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I Hate the Video Game Industry

I suppose I've developed a reputation for being something of a curmudgeon. Most of my posts here are accusatory and caustic, and I spend more time writing about things I don't like than things I do. That's why I consider Patrick Alexander over at Eegra to be a kindred spirit.

Like Patrick, I play precious few video games. I guess that would seem odd to readers, considering that game journalists are supposed to be experts. There might be one or two games released each year that capture my heart. Desktop Tower Defense was the last game that really brought me to my knees, and that was released years ago.

Furthermore, I can't relate to those who really get off on game industry stuff. News! Previews! Screenshots and Trailers! All the marketing and wooing and it's all so much fluff and grandstanding. If I were to quit writing about games, I would only follow a few websites that focus more on game theory and serious criticism. I don't care if Capcom employees are bisexual. I don't care if the Xbox is being released in a special color. I don't care about cosplay or Olivia Munn or Jonathan Coultan or Jack Thompson. And if I see one more gaming-related cake...

Posted Mar 05 2009, 10:30 AM by Cole Stryker with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: patrick alexander, eegra, cole stryker, journalism, industry

Kenichi Nishi and Kenji Eno’s Newtonica Brings iPhone Gaming Into the Realm of Awesome

I have been, in general, pretty resistant to the iPhone mania that’s overtaken many hundreds of thousands of folks. They’re attractive little devices but, well, them things are expensive. Plus, it remains to be seen whether or not it will come into its own as a gaming platform. The version of Spore Maxis has cooked up looks like a neat diversion but not many other games seem particularly interesting. For example, a friend of mine downloaded Super Monkey Ball and told me that when the game wasn’t crashing his iPhone, it was a chore to actually control anything. Newtonica, a new game from the ever fertile mind of Kenichi Nishi, now has me chomping at the bit to actually hand over some cashey money to Steve Jobs. Why? For starters, Nishi was the field designer on Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger, the founder of Love-De-Lic, and the designer of Skip’s Chibi-Robo. That’s what you call a pedigree right there.

Posted Aug 26 2008, 03:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 3 comment(s)

Filed under: john constantine, mario, eegra, chrono trigger, iphone, chibi-robo, skip, Kenji eno, Kenichi nishi, love de lic, newtonica

Indie Dev Moment: Eegra Shindig Ends, No One Got Laid, Awesome Games Got Made

Way back in April of aught-eight, our favorite internet savages at Eegra got it in their heads to host an indie games competition. Known worldwide as the First Annual Game Makin’ Shindig, they called for strapping minds to create games based around the central theme of “colour” (the u comes from some kind of Australian brain disease I’m not familiar with.) Now, as July comes to a close, the Shindig has come to a close and, while no one involved apparently got laid, nine games have been created, all of them damn interesting.

Posted Jul 31 2008, 01:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: john constantine, eegra, indie dev moment, colouwise, game makin shindig, spectrum spelunker, go beryllium, space safari, colourblind, tinte

Bringing Sexy Back: Street Fighter Dress-Up Party!

Yes, this slinky black number that can be unlocked for Chun Li in the imminent and fine looking Street Fighter 4 is an ample slice of cheesecake. It is not, in itself, bringing sexy back in any way, shape, or form. Cheesecake, as our good friend Patrick Alexander over at Eegra so deftly illustrated, is nothing new in fighting games. Nor are alternate costumes for the exaggerated characters that populate them. What is bringing sexy back is the thought that, ultimately, we’re going to be able to play dress-up with our Street Fighter characters as new content is released in both arcade iterations and home versions of the game. Here’s my thinking: that slinky black dress on Blanka. That will strike fear into all opponents!

Posted Jul 01 2008, 05:00 PM by John Constantine with | with no comments

Filed under: john constantine, street fighter, bringing sexy back, eegra

Webcomic Watch: Eegra

Videogame-themed webcomics are a mixed (and dizzyingly numerous) bunch; for every Penny Arcade, there're a few hundred semi-comedic fan-fictions stapled together from sprite sheets and MS Paint doodles. It's always a relief to find something with some genuine craft put into it. The relatively new Eegra's got craft in spades — artist Patrick Alexander deploys an impressive range of visual styles — but it's also got a glorious mix of old-timey wordplay and visual grotesquerie.

Posted May 23 2008, 01:00 PM by Peter Smith with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: pac-man, peter smith, penny arcade, mario, patrick alexander, soul calibur, webcomics, eegra

about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.