Comments on Fullbright: Quick Hits 2

Quick Hits seems like a misnomer :D Let th...

2010-05-04T19:34:20.359-07:00

Quick Hits seems like a misnomer :D

Let the artists discuss their art. I think an equally important question is why do we so desperately want games to be considered art? Does anyone really care about the distinction for more than the pseudo-intellectual implications?

I love choking guys in MGS3. I fucking love burning around in a stolen ambulance in GTAIV. Why

Steve, I think you're right regarding usabilit...

2010-05-02T10:43:23.567-07:00

Steve, I think you're right regarding usability of games. A point I've made recently is that indie 80s throwback VVVVVV is exactly the kind of game that couldn't have been made in the 80s because it is very knowing and canny about what a player will put up with.

Perhaps of note is that the original gaming revolution was in the arcade. These were games where death

It is a tricky question, and I agree about the eye...

2010-05-02T08:52:31.145-07:00

It is a tricky question, and I agree about the eye of the beholder. I'm a chemist and much of what I do is still considered something of an art. When I look at the elegant interplay of the forces I command, I see the dancing and the weaving of the molecules at play and I cannot help but think that what I am observing is a thing of beauty. When I see a man-made object of grand proportions,

J-man: Attempting to define what's acknowledge...

2010-04-30T02:33:00.276-07:00

J-man: Attempting to define what's acknowledged to be undefinable is simply not attractive to me. Call me a pragmatist. I'd much rather look at the merits of the work itself and judge its value on those concrete terms than run in circles around a three-letter word which can, at best, be used as a tool to validate one's own opinion by denying unfavored works an arbitrary classification.

When I was reading your favourite albums I almost ...

2010-04-27T15:32:35.974-07:00

When I was reading your favourite albums I almost leaped for joy. I am totally in love with xiu xiu! Knife Play is definitely an amazing record and I could not have been happier when I saw you felt the same way.

I have to disagree with you profoundly, Steve, abo...

2010-04-26T17:47:42.659-07:00

I have to disagree with you profoundly, Steve, about the Art discussion.

This conversation over the past few weeks has been really valuable for gamers and the games industry, because it's forced lots of people who *haven't* considered the question before to defend their beliefs and think about their medium in a way they haven't had to previously.

Throughout

Funnily enough I read this post right after I fini...

2010-04-26T00:19:01.598-07:00

Funnily enough I read this post right after I finished reading an article that argued why game mechanics should be less efficient and less productive. The two don't necessarily contradict each other, since you're talking about save points whereas the other article is about central

Sorry, by scientifically, I mean using the scienti...

2010-04-25T22:37:56.970-07:00

Sorry, by scientifically, I mean using the scientific method in our playtesting processes. Introducing players to the game, observing their reactions, and adjusting the setup accordingly. Not necessarily by monitoring their brainwaves or anything.

Well, in truth, we could have a better understandi...

2010-04-25T19:09:35.707-07:00

Well, in truth, we could have a better understanding of "the player" before scientifically measuring any game's usability. Not to propose any halt in the conversation, but i feel as though there is a gap in our understanding of how the brain can learn, use knowledge, and in turn, teach, within this medium's restrains.

We've heard multiple times that complexity

As another art school PTSD victim now working as a...

2010-04-24T14:53:04.157-07:00

As another art school PTSD victim now working as a level designer, amen. Sometimes it seems to take 4 years and thousands of dollars to learn enough to know what you can't define. Ugh.

Also: I assume you've read The Design of Everyday Things? If not, it's a pretty great primer on the importance and methods of creating usable objects and interfaces.

I really like the notion of art being a definition...

2010-04-24T13:58:23.032-07:00

I really like the notion of art being a definition divorced from quality. Have you ever seen the Crap Art movement? It's an attempt to get common folk to sit down and create exploratory art without worrying about how others perceive its quality. It also served as an inspiration for