An Introduction to Video Games – A Different Side to Gaming
In this episode, I have a look at a different side to gaming.
 I know the plan was to look at some more genres, but a good plan is a plan that can change and something more interesting came up!
 Apologies for the sound and lighting.  I’m very much learning by doing, or at least learning by making mistakes and seeing what I can get away with.
Review Scores in Gaming
In quiet moments over the last few weeks where I have been reading through parts of the gaming press, my brow has become furrowed over the furore concerning complaints about the review score system.
 As a brief background to anyone who has missed the mess, Eurogamer gave Uncharted 3 an 8/10 score and were internet-crucified by a series of commenters claiming that Eurogamer were attention seeking, trying to get extra hits, and generally saying that they were wrong and irresponsible to give it any less than a 9/10. Incidentally, most of these often incredibly harsh and unrepeatable-before-the-watershed comments will have come from people who hadn’t played the game yet.
That doesn’t make a huge amount of sense to me, but then I could chalk that up to the fact that I barely understand the desire to leave comments in general. I do however think it’s fair to say however that it’s insane and sadly not existing in a vacuum. The issue has been discussed and dissected in other places, most recently by Jim Sterling at the Escapist and by Checkpoint on PATV a while back, both worth a look if you are equally perplexed about the issue.
Game journalists complaining about game journalism is actually becoming a bit of a cliché now and is nothing new. The complaining about review scores has been bubbling away for ages. One of the main issues is the conflict of interest that can arise in the course of the symbiotic relationship between PR and journalist with the PRs under no obligation to send review copies of games and journalists needing copies of games in order to review them and maintain a readership. I’m sure most establishments could afford to arrange a game-buying budget to circumvent this but regardless, it can make it a little awkward when it comes to reviewing an absolute stinker.
RSS Videos
For anyone subscribed to my site through an RSS feed, my videos sadly don’t show up in there. Â I’m trying to work out if I can fix that or if it’s a quirk of the blip.tv player, but in the mean time, you’ll have to have to click through to the site to see them!
Oh, and there’s no video in this post. Â So you”re ok with this one. Â You can stay where you are.
Putting together a semi-coherent web-show is actually a lot of hard work and easy to mess up. Â Considering my episodes are around the 7 minute mark, it keeps me awake at night thinking about the poor, if not slightly lucky, souls who have to edit full TV shows together.
From my two episodes I have about half an hour of film that I’ve scrubbed through of me messing up and getting things just slightly wrong. Â If you want an exercise in maintaining self confidence, or if you just want to see how long it will take for you to want to punch yourself in the face, film yourself making endless little mistakes and then sort through it.
Oh, also, the music: Â That’s completely my music! Â I made that this morning! Â I’m oddly proud! Â Exclamation mark proud!
An Introduction To Video Games – Genres Part 1
I present episode 2 of An Introduction to Video Games. Â In this episode, we have a look at some different genres of video games.
This took forever to put together and I learnt many things, for example my video editing software does not like video files over 3GB in size and when you are 98% done with the editing process, it will crash constantly in a desperate and successful attempt to get your attention and make you want to cry/explode/both.
An Introduction to Video Games should always appear here, but you can also catch it on my blip TV show page. Â I think you can also find it on iTunes…but I wouldn’t put money on that.
Additional Notes:
Incidentally, Blip TV: Â Actually pretty cool and well worth taking a look. Â I think they’re doing something very interesting that could very well be the next big thing.
Production Difficulties
Visit the AITVG show page at http://blip.tv/aitvg
I’ve often seen shows cite ‘Production Difficulties’ for delays. Â I think I see what they mean, or at least I have a rough idea of what it COULD mean.
For me, Production Difficulties ™ are currently encompassing the ‘but it takes a long time’ end of the scale, and issues caused by a reluctance to write a full and carefully constructed script, saying ‘oh I’ll fix it in post’, which is a truly poisonous phrase as anyone who has ever worked on a film of any kind will attest to.
I’m also expecting the production speed of my web-show to speed up with time.  The pilot was a learning experience, this episode will be a slightly more refined product with any luck, and in a few months time, I’ll be able to get them done much much quicker.
Hopefully.
The main reason I’m posting this drivel is actually to say thank you for watching. Â My stats from Blip TV say it has been watched just under 150 times, which is in my mind a big number. Â I realise lots of blogs and sites get traffic in numbers that make my eyes water and my brain hurt, but I’m inordinately proud of my three figure number.
An Introduction To Video Games – Pilot Episode
A while ago, I wrote about how I couldn’t understand why more people didn’t try to make their own television shows. Â I then couldn’t work out why I hadn’t tried to make one before.
As a result of these musings, I bring you my pilot episode of ‘An Introduction To Video Games’.
Making this, whilst fun, has taught me why more people don’t try it. Â It’s much harder than it looks and takes ages to put together. Â I do suspect that if I make another one, it will be produced much quicker!
iPad/iPhone Game: Squids
Title: Squids
Developer/Publisher: The Game Bakers
Price: 69p
The phrase ‘Turn based RPG’ can send a shiver down the spines of many gamers. Some hate them for the predominant use of clunky menu systems, a relic from a bygone age that has somehow survived into the modern era of gaming, some dread how compelling they can be and have fevered nightmares of the amount of time they have sunk into them, and some love them so much that they have become frustrated that it’s a relatively under-served genre.
Whatever you think of them, the turn based RPGs of this world can display an awful lot of depth and complexity and the right one can compel even those not traditionally fans of the genre to sink many hours in to them.
Enter Squids.
Reigniting old hobbies
Space Marine (which I reviewed yesterday) left a fairly profound effect on me.
Space Marine is by no means a game changing…game…and 90% of the game can after all be loosely summarised by the following video:
The attention to detail is really good though and I’m looking forward to seeing more in this series and even find myself hoping for downloadable content, which is a first. Â I really feel the game should be recognised for the work that has gone into it and the careful way in which they have dealt with the source material.
Chaotic Tortoise begins advertising drive
As I’ve started going for a few sub-editing jobs, I also thought I’d practise my pun headlines…