James Posted January 29, 2009 In the unlikely event that you haven't already, you should probably check out Shawn Elliott's recent-ish symposium thingy. That covers similar sort of territory. Not long after that went up, Shawn posted a link on his Twitter to a forum thread in which some guy was basically having a go at him for being pretentious and navel-gazing and so on. I find it kind of depressing how whatever you do can either be dismissed as blind idiocy or arrogant pretension. Anyway, I thought it was pretty interesting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawsie64 Posted January 29, 2009 Oh man, sorry about that. For the life of me I couldn't remember where I found that thing, and so I assumed I must have just encountered it on the internet. haha all good man Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garple Posted January 29, 2009 Oh yeah, I don't remember any naked lady killing in Afrosamurai. I guess that comes from the developers' own genius... You mean you didn't get the unrated National Lampoon edition? The deleted scenes in that puppy are limbtastic. Or limbrific. "Naked lady killing" is a funny phrase, I picture Leslie Neilsen walking around naked and lady-killin', as in: impressin' the ladies a whole bunch. Think about it. It has to be Leslie Neilsen. It does. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawsie64 Posted January 29, 2009 Wow. The guy that wrote the email is here...awkward... I didnt write that email, i just found that post while bored at work and sent it in. P.S I think I might get Afrosamurai now, im intrigued now.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garple Posted January 30, 2009 I didnt write that email, i just found that post while bored at work and sent it in.P.S I think I might get Afrosamurai now, im intrigued now.. Oh. Phew! This whole time I was thinking, "I'm reading this guy's posts and he doesn't seem as crazy as he did talking about the 360. Maybe he just quit doing meth." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawsie64 Posted January 30, 2009 Oh. Phew! This whole time I was thinking, "I'm reading this guy's posts and he doesn't seem as crazy as he did talking about the 360. Maybe he just quit doing meth." haha yeah It was posted on the Gametrailers forums (explains alot), id probably remove myself from the human gene pool if I wrote it myself =P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted January 30, 2009 In the unlikely event that you haven't already, you should probably check out Shawn Elliott's recent-ish symposium thingy. That covers similar sort of territory.Not long after that went up, Shawn posted a link on his Twitter to a forum thread in which some guy was basically having a go at him for being pretentious and navel-gazing and so on. I find it kind of depressing how whatever you do can either be dismissed as blind idiocy or arrogant pretension. Anyway, I thought it was pretty interesting. Thanks for the link, no I hadn't seen that The bit I've bolded about sums it up for me I think, especially when I see "HAY MAN LIGHTEN UP THEYR JUST GAMES ABIT OF FUN" comments. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Devil Tesla Posted January 30, 2009 Haha, Chris Kohler doesn't like seeing naked ladies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scratch Posted January 30, 2009 The bit about Afro-Samurai. I remember watching it on TV when it aired a while back and from what I can still recollect, it was totally gratuitous with the naked ladies/blood/gore etc. I am sure there are youtube videos out there to confirm this, but I am too lazy right now to look it up myself. Not to mention, Samuel Jackson's constant swearing. Way I see it, the presence of Jackson somehow makes the content all the more bearable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brkl Posted January 30, 2009 Oh, there's tons of gore and tons of unlikely looking women, but I don't remember any crazy snuff or an army of practically nude women getting slaughtered. But maybe that was in that National Lampoon version :/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntheticgerbil Posted January 30, 2009 Excuse my ignorance, but I always just got the feeling that Afro Samurai was deliberately ripping off Samurai Champloo and turning it into something more marketable to the United States. Guess I was wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James Posted January 30, 2009 The bit I've bolded about sums it up for me I think, especially when I see "HAY MAN LIGHTEN UP THEYR JUST GAMES ABIT OF FUN" comments. Yeah, that's terrible. What's worse, though, is that all the responses I have to that statement sound astoundingly pretentious. I guess when you're in an environment that assumes games are a fundamentally childish activity, having any sort of ambitions or hopes for them beyond better graphics and bigger guns will seem pretty hoity-toity. It's not like I want games to preach Kantian ethics at me or anything; I just feel like there's scope for more than that. But apparently anything that isn't immediately fun is impermissible. Actually, that's something that bothers me in a more general sense: the idea that anything enjoyable or satisfying has to be fun. Fun isn't the only positive reaction we can have to a thing. You might as well claim that food can't taste good if it isn't sweet. Oh shit, I was trying to avoid sounding pretentious. Sorry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanJW Posted January 30, 2009 Don't apologise for it. I was just thinking about this in the bath (not quite a Eureka!, perhaps just an 'eka). You're right that it's not just games that get this. There is an anti-intellectual current that runs through all western society, that assumes that thinking about anything stops it being enjoyable. I don't know if this is a reaction against 'boring' school lessons or what, but in America it is personified in the 'jock' subculture. Nevermind that understanding sports statistics requires applied maths; anyone that openly tries to analyse something beyond the superficial level is derided for trying to 'spoil our fun', and the word pretentious is used as a weapon for that. As you say, the same thing happens in food, cinema, fiction of all kinds. I'm pretty sick of it, to the point where I bite back rather than cringe and apologise. edit: also it's probably the thing that separates mere consumers from potential creators and mavens. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James Posted January 30, 2009 anti-intellectual I was, for a while, making quite frequent reference to anti-intellectualism, but recently I've been trying to avoid it, as it implies I think I'm an intellectual. Still, that's pretty much the best term for it. Apparently, thinking is bad. People are chided for "thinking too much" about things, as though they devote days of their life to doing nothing but thinking, perhaps sitting in a bare room on a solitary chair or stool. I'll readily admit that I spend more time inside than I ought, but I don't sit around straining for thoughts. People just react to information with thoughts, and then react to those thoughts with further thoughts. But that's sad, so let's go get drunk and hit and/or sexually abuse each other. also it's probably the thing that separates mere consumers from potential creators and mavens. One of the many things I eventually omitted from my previous post, for fear of sounding like a tit: Do these people think that developers just crap out games on a whim? "Dude, we should totally make a dude who shoots a dude and the dude bleeds from his neck!" "OK, let's do it!" "OK, we've done it, now we're rich!" I'm sure the degree each developer pursues the whole "theory" angle varies greatly, but wanting ever superior sequels without wanting a culture in which people properly consider how things are the moment, and the implications thereof, is pretty ridiculous. I don't mean to be grandiose. It's just frustrating that there's so much potential in the medium, and a whole bunch of people seem almost scared of it. Variety is good! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanJW Posted January 30, 2009 I was, for a while, making quite frequent reference to anti-intellectualism, but recently I've been trying to avoid it, as it implies I think I'm an intellectual. Yeah that is a problem, and shows just how ingrained the derision is. A good comeback, if anyone says "oh so you think you're an intellectual?", is "compared to [you], who isn't?" ZING! KaPOW! etc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James Posted January 30, 2009 "Roll around on the floor screaming in agony, 'cause you just got burned." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex P Posted January 31, 2009 "GDC has become the conference that reminds you why games are cool...unlike E3...which makes you want to quit" Never change. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SignorSuperdouche Posted January 31, 2009 edit: also it's probably the thing that separates mere consumers from potential creators and mavens. This is completely off topic but you just taught me a new word, which is sweet. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted February 2, 2009 This is completely off topic but you just taught me a new word, which is sweet. Cheers If you want to read more about mavens, read 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell. This was originally recommended to me by one Marek Bronstring, who I believe has an account here. The book's full of wonderful things, among which mavens. Good podcast again. Kohler was a great addition because he caused an entirely different chemistry in the group with his weird, energetic, improvising madness! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrobbs Posted February 17, 2009 I couldn't listen to this. Chris from Wired's voice really grated on me. I had to turn it off. Apologies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
