28 July 2012

Saturday Supplemental - Stretching the Meaning of the Word

Matthew Burns - Magical Wasteland
To Jane Doe, Electronic Entertainment Expo, 2012
Recently I haven't been keeping up with the video game news as well as I normally do, so I finally have a chance to link to a few slightly older articles this week. I've been sitting on this delectable little bit of satire for far too long.

Ryan Rigney and Chris Kohler - Game|Life
The iPad Game That Took 9 Years (And an Epic Disney Fail) to Finish
I first heard of The Act three or four years ago when I met one of the bitter ex-Disney animators who worked on it. He didn't seem to have much love for the project, and what I've seen of the game looks totally unimpressive, but regardless of the final result, there's a great making-of story here that's well-worth reading.

Jeff Rubin, Adam Conover, and Jared Logan - The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show
Videogame Debate Club w/ The Metagame
I can't imagine many situations where I would actually want to play The Metagame - an argument facilitation tool that requires at least three video game-literate players - but listening to one of my comedy heroes, Adam Conover, get geeky with his friends for an hour-and-a-half is a fine substitute.

polygon - YouTube
The evolution of PC games
I don't know how I feel about the word "evolution" in this context. Nothing against newer games, but this video does remind me of how I adore the aesthetic of '70s/'80s/early '90s computer games. Those distinctly garish palettes and tortured sounds speak to me in a way slick polygons and clear audio can't quite match.

Ben Kuchera - The Penny Arcade Report
The $40,000 patch? Fez won’t be fixed, but blaming Microsoft is only half the story
Yeesh. Nobody comes out of this mess looking good.

Critical Path Project

CRITICAL///PATH
Dozens of bite-sized interview clips from game developers. Nolan Bushnell, Will Wright, Toru Iwatani, John Carmack, Jordan Mechner... This is incredible, although I hope they can talk to more non-American developers in the future.

Chris Baker - Game|Life
Will Wright Wants to Make a Game Out of Life Itself
Because I never get tired of being reminded that he is a magnificent genius, here's another interview with Will Wright.

Elaine Low - Jezebel

Confessions of a Sometimes-Booth Babe
"Maybe those who frown upon slutty-looking costumes should petition game developers to stop designing slutty-looking video game characters." Um, yup.

Mara Wilson - Mara Wilson Writes Stuff
Top Girl: The Game for Everyone!
Games for boys may have sexist depictions of women, but games for girls...also have sexist depictions of women. Yeah, Top Girl sounds dreadful, but as is so often the case with the worst games, it makes for captivating discussion, especially in the talented hands of the brilliant Mara Wilson. 

Is it still "supplemental" if it's the only part of the site that ever gets updated?