Jamie Antonisse

Hush Site Live (But Not Yet Awake)

2008-06-30T21:59:58Z

Ever since Values At Play, we've been thinking about making a website for Hush. Now that I did the thing (thanks for the push, Peter) and bought jamieantonisse.com, I figured I'd better start by creating a permanent space for the game to live. Full admission: this is a site only in the most technical sense, the way a deep sea fluke is technically an animal, and Rolling Rock is technically a beer. That's right, I'm calling you out Rolling Rock. I don't even DRINK beer, and I'm calling you out. i will fight you. But I have to finish this post first. What else? Ah, yes. It's important to note that this site ain't finished. I wanted to get the link out there asap, but in the future, this page will have some/more information, including full credits for everyone involved in the game, system requirements, links to write-ups and most importantly, links to places where you can learn more about the Rwandan genocide and how you can help assist in current Human Rights efforts. I'll keep you updated here as the page evolves. And I promise, all future communications between myself and Rolling Rock will take place off-blog. With fists.

Chess in The Wire

2008-06-29T21:44:13Z

I'm finally watching "The Wire", after listening to five separate friends rave about it as the "best show ever made". I'm three episodes in, and it's growing on me. This scene is a little convergence of Interactive Media and Baltimore Hustling. We often talk about the "metaphor" of games, and how many different ways there are to make an abstract system meaningful. I can't thing of a better example than this.

Travian

2008-06-28T02:27:16Z

I have a soft spot for slow games. Games that take place over weeks instead of hours. Glacier games, I call them, knowing full well that the phrase will never catch on. Al Yang and Ed Zobrist turned me on to this gem, a little European MMOG that answers the question: what would happen if you played a game of Warcraft 2 on a geological time scale? Or, if you prefer: what would happen if Civ II WASN'T a compressed experience, a hyperspeed war 'n' progress sim, played out over turns, but was instead... a multiplayer game of civilizations growing slowly alongside each other? This game is real-time in the most old-fashioned sense of the phrase. If I send my troops to the other side of the map, it'll take them days to get there and days to get back. Strange: our strategy games come out of the traditions of Chess and Go, where the entire point WAS to compress and distill experiences. Now it seems like there's a growing interest in unpacking all that time and space, of games that recreate and give us deeper experiences, instead of distilling our play into bite-size pieces. Another interesting tidbit about Travian: the servers reset annually (on a rotating schedule). So a new world is born and populated, nations are built and destroyed, and then just when this crowded arena is resolving into a stalemate, poof, it starts again. There's no attempt to build stability into the game world... this is a place where players can break the balance wide open, given time. ]]>

Crowd Mentality

2008-06-24T22:47:37Z

The Happening. Using his slightly elevated position behind the raised curtain line for evil (an excusable, nervously snarky sort of evil, but evil nonetheless), he pronounced that he had Seen This Movie and that it was Great. ]]> The audience reaction to this was... mixed. There was some clapping, some boos, and some scattered shouts that seemed to signify nothing. The singer persisted. He retrenched and put forward a more subtle position. "It's so wonderfully bad, its destined to be remembered. People don't see it now, but in ten years, it's going to be a massive cult classic." There was a pause as the audience, myself included, absorbed this information about a movie we hadn't seen. The singer stroked his Magnum moustache, satisfied, and for a second it looked like the band would play on. But then, from the audience, came a single baritone voice, a clarion call, like a slightly drunk but still angelic trumpet. "I disagree!!!" That anonymous voice, speaking entirely out of turn, won us over instantly. The singer smiled sheepishly as we laughed. The tone of the concert was slightly different after that. The band relaxed, a saxophonist came out to accompany the twin guitars, and between every song, the singer simply looked at his fellow bandmates and shouted enthusiastically "Let's do another one!" before mashing his strings once again. The stupidity of crowds is frequently shocking to me, but not as shocking as it should be. Why did I find it so funny, so notable, that a voice from the masses said the one sensible thing when faced with the postulate that The Happening's (alleged and preview-probable) mediocrity is a high-order achievement, and something worth crowing about? Because I've stood shoulder to shoulder facing a fair number of stages in my day. Enough, at least, to know that any rational voice of dissent from a captive audience, be they physicists, farmers, parking lot attendants or corporate strategists, is utterly unexpected. But apparently, not impossible. On the odd Sunday night at the Roxy Theater, reason (or its drunken approximation) does sometimes prevail. It's my pleasure to report it when it happens.

Hey. I guess it's June

2008-06-10T23:32:26Z

In my opinion, May is pretty much the greatest; it's a perfect apology for April (which used to be charming in it's own right, before it became Finals Season) but it always seems like it's gone before I've even said a proper hello. So here it is, 6's instead of 5's, and I'm coming to terms with the typical June facts: Yes, time has been passing and Yes, it will continue to pass, and No, it doesn't matter whether you write on the blog in the grand scheme of things but Yeah, you might as well check in with the peeps. Hey peeps. You may think I've been sitting on my ass all month collecting puppies, slimes and wakeboards on Packrat. Well, that's a half-truth. I've been working lean 40 hour weeks back at ICT, tinkering with the iPhone and wondering, vaguely, if I'm supposed to be doing something for my internship class. [UPDATE: The answer is Yes] I also went to the Games for Change conference in NYC, where Hush got a great reception. I saw some really inspiring work there, including a malaria simulator, an early build of Chris Crawford's Storytron, and flash game about Hurricane Kattrina designed by middle schoolers. I love it when the kids show up the old folks. Last but not least: I did nothing on my thesis. I tried, pointedly, not to think about it. Which doesn't sound like something to brag about, but remember, I've had the Cache bounding between the walls of my little brain, stamping its black hooves and rattling the china, for over a year. I have to admit, I really envied some of my classmates this April. They had brand new ideas, exciting concepts that they were itching to test. And I was fighting to grasp the core of a project that had twisted and turned, shrunk and expanded, gone through so many changes that it was almost unrecognizable. A May's rest has given me some new ideas and taken the edge of my final-year anxiety. For the first time in a year or more, I'm not really sure what my thesis is. But I'm ready to re-approach the beast.

Sweet senseless victory

2008-05-01T08:14:48Z

Tonight, for the nineteenth time, I decided to double-click the executable file for "Barkley: Shut Up and Jam Gaiden". This time, it actually ran. Nothing else has changed on my computer. Apparently, Chef Boyardee programs his games to hibernate until May. The first line of the game... White pixelated text on a black screen. "Warning- The game you are about to play is canon." Second line: "The Year is 2053. B-Ball is dead." This will be a great adventure. Full report coming soon.

I Still Function (April Quarterly)

2008-04-29T00:49:29Z

My friend, associate, and future IMD masters student (!) Sean Bouchard recently pointed out to me that "there is nothing bloggier than a post about why you haven't been blogging." So in lieu of an apology, here's a list of some stuff that has happened since last I wrote. 1) "The Cache Reader", our prototype/exploration form for the Cache Project, is complete, working, and getting a last spit-shine before we unleash it on an unsuspecting public. 2) Second Skin continues to do well on the festival circuit, and I continue to cross my fingers (along with half the internet) for a theatrical distribution . 3) I have remembered how much I like Dim Sum (thanks, Belinda!) 4) In a fit of Saturday I saw Alvin and the Chipmunks, the movie (not to be confused with the inimitable Chipmunk Adventure) and while I was primed by the marketing campaign to hate it with a boundless passion, I didn't. I was dreadspecting a biopic on thugged-out two-year-old reference laden rats, and instead I got a whiff of nostalgia. The lil' CGI buggers were actually sort of cute. 5) Four major projects, including an interactive video tutorial, a networked Flash game, an adventure game prototype, and a thesis paper/presentation, are all due this week. 6) This is apparently my hundredth blog post. Who knew? I'm sure other things happened this month; given a fresh brain I could find fifty that are more significant than watching the Chipmunks. All told, I am nearly burnt out, blackened in the Cajun style. This week I've felt nothing but the heat radiating through the still air. I am ready for summer. I am SO ready for summer. I will see you on the other side of next week, with loud neon board shorts on and only two or three responsibilities to my name.

Dutch Master

2008-04-08T02:29:06Z

What the hell is this," you might well ask. "I know, I know this looks more than a little narcissistic. But it's so damn cool and so damn random that I had to post it. Let me try to explain. ]]> Martin Van Velsen at ICT is working on a "talking portrait" project, and has asked me to keep my scruff and serve as his model because, in his words, I look "perfect for the 17th century." I guess I'll take that as a compliment. The final shoot is going on this Wednesday, after which I'm determined to shave. But Martin did a quick sample photo session, and churned this out in literally twenty minutes. Perhaps I should invest in some frilly jackets, and a curling iron. More on the project in Martin's neighborhood.

Cache: The Winding Road

2008-04-02T21:57:51Z

In a recent entry, I described the events that led me to re-evaluate the underlying gameplay mechanics of The Cache. After this soul-searching, I went back to the drawing board, looking for new fundamental game paradigms that could bring out the strengths of the Cache. Strategy? No. Rhythm? No. Action? Clearly, no. Puzzle? That had always held the most immediate possibilities for this form. I dug a little deeper this time, however, and found another paradigm, a cousin (nephew? son?) of the puzzle that I thought held some rich possibilities. I started looking at The Maze. ]]>

Boss Fight Techno Remix (Not a Rickroll)

2008-04-02T06:50:29Z

Wow... a club jamm(m) remixx of Boss Fight, courtesy of my good friend Ben Abrams, aka D-Luxx Supreme. Yes, a remix!!!!! Amazing!!!! ***FULL DISCLOSURE: THIS SONG CONTAINS THE F-WORD (FUCK). PLEASE DO NOT PLAY IT INDISCRIMINATELY AROUND LITTLE KIDS*** Adam's Review: "It'sjuicy. It's so juicy that [unprintable]." ]]> D-Lux also comes in link form.

Hello Again / The Gambling Problem

2008-04-01T05:23:26Z

I'm back from the edge. It turns out fresh baked bread is delicious, November Rain is not as good without the strings, and I can actually work efficiently at my computer if I ignore 3/4 of the options open to me. I'm going to have to remember that, moving forward. I've been fully back online since yesterday afternoon, and the difference has been night and day. It started out innocent: after opening up Firefox, I talked to a few friends, checked my usual pages. But within an hour, I had returned to a troublesome pattern, the timesink that inspired my self imposed off-lining in the first place. As it turns out, my instincts were the same as millions of other online chumps. When given the agency of the network and the choice of any online activity, I spent my time playing the slots. ]]> game's opening page speak warning volumes to anyone who cares to listen. It's empty calories, pointless activity cycles of rapid clicking perpetuated by the hope of finding something special or desired in the grind. Hmmmm.... funny, that reminds me of another game I've played. Both of these games are insanely popular because they have the balance of monotony and reward down to a science. They pray masterfully on my obsessive tendencies . They deserve to be studied for their resounding success at drawing me and the multitudes like me, hour after hour, deeper down the rabbit hole. But at their hearts, both games are glorified slot machines. Worse, they're slot machines with the last psychological barrier, the stream of quarters lost one by one, removed. There is no money being wasted, only time, and it's much easier to ignore the minutes falling away because I have, ostensibly, so MANY of them to my name. The reason I don't play MMO's (and that I'm back on the internet but, once again, OFF Packrat), is not because I don't like these games. I don't play them because I find them too successful in what they do. I know some people are good at managing it, and others love the social environment, but personally, I tend to fall in to the system. Luckily I'm doing something I care about here at USC, so when I finally emerge and wipe the item-drop-probabilities from my eyes, I can safely say, "my time is worth more than this." I can feel insulted, and turn away. That indignance has saved me thus far. But some day, someone will make a slot machine that dishes out something I actually care about... delicious food, maybe.... and I will while away my remaining years waiting for a foie gras, pancetta and sea urchin souffle to drop. Wow, what a cheery return to blogging. Hello everyone! I know it's hard to tell from this post, but it really is good to be back. As long as I can keep my online experience feeling like more of a conference call and less of a casino, I won't be needing another sabbatical any time soon.

The Internet May Be The Future of Consciousness But Sometimes It Blows

2008-03-25T08:10:56Z

I just lost three hours of work. It's my own damn fault, but if I hadn't been distracted by chat windows, facebook games, web comics, link aggregators, et al, it wouldn't have happened. The details aren't worth repeating. The point is, I'm taking a sabbatical from the wonders of the web. It's overdue: for weeks I've found more and more time has been disappearing into the maintenance, collection and dusting of my imaginary extensions. So I will check my email twice a day, in which time I will allow myself to move my cars in Parking Wars exactly ONCE. I will not play Packrat. I will not sign into Gmail chat or AIM. And, unless compelled for a particular assignment, I will not touch the blog or wiki. All my work will be offline. I will write letters and bake bread. I will learn to play "November Rain" on my acoustic guitar. I will do most of the above. I'll be back in a week, a better man.

Worst Billboard Ever

2008-03-24T03:37:40Z

Beating out the entirety of YouTube, this was the stupidest thing I saw this week. Congratulations, billboard. It was not enough for you to be absolutely devoid of meaning. You've managed to imply that recycling is somehow controversial, that this woman did something WRONG that must be justified. Perhaps someone accidentally combined these two billboards: ]]>

GDC vs The Cache

2008-03-23T23:14:33Z

First off, apologies are in order re: the blog and my schedule... I got some unexpected (good) news early this week, and it's taken up a bunch of my mental real estate. All the entries I mentioned (with the possible exception of the Charles Barkley... does ANYONE know anything about running RPG Maker games???) will be up soon. I haven't talked much about The Cache in this space recently, but that's not because nothing's been going on. In fact, I'd say it's quite the opposite... TOO MUCH has happened in the last month, and I haven't really had time to process it, much less force it into sentences. I'm going to try to rectify that now. itself, what I learned about it, it's high and low points. I haven't talked much about the effect the whole conference/hurricane had on my work. I've been working with Matt and Paul on P.B. Winterbottom since last April. Being there as they turned P.B. from a vague idea to a polished prototype, watching the way they managed an expanding (and shrinking) team, and, finally, marveling at how skillfully they worked the floor of the IGF... it was quite a ride. I didn't particularly ASK to be inspired by these Odd Gentlemen, but in the end, I couldn't help it. The fact of the matter is, up until our San Francisco I'd been developing The Cache with blatant disregard for the tropes of the games industry, or ANY industry. I'd been imagining the Cache, in its final form, as something slightly different than a traditional game, a sort of amalgam entertainment form that can be "driven" instead of "played". In the service of this long-term goal, Sean and I have been working on a prototype for a two dimensional Cache... but I've always seen that prototype as a sort of "interactive script" that could simply be used to pre-visualize the final three-dimensional content. I hoped this interactive script form could be appreciated out of context, and I believed it had a lot of interesting applications, but I hadn't given much consideration to how fun it would be on it's own merits. As I was walking the show floor, making first contact with scores of new products and ideas, each spring-loaded from the minds of their respective students and mad scientists and industrials, I had to admit the flaw in my approach. I want to PRESENT what I'm doing. That realization illuminated several flaws in my approach: 1) It is REALLY presumptuous to work towards a "final form" of something that's both completely untested and several years off. 2) If my thesis doesn't stand on it's own, instead of standing as a component of a theoretical system, the people experiencing it will have no point of reference from which to judge it. Put another way, a tool for improving the accuracy of time machines is useless until someone invents a time machine. 3) There's a thriving, growing community surrounding independent games... it's community I can understand and speak to. Ultimately, I want The Cache to speak to this community: I should try to make my prototype speak to them as well. I decided that my next iteration "The Cache" needs to be more than an experiment... it needs to be a proper interactive work. It needs to have PLAY. With that in mind, I decided to strip my prototype assignment for thesis class of all the narrative elements I'd been developing for The Cache. I busted out the old tools of the 488 trade: dice, tokens and playing cards. I wanted to find out, on a fundamental level, what the most interesting form of "play" would be for this project. Allright, now that I've explained WHY I took a new direction, I can get into the details. Next up on the design journal: the gameplay prototype, and how Sean and I used it to restructure the entire design. ]]>

Unbelievable feats in robotics, instead

2008-03-19T08:13:31Z

Pretentious Tuesday is over, I missed it, and I'm not feeling the promised essay on puppeteering tonight. So instead, this: Give it 38 seconds and you'll either be suitably impressed or suitably skeptical. I've never seen anything NEAR this level of dynamic response.