitely aren't "normal"...or, are they?

PLAY

It's finally here. The Xbox One has launched, and the "console wars" have officially begun. However, isn't it a little silly to be calling these "wars"? Why does everything have to be a war? I get it. Two consoles bearing fisticuffs to see who's bigger and better. But, when did gaming get so competitive (I say this with a "please don't hit me" face)? Think about it. Just stop and think, for two measly seconds, about video games. If you play video games, you are a gamer. If we are all gamers, then why hate on one another? Or, how about this: When you were little, you would play any game you could get your hands on, right? It didn't matter if one was manufactured by Sega and the other created by Nintendo. You played it, regardless. Why? Well...because it's fun. Reading an article from Game Informercoaxed me into thinking about this topic. It's a topic that needs to be addressed. Why be loyal to a brand? Why not be loyal to...VIDEO GAMES?? Video games as a medium is constantly being (unjustly, I might add) thrown under the bus. "Oh, video games are just for kids." "Video games make people go out and massacre a school." "Video games are ruining our society." How about if we stood up for our games? Stand up for the unjust actions being taken against us. Yes, I said US. When people take a shot at video games, they are taking a shot at YOU. It doesn’t matter if you play your PS3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii. These remarks are aimed at ALL OF US. If internal fighting keeps occurring, we are bound to get nowhere. If a person says GTA: Vice City is a "murder simulator"(this actually happened) and is turning kids into murderers, that negative attention isn't placed solely on people playing GTA. It affects gamers as a whole. Now, games that may be violent but use violence for completely different means are torn to shreds in the press. When people claim video games are a waste of time, they're telling you, "You're an idiot for playing games. They're just for kids. Quit playing and get a real job." They don't take into account that the average age of a gamer is 37. They don't take into account the fact that games increase the size of various portions of the brain. Just because we don't use our spare time watching soap operas or playing a sport doesn't mean we are wasting it. These people do realize that most of the technology they are using right now on their fancy phones is gamified, right? The cell phone's a game in itself. We need to stand as one, not divided. Guess what? SOME OF US DON'T HAVE A CONSOLE. I have one, but not EVERYBODY does. Some people are content with their handheld devices. Should we shun them because they didn't pay 400$ for a console? It doesn't matter if you're playing a game of Candy Crush Saga or playing Mass Effect on your Xbox 360. Notice which word was used in both instances? That's right: PLAY. It seems we've lost our touch with what was so fun about games: PLAY. Take brand names out of the equation. It's simple...just PLAY.

A Unique Look at Storytelling On Next Generation Consoles

Every game tells a story. Whether it is a flashy first-person shooter with absorbingly realistic graphics or a simple 2-D platformer, every game tells a story. How this story is told varies from game to game and experience to experience. For instance, the futuristic first-person shooter Halo encompasses a story molded with many layers to it. Not only does the game function as a war story (aliens vs. humans), but it also deals with concepts such as questioning what is human when a person is genetically modified to become a killing machine. The game also explores thoughts about religion and how deadly the ideas proposed by religion can be. Most of the “mainstream” games fall along these same lines. The game places the player in the shoes of a person (the hero) and they are tasked with saving the world. Many games take on this simple concept because, well, it’s easy. Outside of these “simple” stories, games also express their emotions and stories through the gameplay itself. Take, for instance, the indie side-scroller Limbo. Limbo doesn’t place the player in a typical game situation. Wars aren’t waged across the country and the hero doesn’t come to save the day. Instead, the game tells its story through the eyes of a lost boy (whose identity remains a mystery throughout the entire game and well beyond the final level). Rather, the story radiates through to the gamer by the design of the levels, the music, and the whole presentation of the game. The game takes place in an undisclosed (but twisted) land populated by monsters and nightmarish creatures. Flashy graphics don’t make this story shine: the gameplay does. The acts of solving platformer-esque puzzles and encountering the creatures of the land tell the story. The game designer’s choice to present the game in black and white tells the story. Now, we are entering another phase in the gaming world. As the new consoles loom on the horizon, the next generation of consoles can grant the power to tell stories in unique and exciting ways. Sometimes, something as simple as fans at a soccer game can tell the story. Hands down, the FIFA series of video games is one of the most popular in the entire world. Soccer is the world’s game, and franchises such as FIFA are taking the next step in storytelling: immersive crowds. Since the development of the sports game, the crowds have always been…well, they’ve looked horrible and there’s really no reason why they’re there. If I’m playing in the Super Bowl, don’t I want the crowd’s sound to blare out of my speakers? Think about it this way: What would sports games be like with absolutely no crowd? Honestly, you could still probably play the game. Hell, maybe you wouldn’t even care. But, what if your experience could be enhanced by the cheering and booing of the fans? EA Sports is looking to bring this next-generation experience right into your living rooms and onto your virtual fields. I know when I watch my favorite team play against my most hated rivals, my home games are the most fun I’ll have all year. Why? The passion of the fans comes through. Sacks on the quarterback aren’t just sacks anymore. Tackles on their running backs become thunderous forces of rage. Everything is heightened-senses, emotions, even your own body. Imagine if you could garner that same feeling when you’re recreating that situation on your Xbox One or your Playstation 4. Here’s a great quote from FIFA 14 executive producer David Rutter: “What we’re about to embark on in this new world where the game itself has the equivalent of a soul and can track the history, the behaviors, and the relationships between those players and those clubs…That, for me, is what this generation of consoles allows us to do, which is tell those stories.” Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but how is this going to be implemented? Along with many other new and exciting additions to the crowd technology, crowds will cheer louder and longer when the home team scores then they would for the away team. If a player has scored three 3-pointers in a row in NBA 14’ (for the home team), the dynamic crowd will know this. The momentum can be felt in the crowd as the tide begins to turn in favor of the hot-handed scorer. What I’m excited for the most is the ability for the game to recognize the “storylines” that commonly occur in real-life sports. If trade talks are brewing between two teams, the heat may be on when they play each other. The game may play out a little more intensely; a little more brutal (same can be said for teams making a playoff push in NBA 14’). The next generation of sports games could be a game changer: I only hope that we, as gamers, give the designers a chance to test out these ideas. With an open mind, we can’t lose.

GTA Teamwork

Teamwork. This is the mantra of the future. Collaboration, small groups, meeting with others. Ideas like these permeate throughout our society these days. With the advent of technology and websites like YouTube, this has become the age of sharing. Everything seems to be interconnected. Friends from high school, who would have been strangers to you 20 years ago, are now friends of yours on Facebook. Didn't make it to your friend’s wedding in San Francisco? That's ok; they already uploaded all of their pictures online. This concept has even infused itself into the work world, where small teams are the focus of workplace productivity. With all of this teamwork going on, is it no surprise that Grand Theft Auto 5 has latched onto this idea and uses it for the premise of their game? GTA V is the first game of its kind in the GTA franchise. Instead of one sole protagonist, the game allows you to switch to two other characters at any one time. Knowing you have this ability is liberating as a player, mainly because you aren't forced to see things and experience things from one perspective. Three vastly different and unique characters for you to choose from in a diverse and dangerous city, full of activities and missions for you to play. Not only is the player allowed to switch between these characters, but they also collaborate on missions together in the game. Heists are a major factor in the GTA V single-player story. These heists require careful planning before their execution. Rockstar handles the concept of heists swimmingly in the game. The player isn't just worried about stealing the jewels. First, the player must choose his/her team for the heist. Again, this idea of teamwork comes into play. Players must choose which gunman is going to be the best for a particular heist. Will you choose the gunman who is worse at shooting? If you do, you might put the heist in jeopardy. However, the lower-level gunman will receive less of the cut if you complete the heist successfully, meaning more money for you. As well as selecting varying members for your crew, the action in the heists themselves requires vast amounts of teamwork. During the heists, the player is allowed to change perspectives from one character to another. They are in constant communication with each other, and this teamwork is what drives this game as unique as opposed to the rest of the GTA games. The other titles in the GTA series find a lone protagonist trying to survive in a harsh concrete jungle. Considering GTA is known for its satire and parody, maybe this design of a team-centric story and game is a sign of the times. I, for one, love the teamwork required in the game and can't wait to see what Rockstar is going to roll out next.

Game Design is Everything

Strategy games aren't the genre of games I play on a regular basis. Even though I am trying to expand my tastes and experiences in the medium, I still find myself drawn back to popular FPS's and nights of multiplayer mayhem on these FPS's. However, I have recently been playing a third-person strategy game called The Bureau: Xcom Declassified. This particular third-person foray deals with aliens invading the Earth in the 1950's. The story's not horrible, and I'm enjoying the strategy aspect of it (commanding your officers, selecting actions for them to take, etc.). Overall, the game has gotten an overall rating of an "average" (mostly 6's or 7's out of 10) and I, personally, don't mind the game. It's definitely a nice change of pace for me. Though, I noticed something interesting in the design of the game's difficulty. Aside from it being a moderately difficult game, the changes made from the 3rd tier difficulty "Veteran" to the 2nd tier difficulty "Squaddie" span all aspects of the game, not just the enemies, weapon pickups, etc. My example? The loading screens. Specifically, the information presented to the gamer at the bottom of the screen changes from difficulty to difficulty. While playing on the "Veteran" difficulty, the gamer is shown information that is all related to the story of the game. The screen poses questions as to what might happen next and solely focuses on the events occurring in the game. This clashes with the "Squaddie" difficulty (a level below “Veteran”), which does not focus on story during the loading screens. Rather, it focuses its attention on giving you tips, such as reminding you to rank up your agents. It even informs you of what plasma weapon is the best to use in the game. I know it might not sound like a big deal, but it just goes to show how thought-out some game designs are. Game design just doesn't span the story. It doesn't exclusively focus on creating objects. Game design is everything.

A Rockstar Moment

It's pretty safe to say GTV V has taken over my life. I tend to come home from work and hop right on the ol' 360 and POOF! Off to Los Santos I go. What I've found myself doing as of late in the player-populated lobbies of San Andreas portends to a sort of war: all out war to be precise. My friends and I have found ourselves on one building in particular that can only be described as a sniper's paradise. However, GTA Online is not only great for sniping an unsuspecting player half a mile away, but its ability to create awe-inspiring moments. One such moment occurred when my buddies and I were occupying the aforementioned sniping perch. One of my friends, whom I will refer to in this post as Bklounge89 (Gamertag) decided to take his shenanigans to the Los Santos International Airport. The Airport security did not take too kindly to this, and Bklounge89 proceeded to out run the cops and steal a cargo plane. Now, a note before I go any further. If you've never seen or flown a cargo plane in GTA V, you are seriously missing out. This plane is huge and has caused my friends and me to stop and look on in amazement at this behemoth more than once. So, my friends and I are atop this building and are raining down a hail of bullets and fury. About ten minutes pass, and the other players in the lobby begin to get irritated about our actions on the roof. Naturally, an opposing player decided to take actions into their own hands and steal a helicopter that fired missiles. Oh, and did I also mention the helicopter has a hook on the bottom? This player stole a helicopter, grabbed a car from an unsuspecting citizen from below, and rose upward and onward toward our cavalcade stationed on the roof. My friends and I hear it first. The whirring of the blades alert us that an enemy is inbound. I focus upwards, towards the sky, and see the helicopter shooting missiles at us. I utter over my microphone, "Well, this is it boys. He's got missiles. We can't go anywhere." Then, out of the blue, I hear Bklounge89's voice over my headset. "It's ok guys, Bk's here to save the day!" At this point, a spectacle so impressive and thrilling took place before our very eyes. Bklounge swung his massive cargo plane directly over our roof, colliding mid-air with the opposing helicopter and causing an explosion. The spectacular collision made all on the roof stop what they were doing. The damaged helicopter smashed against our roof, as did the car they were carrying. Bklounge89's cargo plane kept right on flying. Two of his four propellers failed to work after the explosion, but the plane remained intact and flying. As my friends and I cheered about what we had just witnessed, I realized something. This moment is something I've never experienced in any other game I've ever played. Everything lined up perfectly for this moment, in which, the freedom of movement in the open world, the massiveness of this world, and opposing players mixed together to create a fireworks display of awesomeness. It was so natural, so fluid. Thank you Rockstar for giving me an opportunity to experience a moment like this. I know more will be on the way.