We’ve been all over the place in the past month. See some of our stuff!
Zachery Oliver wrote an interesting article about Street Fighter and Schadenfreude called – approrpiately – Street Fighter Schadenfreude. Should you take pleasure in the misery of others? Well, that answer’s obvious, but should you do it in fighting games?
Such denial of self, however is not what Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition teaches me. Online play turns me into a cursing, dirty curmudgeon who yells at myself, other people in the room, and fills me with hatred for the gal/guy on the other end of the ethernet cable. I am completely aware of myself at all times. When I finally win, their tears are absolutely delicious. We can call it Schadenfreude – to wish the misery of other people.
Zach also wrote about Assassin’s Creed and American Exceptionalism over at GaneChurch, as well as a review of Anarchy Reigns for Substance TV, so check that out! Also, a guest post at JohnnyBGamer.
Wild Man Ted examined the relation between…Shigeru Miyamoto and Socrates? Yessir, he did. Both are rather questioning individuals, in any case, and their ability to ask questions that make us question ourselves define their process. Here’s an example:
What made the connection in my mind, was an article I once read in Nintendo Power back in 2010 or 2011. I have a boxful of the NP magazines and I searched for the article but was unable to find it – so I’m working on this from memory. It was an interview with Eiji Aonuma – who some say is the creative successor for Miyamoto at Nintendo. In the interview, he was talking about the game Skyward Sword and how Miyamoto came in at a certain point in development and “upended the tea table”.
Ted also wrote more about his CoCo2 adventures and about how he is bad at video games (jokingly!).
Yann Wong finds out that not everyone is a jerk online, thanks to Journey:
It did not escape me that Journey could be seen as a metaphor for the journey of the human life, or even the Christian life. But for me, it was most poignant as a metaphor for what it means to support one another in Christian fellowship. Like the companions I’ve met on my journey, a good brother or sister-in-Christ warns me when I head down the wrong path into danger, encourages me when I am weak, is patient with me when I fail, is invested in me and is eager to see me succeed, even though they have no incentive to do so. Indeed, is this not called love?
Read the rest of “How Journey Showed Me Not Everyone Is A Jerk Online” at Redeemed Gamer!
Bryan Hall continues to blog at JohnnyBGamer. He talks frustratedly about those games in the Apple Store that make you pay money to progress in “Counterfeited Simulations“:
Simulations are not all created equal on the iOS. Some, most, are built around artificial time constraints and real life money transactions. Want to increase your build time? Buy a 1000 Tower Bucks for $5.99. These “games” are usually fun for the first few hours and then they slowly reveal their true selves. A digital gaming relationship of sorts gone down the drain.
M. Joshua Cauller has also been quite busy writing for GameChurch! First off, we have “I Can’t Quite You: A Letter to Game Violence“:
I long for a day when my craving for you is not just curbed with puzzles and platformers, but truly satisfied. The logical problem solving of puzzle games can taste quite good, even to a carnivore. And platformers can be fun, but is there a way to truly and completely satisfy my longings nonviolently? I hope to find it one day. But for now, I find myself a reluctant lover.
Cauller also wrote extensively about Antichamber and its tendency to teach you discipline, as well as the simultaneous walk of the faithful and the faithless in Knytt Underground. Cauller argues that the game doesn’t get nearly enough press, and it’s probably because of its forthright religious themes.
One more for the road: Richard Terrell runs a blog called Critical-Gaming, which attempts to create a descriptive language centered around game design. He argues that our problem is communication more than anything else, and that’s why we have the debates we have between experiential and mechanics focused gamers. In any case, it’s a fascinating look at game design in general, so please check it out!
That’s it for this month/month and a half/whenever it is I last posted stuff from other sources. Back to your regular scheduling tomorrow!
