Sentimental Gamer

Not that I agree with all of the Realtime Art Manifesto, btw... but god help me if I don't love to see things like this:

"Don’t make games.

The rule-based structure and competitive elements in traditional game design stand in the way of expressiveness.
And often, ironically, rules get in the way of playfulness
(playfulness is required for an artistic experience!)."

Realtime Art Manifesto

Posted by Ben Humberston at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Step one: drop the requirement of making a game.

The game structure of rules and competition stands in the way of expressiveness.

Interactivity wants to be free.

Gaming stands in the way of playing.
There are so many other ways of interacting in virtual environments.
We have only just begun to discover the possibilities.
Games are games.
They are ancient forms of play that have their place in our societies.
But they are by far not the only things one can do with realtime technologies.

Stop making games.
Be an author."

Go to link. Read. Be happy:
http://www.tale-of-tales.com/tales/RAM.html

Posted by Ben Humberston at 8:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

I have officially discovered the joys of reading something that is not either a.) assigned for school and/or b.) a contemplative assessment of life, deep questions, and all that.

My Aunt Amy gave a package-load of books for Christmas to our family, and I got A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, a story of his hike on the Appalachian Trail. It's a great read, and unfortunately has been sucking up my time for the last couple days when I should work more. But I guess I'm happy, because it's reminding me that yes, I can do something that is not mind-numbing and repetitive (games and animated comedies....) but doesn't have to be staring at the sky and wondering the meaning of life. By God, wouldn't you know it, there is an in between. Maybe that's how people can deal with it... by taking life in degrees.

I'm not saying I don't live right... just saying that I'm pleasantly surprised at the enjoyment I get out of the book. Poor video games will have to catch up, because there's thousands more books like this, so games have work to do before they even reach the level of common books.

Posted by Ben Humberston at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments