Messages

46

Chit-Chat / Re: Ethics in gamemaking

« on: June 19, 2014, 10:13:00 am »

I respect your earnestness MrPaul, and to answer the original question I think it's never worth sacrificing your principles for profit as it'll either force you to recede from those principles or you'll be caught as a hypocrite, and there's always a reason we hold personal values to begin with. I think it's weird how excessive some games try to be with violence and how inhuman/unsexy virtually all sex in games is.

Though, being ethical with game development isn't the same as avoiding what're typically considered adult themes. An enriching "adult" game does more good for someone than a worthless "family-friendly" game. I also think you grossly overestimate the number of people who think killing is cool and learning is boring.

47

Chit-Chat / Re: Ethics in gamemaking

« on: June 18, 2014, 09:15:01 am »

As Irock showed, it's worth having discussions about the overuse of thoughtless violence (and sex) in videogames, they're real issues. However, it's insulting and incredibly un-developer-like to discredit an entire game with a shallow glimpse of the game's high-level themes. If I'd hope any community is capable of segregating a game's inner workings from its thin thematic overlay it would be a community of people who make games, instead we get Fox News grandparents style analysis (Not singling out 1MrPaul1 here).

Grand Theft Auto has some of the longest credits sequences I've ever seen relative to their release dates, this means an enormous number of people had to spend a great deal of time making a cohesive work of huge scope. The average job title for GTA is probably 'programmer' or 'artist', not 'person who comes up with raunchy things'. I would guess that less than 1% of that game's efforts went towards its illicit themes. There are things I find distasteful in the games as well, but neither I nor your nephew are predominately enjoying the game for its one-liners and blood, and it would be silly to denounce a game like GTA on those things alone.

48

Chit-Chat / Re: Ethics in gamemaking

« on: June 17, 2014, 01:45:38 pm »

what is happening

49

Chit-Chat / Re: Ethics in gamemaking

« on: June 16, 2014, 07:52:50 am »

When making a game the worst thing you can do is focus on trying to capture the largest audience possible because in doing so you're inherently disregarding what's important to you and replacing unique ideas that turn away certain people with watered down work that appeals to the lowest common denominator.

Sex and violence aren't the most significant ethical problem games today face. A much greater threat to society is games designed to siphon as much time and money from players as possible by any means necessary. Thematic representations and satire don't compare to thoughtless game design and greed.

Grand Theft Auto owes its success to a lot more than crude humor and run-of-the-mill game violence. I imagine its two-hundred-million dollar budget and open world had something to do with it.

If your game doesn't sell well it's mostly your fault.

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Chit-Chat / Re: Link's a girl in the new zelda

« on: June 11, 2014, 01:50:19 pm »

Hahaha, wonderful.

51

Chit-Chat / Re: Link's a girl in the new zelda

« on: June 10, 2014, 07:12:10 pm »

There are legit spooky posts in the comments section of the video.

The day link becomes a girl, is the day I stop buying zelda games. No woman on earth would save a guy like link (male) would save zelda.

Nintendo is smart. They know that if they make Link a girl, it would take away from there credibility. Since the wii u isn't selling too well, Nintendo knows they have to get this game right, and making Link a girl would be one of the dumbest moves in gaming history. Probably dumber than Xbox one's DRM policies.

52

Chit-Chat / Re: Link's a girl in the new zelda

« on: June 10, 2014, 01:09:48 pm »

The original LoZ let you name your character for what I assume was for differentiating filenames, your character name is never acknowledged in-game. It became a trope in games to refer to players by their input name, and I imagine at some point (LttP?) the franchise used the trope just because.

I don't care much for the naming system beyond the filename convenience, it doesn't make for substantial changes in the game, and I wouldn't mind it not being an option. Zelda is one of the few series where I can let a lack of settings and customizability slide because it feels more like you're playing through a designer's grand vision, a set legend.

Normally I consider accommodating choices to be a good practice, but I'd be sad to see games of strict execution go, and Zelda is one of the few series to have a history of doing  strict execution well.

53

Chit-Chat / Re: Link's a girl in the new zelda

« on: June 10, 2014, 12:35:54 pm »

A point I wish I emphasized a bit more is the cloak. No other Zelda reveal has bothered to hide Link's face, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the dramatic face reveal happened alongside such a feminine look.

As for choice of gender, as much as I appreciate that sort of thing in most games, I feel like the sense of a dedicated legend and a dedicated hero fit more with the Zelda universe, and I'd like them to stick to committing to one character.

54

Chit-Chat / Re: Link's a girl in the new zelda

« on: June 10, 2014, 10:47:32 am »

Truf

55

Chit-Chat / Re: Honk This Jam

« on: June 01, 2014, 11:46:21 am »

I have changed the thread title because the internet security agency alerted me I was threatening the internet's security.

56

Chit-Chat / Honk This Jam

« on: May 31, 2014, 07:45:43 pm »

Fuck This Jam is based around making a game in a genre you dislike. It runs from May 31st to June 6th.

Anyone planning on participating?

http://fuckthisjam.com/

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Chit-Chat / Re: Making *fun* Games

« on: May 30, 2014, 08:05:43 am »

Making games that people will enjoy isn't a specific goal. Thinking about how to make a game fun is so vague it won't get you anywhere, think about concrete concepts that are interesting to you and are worth exploring. There are a trillion games that all wanted to be the same generic image of fun, throwing another one on the pile is a waste of time and pollutes the market.

The word fun exists as a casual short-hand, it's nice to use when talking about games with others but expecting a three letter word to give you insights when actually making a game is dumb. Also the typical game doesn't teach anyone real-world skills, games teach abstractions.

Extra Credits is for babies, it's aired on PBS Kids.

58

Chit-Chat / Re: Making *fun* Games

« on: May 29, 2014, 07:30:21 pm »

Make games with a purpose to exist. Setting out to make a fun game is about as specific as setting out in the world to do 'good', it's a nice goal but unless you have an actual vision or point it's a crapshoot whether or not you actually succeed.

30 hours is nothing. Also don't listen to me I've never made a good game.

59

Chit-Chat / Re: Does someone know a well executed vertical shmup, done with Stencyl?

« on: May 22, 2014, 06:27:15 am »

Those are all horizontal shmups. Also the best horizontal shmup ever Milford the Ghosts was made in Stencyl. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/600050

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Chit-Chat / Re: Ludum Dare Results

« on: May 19, 2014, 08:22:57 pm »

This is my 2nd worst rating for Ludum Dare, which I guess is all right considering this is my 2nd least favorite entry. If anything I feel a bit cheated by innovation because even my arena shooter entry did better in that department, and there are undoubtably other platformers/shooters that placed better here.

Pretty expected though.