FADE IN:
EXT. OLIVEHURST AVE MORNING
The sunlight has just shown itself, lighting the street. COMMON, a young man in a grocery uniform, sits by the bus stop. His breathing can be seen in the cold air.
COMMON (V.O.)
This is the story of my life. I want
to tell you about grandiose feats,
about momentous events and great deeds,
but there has never been much in this
small town to mesmerize you with.
An early morning car clearly headed for work rolls by and COMMON looks up to see the driver, a man in his thirties looking straight ahead, focused.
COMMON (V.O.)
(continuing)
I don’t know his name but every day I
usually see him about this time. 7:30.
The bus arrives, stops, and opens its door. The BUS DRIVER, a woman in her forties, smiles her usual exuberant smile as she stares down the steps of the door.
BUS DRIVER
Good morning COMMON.
COMMON fakes his smile while climbing the steps; his only response to her being a nod. Popping in two quarters:
COMMON (V.O.)
That was the bus driver lady. Everyday
it’s always the same “good morning” to
whomever got on her bus. I don’t know
her name and the morning shift is the
only time I see her.
The bus is mostly empty except for the four people there; an OLD WOMAN in thrift clothing, looking blankly out the window.
COMMON (V.O.)
That old lady has always been on this
bus. She was here before me and
COMMON (V.O.)
(continuing)
probably will still be after I’m gone.
Just an old woman who keeps to herself.
TWO YOUNG WOMEN dressed also in some sort of work uniform, both talking in a low unintelligible tone. Clearly occupied in their conversation.
COMMON (V.O.)
a middle-aged man. COMMON heads to the back of the bus and sits. The seat is slightly worn.
COMMON (V.O.)
This is where I always sit. It’s
my spot on the bus. You see everyone
of us has their spot that they always
sit in. It’s almost an unspoken rule.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Death of the Game Designers
I was heading out of high school at the onset of the internet boom and didn’t have much access to information about getting into the gaming industry. Nowadays there are videogame degrees offered by every private university that has popped up around the country. There are exclusive websites dedicated to the industry. There are small companies emerging all throughout the states and around the world. At night commercials about creating the next great videogame air on television, attempting to recruit more students. In all that there exists an overwhelming sensation about videogame truly being mainstream. Yet, I cannot help but think that perhaps we all are being misled to a certain extent. The videogame industry going mainstream has its consequences. For the game designer it has been the equivalent to a catastrophic meteorite on dinosaurs.
A long time ago in a place forgotten by history game designers existed and they made videogames. They came up with ideas and implemented them into interactive little hobbies that can be enjoyed by others. They dreamed of spaceships and aliens, adventures into unknown worlds, epic struggles of war and peace; videogame was a brave new world with infinite possibilities and dreams held only by the realm of technology. Most importantly it held the hope of a world in which man can truly call his own. These game designers helped create an industry.
No one would recognize such a game designer today. They are an extinct breed. Videogames today do not adhere to man’s creativity and attempt to harness the heart of why videogames were produced in the first place: interactive entertainment or in gamer’s term gameplay. Along some point in going mainstream the gaming industry moved towards economic principles of minimal cost and maximum profit. Videogame became another medium in the eternal struggle for fortune. Any successful game would be reproduced and copied until it was milked dry. It was a safe route to keep a game company afloat and at the same time capitalize in on the profits by producing the special edition, champion edition, turbo edition, super edition, super champion edition, super special champion turbo edition ,I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, and so on.
The blatant attempt to mass produce whatever might sell tarnished the industry. How do I know? I am the market that videogame catered to its entire existence, I am those little boys that shared Nintendo cartridges with their friends from school, I am those kids that knew every pokemon by heart, I am those guys that lived rpgs religiously in a dark room for days, I am a child of the gaming industry. It’s no secret that if a small company is to survive it has to be led by an insanely creative game designer, producing an instant classic. It’s also no secret that to make profits you churn out a new edition of that instant classic every year. Eidos survived almost exclusively on the back of Tomb Raider. The next generation of game designers is the only remedy for an industry in which all games adhere to the following: if you played one game you played them all. This is especially true in certain genres. Cough, cough at Grand Theft Auto and its clones. You know who you are.
The next generation of game designers must be allowed into the gaming industry. If you’re not a programmer or a graphics designer you are of no use. Videogame is my blood and it is the most sorrowful emotion ever to realize that what you grew up on, what you know like second nature, what you aspire to become, has no place for you. I contend that all things would not exist without the vision to implement them, that creativity in itself is a skill far harder to obtain and even more difficult to refine. There can be no soldiers without generals, no government without politicians, no movies without directors, no society without laws and no existence without entity.
There is a glimmer of hope because while it’s a slow trend it’s becoming evident that nowadays a game designer needs to have OUTSIDE interests and knowledge. Why? It’s very simple. Videogames are about OUTSIDE interests and knowledge. Videogames have to be about something other than itself. It can range from race cars to farming turnips to killing a man. Beyond expertise in a certain field the most important trait that defines a game designer is the understanding of interaction between one individual and many. Videogame has to create a world in which expertise takes place. Thus, it comes as no surprise that many great videogames were headed by people with the understanding of a SOCIAL DYNAMIC. A perfect example is Shinji Mikami and his Resident Evil creation. He was heavily influenced by cult horror films and understood how to time and pace horror scenes much like a movie director. Alone in the Dark came out as the first horror game of the survival nature but it lacked that understanding. Another example, Hideo Kojima studied to be a film director initially. Many of his videogames deal with philosophical and social issues weaved into an intricate story. I have an inclination that Solid Snake is really based on Ernesto Che Guevara the famous revolutionary and not David Hayter best known for playing the Guyver before voicing Snake (joke). It would come as no surprise that movie directors and screenwriters will become an integral part of the development process in the near future. It already can be seen in games like John Woo Presents Stranglehold.
The reality is game designers cannot be the old lone programmer working in his free time. Neither can he be a programmer or graphics designer promoted from within the company. Game designers have to specialize to meet the growing complexity of videogame development. The problem is there is no definite route for aspiring game designers despite the obvious consequences of neglecting game designers while going corporate i.e. producing videogames that are exact clones of others that no one will want to buy or play. Being test boys doesn’t cut it. Game designers cannot program a code or produce a drawing or perhaps even budget the finances. Game designers do not have a technical skill that can be used mechanically eight hours a day. All they have are visions and a pen. Game designers seem unnecessary. Creativity is seen as an asset but not a skill. It’s the “fun part” for the development team and not considered work. Furthermore, companies do not understand social dynamics involved in videogames despite the most successful game designers proving it beyond a doubt. The result is up and coming game designers are not given the opportunity to create the next generation of videogames. Videogames become cliché and boring. It becomes a generic medium and loses those qualities that made us all love videogames in the first place.
Here is my proposal of a standard for aspiring game designers. This is their academic program for a skill like learning C++ for the programmer and Maya for the graphics artist; study liberal arts. Great game designers should come from philosophical, psychological, historical and english educational backgrounds. It is these that have the best understanding of social dynamic. It is actually men in these fields that have shaped the world in which we live. There is no better option than to go to them for creating a virtual world.
A long time ago in a place forgotten by history game designers existed and they made videogames. They came up with ideas and implemented them into interactive little hobbies that can be enjoyed by others. They dreamed of spaceships and aliens, adventures into unknown worlds, epic struggles of war and peace; videogame was a brave new world with infinite possibilities and dreams held only by the realm of technology. Most importantly it held the hope of a world in which man can truly call his own. These game designers helped create an industry.
No one would recognize such a game designer today. They are an extinct breed. Videogames today do not adhere to man’s creativity and attempt to harness the heart of why videogames were produced in the first place: interactive entertainment or in gamer’s term gameplay. Along some point in going mainstream the gaming industry moved towards economic principles of minimal cost and maximum profit. Videogame became another medium in the eternal struggle for fortune. Any successful game would be reproduced and copied until it was milked dry. It was a safe route to keep a game company afloat and at the same time capitalize in on the profits by producing the special edition, champion edition, turbo edition, super edition, super champion edition, super special champion turbo edition ,I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, and so on.
The blatant attempt to mass produce whatever might sell tarnished the industry. How do I know? I am the market that videogame catered to its entire existence, I am those little boys that shared Nintendo cartridges with their friends from school, I am those kids that knew every pokemon by heart, I am those guys that lived rpgs religiously in a dark room for days, I am a child of the gaming industry. It’s no secret that if a small company is to survive it has to be led by an insanely creative game designer, producing an instant classic. It’s also no secret that to make profits you churn out a new edition of that instant classic every year. Eidos survived almost exclusively on the back of Tomb Raider. The next generation of game designers is the only remedy for an industry in which all games adhere to the following: if you played one game you played them all. This is especially true in certain genres. Cough, cough at Grand Theft Auto and its clones. You know who you are.
The next generation of game designers must be allowed into the gaming industry. If you’re not a programmer or a graphics designer you are of no use. Videogame is my blood and it is the most sorrowful emotion ever to realize that what you grew up on, what you know like second nature, what you aspire to become, has no place for you. I contend that all things would not exist without the vision to implement them, that creativity in itself is a skill far harder to obtain and even more difficult to refine. There can be no soldiers without generals, no government without politicians, no movies without directors, no society without laws and no existence without entity.
There is a glimmer of hope because while it’s a slow trend it’s becoming evident that nowadays a game designer needs to have OUTSIDE interests and knowledge. Why? It’s very simple. Videogames are about OUTSIDE interests and knowledge. Videogames have to be about something other than itself. It can range from race cars to farming turnips to killing a man. Beyond expertise in a certain field the most important trait that defines a game designer is the understanding of interaction between one individual and many. Videogame has to create a world in which expertise takes place. Thus, it comes as no surprise that many great videogames were headed by people with the understanding of a SOCIAL DYNAMIC. A perfect example is Shinji Mikami and his Resident Evil creation. He was heavily influenced by cult horror films and understood how to time and pace horror scenes much like a movie director. Alone in the Dark came out as the first horror game of the survival nature but it lacked that understanding. Another example, Hideo Kojima studied to be a film director initially. Many of his videogames deal with philosophical and social issues weaved into an intricate story. I have an inclination that Solid Snake is really based on Ernesto Che Guevara the famous revolutionary and not David Hayter best known for playing the Guyver before voicing Snake (joke). It would come as no surprise that movie directors and screenwriters will become an integral part of the development process in the near future. It already can be seen in games like John Woo Presents Stranglehold.
The reality is game designers cannot be the old lone programmer working in his free time. Neither can he be a programmer or graphics designer promoted from within the company. Game designers have to specialize to meet the growing complexity of videogame development. The problem is there is no definite route for aspiring game designers despite the obvious consequences of neglecting game designers while going corporate i.e. producing videogames that are exact clones of others that no one will want to buy or play. Being test boys doesn’t cut it. Game designers cannot program a code or produce a drawing or perhaps even budget the finances. Game designers do not have a technical skill that can be used mechanically eight hours a day. All they have are visions and a pen. Game designers seem unnecessary. Creativity is seen as an asset but not a skill. It’s the “fun part” for the development team and not considered work. Furthermore, companies do not understand social dynamics involved in videogames despite the most successful game designers proving it beyond a doubt. The result is up and coming game designers are not given the opportunity to create the next generation of videogames. Videogames become cliché and boring. It becomes a generic medium and loses those qualities that made us all love videogames in the first place.
Here is my proposal of a standard for aspiring game designers. This is their academic program for a skill like learning C++ for the programmer and Maya for the graphics artist; study liberal arts. Great game designers should come from philosophical, psychological, historical and english educational backgrounds. It is these that have the best understanding of social dynamic. It is actually men in these fields that have shaped the world in which we live. There is no better option than to go to them for creating a virtual world.
Why Girls Don't Play Videogames
I can honestly say that this has been one of the enigmas of the gaming industry. Perhaps it didn’t matter as much then when the gaming industry was relatively small and directed towards a specific market base. However, the cost of developing a videogame today has gone up almost dramatically and it is only logical to adopt many of the economic principles. The gaming industry is only tapping into half of its potential because girls don’t play videogames. Everyone can see this and there have been many attempts to assimilate girls and gaming.
Some videogames are ridiculously crude in their attempts to assimilate. Girls like ponies so make a videogame about horses. Girls like puppies so simulate a dog care videogame. Girls like to shop so make a videogame about clothes. Girls like pink so color all videogames pink. These videogames attempted to cater to a specific audience, girls, and pushed out the boys. It didn’t take long to realize that in attempting to assimilate girls these videogames alienated boys and should the videogame crash, like they all do, it turned into a complete failure for no one else would ever consider playing them.
Some companies are getting wise to the fact and hire females to help develop videogames that may appeal more to girls instead of going with clichés. It’s a logical way to approach the situation and it has bear some fruit. However, there hasn’t been a videogame that has united the sexes on a groundbreaking level. The problem is very clear but lost amongst the shroud of conformity and genres that prevail in today’s videogame design. Please let us, the new generation, design videogames!
It is common knowledge that girls do play videogames but what are they? Girls tend to play more casual games like Tetris, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Brain Academy, Dance Dance Revolution, and Guitar Hero. The common link between these can be defined as CASUAL videogames. This doesn’t mean girls only enjoy casual videogames. Boys play the same videogames. I am positive that Harmonix Music Systems didn’t have girls in mind when they developed Guitar Hero. The real reason girls are more likely to play these casual videogames is overlooked. It’s real simple actually. Casual videogames are GENDER NEUTRAL. An example is dolls are for girls, trucks are for boys, but balls are for everyone. Casual videogames can be enjoyed by both sexes and perhaps even aliens. These videogames tap into a part of the brain that isn’t stimulated by others such as Grand Theft Auto or Nintendogs. I do not know which neurotransmitters are activated and relayed but I can feel different parts of the brain being stimulated when playing Dance Dance Revolution compared to something like SOCOM. Science cannot read the language of the brain either by the way. Perhaps one day but not today.
What videogames do appeal to girls? Any socialite can tell you the difference between men and women. It’s not men are from Mars and women are from Venus by the way. I am certain it has to do with hormone levels and science agrees, but again science cannot read the language of brain. For now everyone just takes Prozac and men can take Viagra. What is undeniable is that men and women process thought differently though. Here’s the trick: perhaps game designers need not know the human mind like a neurologist; don’t need to understand it from the inside out, just work from the outside in. Here’s a sexist statement that holds true more often than not: men are logical and women are emotional. Men make better providers and women better caretakers. It’s no secret that women are better at understanding emotions and men are better at sports. The secret is evolution. Cavemen must learn to find practical means to survive and hunt while cavewomen must learn how to effectively care for the family and manage the group. Here’s an example perhaps more modern. Women are more apprehensive about approaching attractive guys. Men are more willing to approach a hot babe. Why, because women are more likely to be in physical danger than men and must analyze the situation on more than just a logical level. Is he friendly? Is he not creepy? Is he social? The list goes on. Men just read hot or not. It’s usually men who are responsible for crimes such as rape and murder. Just watch CNN. You won’t find many cases in which the roles are reversed. The point is this, for videogames to be able to connect to girls beyond a casual level they must be more subjective than objective.
The major flaw with this disconnect to girls is rooted in the level by level and mission by mission layout of videogames. It’s easier to manage and at the same time it serves as a great structure. Examples are videogames like SOCOM in which a player has a specific agenda he has to accomplish such as a rendezvous or skirmish. These are objective. The problem arises when the agenda behind the videogame is to accomplish a goal and fight the big boss. This separates the player from the moment because he’s looking and planning ahead. Contrary to SOCOM is Monster Rancher. It has players inserting different CDs to generate unique monsters which than are raised by the players and develop distinct characteristics whether they are personalities, abilities, or stats. These are subjective. The players aren’t focused on the steps to get ahead but on what led up to now. It’s not forward logic, its backward logic, which is more meaningful to the heart because it’s much more painful to lose something than joyful to gain another.
Ever wonder why women like love stories? Men do too, but certainly not to that extent. The answer is because love stories connect to our emotions and as the love stories change and grow our emotions follow suit every step of the way. It’s like a rollercoaster ride. We feel the pain and joy, sadness and happiness. What makes love stories even more emotional? Read a Jane Austen book. Read Cosmopolitan and go “emo”. Read my words. Emotions are strongest when they are constantly being evoked. How are they constantly being evoked? There is a barrier that you’re constantly trying to peg down and or up. Isn’t the chase the most fun part of romance?
Here’s my proposal.
Game designers have done to death solving puzzles, riding fast cars, beating people up, using guns --- tsk tsk (shakes head) at Halo 3. Now everyone will blame videogames for shooting sprees not that Grand Theft Auto hasn’t done it already. Isn’t it about time we lay down our arms? Let’s do a videogame about the most universal truth: men and women belong together; a love story.
Some videogames are ridiculously crude in their attempts to assimilate. Girls like ponies so make a videogame about horses. Girls like puppies so simulate a dog care videogame. Girls like to shop so make a videogame about clothes. Girls like pink so color all videogames pink. These videogames attempted to cater to a specific audience, girls, and pushed out the boys. It didn’t take long to realize that in attempting to assimilate girls these videogames alienated boys and should the videogame crash, like they all do, it turned into a complete failure for no one else would ever consider playing them.
Some companies are getting wise to the fact and hire females to help develop videogames that may appeal more to girls instead of going with clichés. It’s a logical way to approach the situation and it has bear some fruit. However, there hasn’t been a videogame that has united the sexes on a groundbreaking level. The problem is very clear but lost amongst the shroud of conformity and genres that prevail in today’s videogame design. Please let us, the new generation, design videogames!
It is common knowledge that girls do play videogames but what are they? Girls tend to play more casual games like Tetris, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Brain Academy, Dance Dance Revolution, and Guitar Hero. The common link between these can be defined as CASUAL videogames. This doesn’t mean girls only enjoy casual videogames. Boys play the same videogames. I am positive that Harmonix Music Systems didn’t have girls in mind when they developed Guitar Hero. The real reason girls are more likely to play these casual videogames is overlooked. It’s real simple actually. Casual videogames are GENDER NEUTRAL. An example is dolls are for girls, trucks are for boys, but balls are for everyone. Casual videogames can be enjoyed by both sexes and perhaps even aliens. These videogames tap into a part of the brain that isn’t stimulated by others such as Grand Theft Auto or Nintendogs. I do not know which neurotransmitters are activated and relayed but I can feel different parts of the brain being stimulated when playing Dance Dance Revolution compared to something like SOCOM. Science cannot read the language of the brain either by the way. Perhaps one day but not today.
What videogames do appeal to girls? Any socialite can tell you the difference between men and women. It’s not men are from Mars and women are from Venus by the way. I am certain it has to do with hormone levels and science agrees, but again science cannot read the language of brain. For now everyone just takes Prozac and men can take Viagra. What is undeniable is that men and women process thought differently though. Here’s the trick: perhaps game designers need not know the human mind like a neurologist; don’t need to understand it from the inside out, just work from the outside in. Here’s a sexist statement that holds true more often than not: men are logical and women are emotional. Men make better providers and women better caretakers. It’s no secret that women are better at understanding emotions and men are better at sports. The secret is evolution. Cavemen must learn to find practical means to survive and hunt while cavewomen must learn how to effectively care for the family and manage the group. Here’s an example perhaps more modern. Women are more apprehensive about approaching attractive guys. Men are more willing to approach a hot babe. Why, because women are more likely to be in physical danger than men and must analyze the situation on more than just a logical level. Is he friendly? Is he not creepy? Is he social? The list goes on. Men just read hot or not. It’s usually men who are responsible for crimes such as rape and murder. Just watch CNN. You won’t find many cases in which the roles are reversed. The point is this, for videogames to be able to connect to girls beyond a casual level they must be more subjective than objective.
The major flaw with this disconnect to girls is rooted in the level by level and mission by mission layout of videogames. It’s easier to manage and at the same time it serves as a great structure. Examples are videogames like SOCOM in which a player has a specific agenda he has to accomplish such as a rendezvous or skirmish. These are objective. The problem arises when the agenda behind the videogame is to accomplish a goal and fight the big boss. This separates the player from the moment because he’s looking and planning ahead. Contrary to SOCOM is Monster Rancher. It has players inserting different CDs to generate unique monsters which than are raised by the players and develop distinct characteristics whether they are personalities, abilities, or stats. These are subjective. The players aren’t focused on the steps to get ahead but on what led up to now. It’s not forward logic, its backward logic, which is more meaningful to the heart because it’s much more painful to lose something than joyful to gain another.
Ever wonder why women like love stories? Men do too, but certainly not to that extent. The answer is because love stories connect to our emotions and as the love stories change and grow our emotions follow suit every step of the way. It’s like a rollercoaster ride. We feel the pain and joy, sadness and happiness. What makes love stories even more emotional? Read a Jane Austen book. Read Cosmopolitan and go “emo”. Read my words. Emotions are strongest when they are constantly being evoked. How are they constantly being evoked? There is a barrier that you’re constantly trying to peg down and or up. Isn’t the chase the most fun part of romance?
Here’s my proposal.
Game designers have done to death solving puzzles, riding fast cars, beating people up, using guns --- tsk tsk (shakes head) at Halo 3. Now everyone will blame videogames for shooting sprees not that Grand Theft Auto hasn’t done it already. Isn’t it about time we lay down our arms? Let’s do a videogame about the most universal truth: men and women belong together; a love story.
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