Jake

Idle Thumbs 120: The Spectacle Was Incredible

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I'm glad the question of genre has come up with the context of Gone Home. I think when a lot of people are complaining about how Gone Home isn't really a game, what they are really complaining about is that Gone Home isn't a genre game while most video games are. It was a bit like playing Thirty Flights of Loving in the sense that what you get is just this really cool experience rather than a game where what is important is the types of actions you are engaging in. Gone Home does that using mechanics that are very specific to video games (exploring an area in no particular order), and TFoL does it by borrowing some of the language of new wave cinema, but they both have this playfulness that absolutely goes against the purpose of genre. Which is totally sweet, and we could use more of that in games.

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People need to stop misusing Twitter.

 

Write a fucking blog post!

The idea that there is a proper or improper way to use a piece of technology is absolutely insane to me. The very idea of proper use is a mere social construct that often stagnates more than it codifies. New ideas come from supposed "misuse" of technology. . It's called innovation.

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I mean it's stupid the way he used Twitter to write like fifty paragraphs, but I was just joking, but but but INNOVATION what what what haha?

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I'm glad the question of genre has come up with the context of Gone Home. I think when a lot of people are complaining about how Gone Home isn't really a game, what they are really complaining about is that Gone Home isn't a genre game while most video games are. It was a bit like playing Thirty Flights of Loving in the sense that what you get is just this really cool experience rather than a game where what is important is the types of actions you are engaging in. Gone Home does that using mechanics that are very specific to video games (exploring an area in no particular order), and TFoL does it by borrowing some of the language of new wave cinema, but they both have this playfulness that absolutely goes against the purpose of genre. Which is totally sweet, and we could use more of that in games.

the same thing happened with the walking dead game, just because it didn't fit strictly into the point and click adventure game genre it was said to not be a game, even by point and click adventure game fans, which is a genre of games that FPS gamers would say wasn't a game, to me a computer game is an interactive experience on a computer (yeah interactive fiction sounds weird, but i would be cool with it) people just need to be open to experiences they haven't had before, most games can be ruled out as a game if you lay down enough criteria for it to fill before it becomes a game, conclusion "video games"

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Haha, OK, never mind. Text is never that nuanced and on the internet I've seen so much absurdity I genuinely assume people are serious.

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Oh and BY THE WAY

A Sam announcer pack for Dota 2 would be the best. I haven't spend any money on a free to play game in my entire life but I'd buy that and start playing Dota 2 (I don't play Dota 2).

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I realized yesterday that I've experienced a strange amalgamation of two topics covered in this episode. Within the Netflix UI on the Xbox 360, movement between categories creates a hybrid whoosh/thud sound, followed by a higher-pitched pop/crack when the next title is selected. By slowly moving between categories you can create a whoosh, crack pattern with slightly longer or shorter time delays between the two. In effect, it's tennis (Tennnes?) on the Netflix UI.

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Within the Netflix UI on the Xbox 360, movement between categories creates a hybrid whoosh/thud sound, followed by a higher-pitched pop/crack when the next title is selected. By slowly moving between categories you can create a whoosh, crack pattern with slightly longer or shorter time delays between the two. In effect, it's tennis (Tennnes?) on the Netflix UI.

 

Sounds like a good video game!

 

Unfortunately for me, I don't think the PC port even has sound! Bah. (At least you can change the FOV).

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