Victory Game Center

Rami Ismail's Develop 2015 Highlights - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdnKiyzsmDk

In the mouth and slides of certain people, "gamer" acts as a euphemism for "gamergater". Rami is definitely one of those people, and in his speech, he delivered the uncontroversial statement that he's a developer, not a gamer. That it's even fine for some developers to hate games (he doesn't seem to mean "particular" games here), and even boasted a little that he can't play games anymore without looking at them through a cruel designer's lens, which is pitiable really and nothing to be proud of. It's funny because I always hear that nonsense from lousy designers and people with hardly any love for games in their heart. In other words, from the kind of developers who make arcade roguelikes and games about shooting fish! I have serious doubts about any designer who can't even for one second stop from honing in on some minor detail and appreciate the work as a whole.

But he is a developer, there's no question about that. And in my experience, you don't have to love games in order to work with them. I've seen it regularly enough now to where it no longer surprises me. I only still wonder at why some of them choose to stay in the industry given their hard feelings toward it. But they usually all find something within the work that compels them to stay. Those that don't, leave. Simple as that. They won't put up with it past a certain point if the passion isn't there.

Anyway, Adrian Chmielarz of the Astronauts responded to Rami's speech with an article of his own - https://medium.com/@adrianchm/do-game-d ... 2a2b66b6ba

Adrian's not a Christian, but he still recognizes that the essential issue with people in these communities that Rami hates so much is sin (although he doesn't call it that. He refers to it as the toxicity within all mankind). And so the issue here shouldn't be one of separation of developer from gamer, but of man from sin. Rami should be at least somewhat familiar with the concept. But for some reason, he's set himself so firmly against the label that to even identify as a gamer would be for him a breach of conscience.

Pure externalism.

So he's justified to himself his coldness to the art and will continue developing his "arcade roguelikes", and maybe he will make a decent game one day. If he ever overcomes his arrogance long enough to realize he's long since been left behind.

Here's the keynote in full - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4HL4FYgRtA

The whole "gamer" thing is really only the tiniest part of the speech. There was never any controversy here. The speech is really about just making sure you pay attention to the right people when developing your game. As Rami puts it in his concluding statement, "You don't have to accept something from a consumer, just because they might give you money."

Matthew 16:26

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Games can sometimes implode via consumer acquisition directives, which can be handed down for any number of reasons. Whenever that's pursued full force, it can lead to situations like what was seen with Star Wars Galaxies and the Combat Upgrade and Shattered Horizon with its firepower DLC. It can lead to the very real loss of something special and amazing. And just as quickly as the wave of freshly enticed consumers descended upon the updated game, they leave as in a flash, leaving behind a troubled community still reeling from their antics and the confusion wrought from the update that the game may never recover from. And all for what?

So no, there's nothing controversial here. Fostering a community that believes in your work and respecting them enough to be open, honest and protective of them is all very good. And as far as Vlambeer is concerned, keep on making Vlambeer games. Keep at it. And never mind the world.

https://twitter.com/adrianchm/status/623485623538712576

Adrian Chmielarz wrote: How vehicles work in #Fallout3/NV. One of the most spectacular examples of the hacks that game developers do.

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RPS Interview with Rami Ismail - http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/07 ... r-success/

Rami: It’s a thing that pisses me off infinitely is when game developers go like ‘yeah, I want to make the game that I want to play.’ It’s such a weird thing, because you’r the only one who won’t be able to play it. If you’re making the game you want to play you’re doing something terribly wrong or you have a severe misunderstanding of how game development works.

RPS: Yeah, I’m not sure how you reconcile that with wincing at everything that didn’t work out how you wanted.

Rami: Yeah, you’re like ‘this is broken’ or you know everything that’s going to happen. So when people make a big narrative game and are like “this is the game I want to play” I’m “that’s so saaad. I feel so sorry for you.”

There is an element of truth to what he's saying, and that has to do with both puzzle design and narrative design. This is the whole reason why Rogue was invented in the first place.

http://www.wichman.org/roguehistory.html

Glenn R. Wichman wrote: Most of the existing adventure-type games had "canned" adventures -- they were exactly the same every time you played, and of course the programmers had to invent all of the puzzles, and therefore would always know how to beat the game. We decided that with Rogue, the program itself should "build the dungeon", giving you a new adventure every time you played, and making it possible for even the creators to be surprised by the game.

And yes, if you're the kind of person that doesn't even like to watch trailers for upcoming games that you're excited about, then game development is going to be fraught with unavoidable perils. But that's not to say that in a team (and the larger the team, the larger this is true) that the game cannot still surprise you. And as the game grows, it becomes increasingly more difficult to spoil the whole thing for yourself. Especially if you are working on a highly specialized part of the game. But if you're the director, or are responsible for overseeing the game at a high level, then those are just the demands of the job. The higher the position, the higher the responsibility. And of course it's going to cost you.

But if you succeed, then the whole world will take notice, and for the price of just one game, into which you poured your whole spirit, you'll get back a hundred more. Possibly even a few that are superior to what you'd just made! Other studios will see what you've done, improve upon it, and dare you to do better, so that they can then have newer, better games to play, just the way they like it. That's the joy of game development.

But to shake your head and say that it's "so saaad" to have such a dream is shameful. Maybe it's sad if you feel yourself disconnected from the community at large, and only have a two person studio. But these are the kind of dreams that fuel the industry. To deny them is to cut out its very heart.

Stop gaming and you will be a better designer - http://gamasutra.com/blogs/FilipWiltgre ... signer.php

Filip Wiltgren wrote: What will happen is that your brain will go bonkers. It takes effort to stop doing something that you’re accustomed to and if you’re used to gaming, reading or watching TV your brain will attempt to continue the habit after a few hours/days. You’ll start to pick up a game or book, surf to BGG, do stuff that you usually do. And when you then stop, forbidding it to yourself, all that energy that would have gone down that path will try to escape.

But you won’t be able to vent it in your usual manner. Instead your brain will start making stuff up. Perhaps you’ll dream about gaming. Perhaps you’ll get vivid memories of games you’ve played. Perhaps you’ll feel a craving for games. If you don’t give in your brain will seek other outlets. Probably it will go down paths of secondary habits. But if you’ve blocked reading/TV/navel-gazing then it won’t be able to quench itself in your other mental comfort foods. And then something interesting will happen.

When you can’t expend your energy on consuming your habit then your brain will start to create your habit itself. You will, effectively, be pushing all that energy into creativity relating to what you like. If you’re a chef you might get ideas for great dishes. If you’re a driver you might get ideas for how to do that perfect tailspin. And if you’re a game designer you will suddenly be popping up ideas for games, mechanics and solutions at a rate that you’ve never experienced before.

It sounds like he's describing an addiction!

Double Fine Adventure Documentary - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... igiI-WKk3D

Psychonauts Retrospective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVizZG0QL9Y

LawBreakers Dev Diary - http://bosskey.com/news/boss-key-news/e ... ent-access

The Road to Eternity is Now Up on Vimeo For All! - https://eternity.obsidian.net/news/the- ... eo-for-all

Obsidian Entertainment and Paradox Interactive today announced that “The Road to Eternity,” the behind-the-scenes documentary following the incredible fan-funded role-playing game (RPG) Pillars of Eternity, has been released in its entirety for viewers worldwide. Created as part of the wildly successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2012, “The Road to Eternity” provides a rare and unfiltered in-depth look at how crowdfunding not only saved the studio during one of the darkest points in its history, but led to the creation of one of the most anticipated and highly reviewed RPGs of all time. Pillars of Eternity is often quoted as not only fulfilling promises made to its backers, but far exceeding them. Its overwhelming critical and commercial success has contributed greatly in validating crowdfunding as a movement in funding games.

In “The Road to Eternity,” Obsidian's talented team of developers Josh Sawyer, Adam Brennecke and CEO Feargus Urquhart who have contributed to such notable franchises as Fallout, Star Wars, and Dungeons & Dragons pull back the curtain on the Pillars of Eternity development story, and share unguarded thoughts and testimonials about the bleak lows and the dizzying highs of their journey. The documentary offers a great deal of inside information for fans, as well as a rare look into what crowdfunding can mean to an independent game developer.

Watch “The Road to Eternity” here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theroadtoeternity

Game Developers Must Avoid the Wage-Slave Attitude - http://venturebeat.com/2016/04/16/game- ... e-attitude

Interesting article describing what I've seen firsthand when working at a game studio, and which hit me like a brick when I first saw it. And, predictably, the author and his article are being torn to shreds online.