May 17, 2003
takes on the state of games
everywhere i look, everything i see and read points me to the same game issues - fewer and fewer xompanies are willing to take risks because of high development costs and long process cycles.
the move away from simple controls has become an inhibitor for new user bases. people gave up on systems when the buttons expanded from nintindos.
where does that leave us? amazingly, taking a step backward to the gba and moble phones might be the answer. as we move forward, we could see a larger gap in games - where the consoles really push to deliver immersive entertainment and interactive stories and the handhelds and less complex machines deliver "games".
this obviously wouldnt fix the long development cycles and high budgets of the interactive pieces, but it could allow us to back out of the pit we are digging for ourselves.
the joy of playing a sports game, a game without any immersive elements is less complicated in an immersive sense and requires less issues to be overcome (agency, avatars, branching paths, open-ended narratives, etc) than something like 'metal gear solid'. interactive narratives have not been figured out yet - there hasnt been an elegant solution to them yet. but by focusing more on the immersive elements (over the idea that it must be a game), we open a new set of possibilities. the idea of making a "narrative game" is so limiting and engrained in our heads that it is restricting us on every level. all the games have the same elements and concepts, even if the story changes. backing away from this mentality of games, of what is expected now would allow a fresh perspective and a whole new way of telling stories that could redefine everything that has come before.
think about how we make games now and realize how limited this approach is. we actually have had conversations in class about 1st person vs 3rd person. cmon. you cant tell me that this is the extent of what is possible in games. or interactive experiences. think bigger picture.
lets separate games from experiences and let each play to its strengths. games need to remain in their domain and lets take what we have learned and make even better experiences.
May 06, 2003
longhorn using semantic network
in this review of a new build of longhorn, contacts are managed in a 'carousel' view. its nothing but a semantic network with the user at the middle. the screenshot and explanation is near the bottom of the article.
May 03, 2003
May 02, 2003
peter greenaway interview
i know many of you arent fans like i am, but its a decent interview with this genius of a man about films and cinema.
"I would say there has been no cinema yet. Nobody has yet made a film. I think the best we can manage is a version of illustrated literature or recorded theatre...Virtual reality, the IMAX screen, the whole digital revolution is going to allow us to make actual cinema. You might recall that occasion when Eisenstein, of all people, said to Walt Disney that Disney was the only man that really made films, because the entire filmic universe was created completely within his imagination, and not with reference to the real world. "
