Random Link Round-Up

I don’t know how often this new feature will appear, but a new feature it is nonetheless.  Every now and then, I’ll collect some interesting gaming-related links and post them right here for you. Let’s zip right on into our first Random Link Round-Up, eh?

Thoughts on the Creation of Let’s Plays

I’ve talked about the concept on this blog plenty of times, but it wasn’t until creating my own Let’s Play of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Echoes from the Past that I really understood some aspects of the process, even some things I thought I understood beforehand.

Thoughts on Another Scandal in the Industry

Time and time again, I’ve gone on record as defending those on the other side of the video game business from my fellow gamers.  The consumer doesn’t always remember how difficult it can be to just get a video game made, let alone get it into gamers’ hands.  Sometimes, though, the people on that side of the fence don’t exactly help matters.

More Thoughts on Sandbox Games

We’ve talked about sandbox gaming before, where we covered the definition and its application.  This time around, we’re going to dive into another aspect of sandbox games—the world they’re set in.

Thoughts on Plot-Induced Stupidity

We enjoy some games for the stories they tell, whether they’re stories of heroic drama, love found and lost, and anything in between.  When we really get into those stories, we can forgive nearly any other game element that’s poorly implemented.  One of the ways the story kicks our suspension of disbelief—and enjoyment–squarely in the naughty place is when the characters act like complete idiots.

Thoughts on Control Schemes

Out of the many aspects of a video game’s design that can “make it or break it”, there is one element that is most important.  A game can have a solid story, plenty of things for the player to do, be the best example of its genre—but if the controls are lacking, the game–and the players–will suffer for it.

Thoughts on Collectibles

We start our week with a confession—I’m not really a fan of collectibles.  You know what they are—they’re items/kills/snapshots/whatever else strewn hither and thither over the game world, and the idea is to hunt down every last one.  I like the idea, but the execution—eh.

Thoughts on Intimate Relationships in Video Games

One story that’s been around for pretty much as long as humans have has been the drama of an intimate relationship, and given the potential for interesting and intriguing stories with such as an element, video games have had them in some form nearly ever since the hobby started.  The question I sometimes find myself asking is whether games have, or can, display them well.

Thoughts on Adapting Disney’s Gargoyles as a Sandbox Video Game

There are few television shows that truly appeal to people of all ages, but Disney’s Gargoyles was just such a series—and that it was a cartoon made it all the more exceptional. It had strong stories for kids that gave a “message” without trying to instill a certain morality, but those very stories also appealed to adults. It was also a fun adventure tale, as a group of individuals found themselves in a land truly alien to them, surrounded by people who mustn’t know of them. It would make for a grand video game. Also, as consoles and computers become more powerful, the potential depth of video games only increases. It’s with that potential in mind that we look at the ways an interesting game could be made out of the Disney’s Gargoyles license.

Thoughts on Video Game Plots

It’s really something that seems to be almost overlooked these days, as we talk about this game’s interface, that game’s level design, that other game’s combat.  What can tie everything together, what can give a reason for gamers to really get into a game, is the plot.