The Art of Video Games: South Florida's First Video Game Exhibition

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Boca Raton Museum of Art, mostly to see its newest exhibition and the Smithsonian's travelling exhibit, The Art of Video Games. I was excited, as giddy as a school girl. Just could not wait!

Unfortunately, we got there an hour early, but at 12PM sharp, we were at the doors, advancing towards the first video game exhibition to ever visit South Florida. Needless to say--excited. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a sign that said "No Photography." Ouch. My ego was hurt quite a good bit, being that I had already perused the website about this particular topic and found nothing that would deny me my hobby. But alas! It seems photography was not in the cards for me today...

JK. I have pictures from the museum anyway, taken on a camera phone, but it wasn't me. I swear.

Near the entrance of the exhibit, we found these awesome people
wearing awesomely appropriate shirts.

At the very entrance of the exhibit, a projection, playing a short video that rotated the most popular and well known video games: Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, etc. Further on, the walls were lined with kiosks that each contained a game console, starting with the Atari 2600, home of Combat and the personal version of Pac-Man, and ending with the Playstation 3. These kiosks concentrated on four main genres: target, adventure, action, and tactics, while also concentrated on the 8-Bit, Bit Wars, Transition, and Next Generation eras. Smack dab in the middle of the exhibit were inviting cubicles that allowed guests to stand and play some of the games. The cubicles had tiny cameras with feeds that were connected to three televisions hooked up side-by-side in the middle of the room. These televisions showed the faces of guests, young and old, disgruntled or amazed by the games in front of them.

People playing games.

The kiosks were the main attraction of the exhibit. Featured games included The Legend of Zelda, Pitfall, Spy Vs. Spy, Gunstar Heroes, Star Fox, Sonic, Shenmue, and Heavy Rain to name a few. They were interactive and informative, each with buttons reflecting one of the four genres. Listeners enjoyed a short lesson on each of the games presented. It was educational, but certainly not boring.

"Original" Sonic in Character Development

Besides the kiosks and cubicles, there were also a few sketches here and there that seemed to be enlarged copies of original artist renderings:


Now, there wasn't really much art, so to say. The exhibit relied heavily on its interactive electronic kiosks as well as its informative looping 5 minute videos and the whole space was small, and not necessarily well designed to match with the entrance to the next exhibit. Even though I had a good time, I was still moderately disappointed. The title of the exhibit displays, perhaps, some kind of art, of which there was relatively few of. It felt more like a history lesson, and for me and my friends, a trip down memory lane. However, the set up and pieces of the exhibit are perfect for a crowd that knows very little about video games. In that aspect, it works very well.

This one was definitely original art.
A troll from Wow!

Later on, at a restaurant, my friends and I were discussing why we felt disappointed, and in hindsight, once we dug each other out of our nostalgic holes, the answer was simple--so much about video games was just not there.At the start of the exhibit, we saw the home edition of Pac-Man, which falls behind the pixelated beauty of its arcade version.And what many video game authorities consider, even in part, as the beginning of video games, Pong, was nowhere to be seen. Now, had this been actually about video game art, this would make sense. Pong might be zen, but it's not really graphic heavy...but this exhibit depended heavily on teaching the audience about the eras of gaming and the history. So where was Pong?

Even more disconcerting was the complete disregard for handheld devices like the PSP, with its sharp graphics, and the GameBoy. The GameBoy! Father of all handheld devices, with games that encouraged immense art collections and fan art, such as Pokemon. And in the Next Generation section, no mention of mobile gaming, which to me, is as much a part of next generation gaming as an Xbox 360. It has reached out to and made gaming accessible for countless people, and yet, no mention.

And no Tetris. Nope. Let me not even go there.

Perhaps it was a lack of space. Perhaps it was a ploy to sell coffee table books. Perhaps just a shameless commercial plug, but most likely a misnomer of an exhibit. Would I recommend this exhibit to an art student? No. A video game fan? For the discounted student price, yes. For the young child or aspiring gamer? Absolutely. The exhibit in itself is a learning experience, I hope, for both viewer and curator.  And if you're looking for a fast ticket to Memory Lane, you'll find it here, but for a price.

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Posted in: art,art of video games,boca raton,culture,exhibit,Florida,games,gaming,museum,video games

The DLC Debate: Part 1

Recently, I asked readers over at the Facebook page if they'd pay $70 dollars for a game that included Day-1 DLC, kind of like Game of the Year Editions. Out of 11 votes, no one answered yes. A lot of people purchase and enjoy downloadable content (DLC), and then some complain about it. The debate around DLC encompasses more than just pricing, however.

For certain games, like Call of Duty or Battlefield, preordering a game means gaining an edge over other players. This means guns or stats that other players will never be able to obtain. In competitive play, this is the difference between being on top and being average. There's quite a bit of outrage over preorder bonuses in general that offer advantages, simply because it makes the game less enjoyable for those who don't or can't preorder, and adds a whole class of "elite" players. But it all comes down to one thing.

"DLC is just another way for game companies to make more cash." Well, you can't argue there. When Borderlands 2 was released, it offered Day-1 DLC, another 10 bucks for Gearbox Software and 2k Games. And then, magically, all other kinds of DLC were "leaked" or announced. Next Tuesday marks the arrival of even more DLC, and since most range from $10 up, that's somewhere near $30 or $40 dollars over a base price of $60, for a whopping $90/$100! And it's pretty unlikely that developers just pulled these out of their ovens. It's quite probable that this DLC has been ready to go since the game came out, which means most of this content could have easily been included at initial release.

So my question, then, is why won't we pay $70 or so dollars for a game plus all current DLC from the day its released? Well, since there's no intrinsic value for games, we can't say $60 is too high or too low--just the minimum amount most gamers are ready to pay. It all comes down to the psychology behind 3 x $10 over a small span of time and $70 dollars right then and there. One looks like it'll burn a hole in your pocket.

Of course, this isn't to say that DLC is bad. It can expand the longevity of a game, refreshing it's replay-ability and making it more current over a span of time. If you release all the DLC within the first two months of a game coming out, what good does that do for replay-ability? And since most of this content is available at the time of release, why NOT bundle it? Even if it costs a bit more? The gaming industry has already been pushing the boundaries of customers--what will they pay,what will they not--with collector's editions and GOTY editions and rereleases and super secret give-us-more-money editions.

What do you think about DLC?

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Posted in: borderlands 2,DLC,gamers,games,gaming,money

Political Games: A Gift and a Curse

The gaming world has often tried to keep its wires from getting tangled up in politics, but since 2004, political video games have begun to surface. According the Entertainment Software Association, the amount of political games has tripled since then. Some liberal, other conservative, political video games aim to entertain and educate at the same time.

Strategery 2012 is one such game, where you can play as Romney's election team during the primaries and then as Obama's team during the general election. It follows the format of Nintendo's popular military turn-based strategy games, the Advance Wars series. As the player, you go up against several opponents as volunteers, press secretaries, and fundraisers, each with a minimum "credibility" score. It's a funny, quirky game that gets across the amount of thought, dedication, and work that can go into an election.

While many are slightly biased and contain the opinions of their developers, as well as cracking jokes about candidates, some of these games try to teach political fundamentals. Gerrymandering is a huge issue in the United States, mostly because no one knows about it. But the good folks at the USC Game Innovation lab created The Redistricting Game, focusing on teaching players the basics of redistricting. Even though it didn't catch the media's eye, it's one of the best examples of gaming that promotes civic action.

Yes, it is.

Besides actually making these types of games, some companies are promoting the current election. Even though most politicians aren't much into the world of button mashing, Obama included, Microsoft got in the game. During the Presidential Debates, Xbox promoted "Election 2012" on Xbox Live, offering, for those who watch three of the four debates, free Halo armor...in gold! During the debates themselves, Microsoft also polled viewers, and, no surprise, lots of democratic and male voters.

Gamers also find themselves rooted in politics, especially those who are already involved in it. The U.S. Libyan diplomat, Sean Smith, who recently died during an attack on the American Embassy in Libya, was a huge member of the Eve Online community, a sci-fi based MMORPG. In fact, after his death, tributes were made in his name, "Vile Rat," as players, friend and enemy alike, renamed their space stations in his honor.  In game, he was as hard a diplomat as he was in real life. One of his friends online, Alex Gianturco, who he also met in real life, said "If you play this stupid game, you may not realize it, but you play in a galaxy created in large part by Vile Rat's talent as a diplomat. No one focused as relentlessly on using diplomacy as a strategic tool as VR."

Lachowicz's WoW
Character, Santiaga

But not all politically oriented people are praised for their hard work in the gaming community. One World of Warcraft player was "deemed unfit for office" based on her involvement with the popular MMORPG. Colleen Lachowicz, democrat and level 85 Orc rogue, was the subject of a smear campaign by the Republican Party of Maine, who claim she's unfit for office due to her "double life" and violent comments online. Lachowicz hit back:

I think it's weird that I'm being targeted for playing online games. Apparently I'm in good company since there are 183 million other Americans who also enjoy online games. What's next? Will I be ostracized for playing Angry Birds or Words with Friends? If so, guilty as charged!

What's really weird is that the Republicans are going after my hobbies instead of talking about their record while they've been running Augusta for the last two years. Instead of talking about what they're doing for Maine people, they're making fun of me for playing video games. Did you know that more people over the age of 50 play video games than under the age of 18? As a gamer, I'm in good company with folks like Jodie Foster, Vin Diesel, Mike Myers, and Robin Williams. Maybe it's the Republican Party that is out of touch.

Ouch.

Politics and video games may not always get along, but the truth sits in an industry with unlimited potential for educating and informing the public. Last year, the gaming market was worth $56 billion dollars, "more than twice of the recorded-music industry, nearly a quarter more than the magazine business and about three-fifths the size of the film industry." And it's only expected to rise from there. Australia and the UK have seen the potential and already offered tax incentives for video games. It shouldn't be long before the U.S. is on board. Video games are the future of civic engagement, and though some may disagree with much of the medium, it's long-reaching, powerful, and most importantly, fun. 

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Posted in: community,democrats,election,eve online,game,gamers,games,MMORPG,politics,republicans,statistics,video games,world of warcraft

Indie Game: The Movie--Review

From what began as a Kickstarter project, Canadian producers Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky followed the lives of three indie game developers, highlighting their struggle, successes, and deepest desires. As the first documentary on indie games, a lot was expected from this film, but I'm here to tell you that it delivers, even if not how many hoped it would.

The film follows the game designers behind the extremely popular indie games Super Meat Boy, Fez, and Braid. Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid, is probably the lesser focus of the three, but is instead intended as an example of success in the indie world, coming in and out of the film in a few short bursts to talk about his journey and his post-success. But at the very core of this movie sits the personal and emotional story of Phil Fish(Fez) and the super duo Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes(Super Meat Boy).

This movie was amazing. Pajot and Swirsky are incredibly involved and passionate about these games and their developers, and it shows. The two make certain that the focal point of the movie are the designers through tactics like close-ups, interviews, and, oftentimes, very personal questions. It aims to show and start a dialogue about indie designers and it accomplished this by giving the backstage tour of four real people.

The main character of Fez gets his
3-D powers from wearing the
Arabian hat of the same name.

I've seen many a review that complain about the dramatic moments in the film. There's a lot of mention that these "dramatic" scenes involve drawing out events that would normally be humdrum in real life, like for example, when Fish's game Fez encounters buggy problems during its debut at PAX. Sure, many of the scenes as well as the same themes show up often--McMillen and Refenes' time crunch and Fish's depression--but it does reveal the truth behind these three gamer designer's life. That truth is repetition. Like any passion or goal in life, repetition is going to come up. These are people who sit at desks for unwarranted amounts of time because they're life dream demands it. Yeah, it's repetitive...

...but it only furthers that real sense or feeling behind these men and their lifelong goals. Indie developers are real people with real problems and real reactions, and the way it's framed by Pajot and Swirsky offers an accessible, human approach to a field that is typically considered cold, calculating, and computer generated. 

This is the true side of indie games, featuring the struggle but also that drive that makes these games so fresh, appealing, and inherently human. McMillen talks about his childhood, about his fear of loneliness, of becoming so engrained in a project that he cuts himself from the world completely. These thoughts and emotions cultivated themselves in McMillen's game, Aether, where a boy and his monster glide through the galaxy in search of a friend. There's such a real, genuine thing here that commercial games mainly lack--a true human side to the worlds we escape to.

Edmund McMillen probably comtemplating monsters, sales day, and hairless cats.
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun

Of course, like so many other fantastic films, this one too had its flaws. The first one made plainly visible is the film's lack of history on the indie industry. Just who is the audience here? Some more experienced gamers  might have this history down but the newcomers or the people who have never laid a finger on a directional pad might have no clue about the enormous history of indie games. There are a few places within the movie that I found myself asking "Would someone outside the game industry have any idea what that is?" And yet, this lack of information is not just a negative, but a positive in the sense that it may propel the viewer into researching more.

While the lives of these developers were surely interesting, I also found it generated a lot of questions about the actual games themselves. Braid, for example, has some very original and interesting time mechanics that are never mentioned. We hear Blow talk about his disappointment when he realizes that people are liking his game but missing the point he intended and yet, we never get to see the game and make our own opinions on why that may be. Similarly, Fez is a 3-D and 2-D world, but for people outside of the gaming diaspora  it might not be easy to see why that's so mind-boggingly awesome or refreshing just from the film alone. By leaving out the intelligence and inner-workings of the game, Pajot and Swirsky also paint the indie industry as creators of platforming games only, which is a huge mistake.

Even with these flaws, it's easy to argue that Pajot an Swirsky knew what they were doing. Easily, they entice the audience, gamer or not, to want to watch these lives pan out. The emotion is there, right on screen. It almost feels like you're right there with them, experiencing these failures and successes altogether. By the end of the film, you're rooting for these people. This is an incredible documentary that tells it like it is and manages to open the door for the next wave of indie films to answer the questions it stirs up inside us.

You can watch Indie Game: The Movie on Netflix currently, and buy your own hard copy at a steal from indiegamethemovie.com.

Also, stay tuned for indie games of 2012!

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Posted in: braid,developers,edward mcmillen,fez,film,film culture,game design,games,indie game: the movie,indie games,jonathan blow,PAX,super meat boy,tommy refenes,video games