[GameSetLinks is GameSetWatch's daily link round-up post, culling from hundreds of weblogs and outlets to compile the most interesting longform writing, links, and criticism on the art and culture of video games.]
Well, happy 4th, everybody, and it’s time to wrap up a boatload of links from earlier last week (and previous!) before the new set start spooling in, including a neat NowGamer piece on Eugene Jarvis and the making of Defender.
Also in here – 2D Boy interviewed, exercise games examined, Edge magazine’s pixel poster artist quizzed, Guitar Hero examined in an academic stylee, Jon Blow’s latest ruminations, and rather more things besides.
Dance is a mysterious art:
The Making Of Defender | NowGamer
'In these enlightened times, we’ve seen hundreds of side-scrolling shooters, but when Defender appeared, it was so revolutionary, so different, and had such complex controls that many assumed it would flop.'
A Twist in the Tale | Resolution | Diverse commentary on videogames
'But even something like BioShock, heralded for its big reveal, isn’t really defined by that crowning moment, and doesn’t change substantially after it. Games like Portal are rare, imaginitive, risky gems – titles that only succeed due to the single-session play time required.'
Health Meter: An Open Letter to Publishers and Developers > Steve Steinberg > | Crispy Gamer
'People who don't enjoy traditional — and some may say boring — workouts aren't going to, all of a sudden, love them just because they can do them on the Wii.'
The Reticule: A Quick Chat with the 2D Boys
Some interesting post-World Of Goo updates: 'I’m working to bring back the Experimental Gameplay Project with Mr. Gray and our other friend from grad school Allan Blomquist.'
Interview: Edge’s Pixel Perfectionist… Gary “Army of Trolls” Lucken « Just One More Game
The awesome Edge magazine pixel illustrator interviewed.
Press Pause to Reflect: Reflections with Jonathan Blow
'Jonathan Blow, the developer and designer of the game, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us on being an independent game developer, the role of interactivity in games, and the inspiration for Braid.'
FlowTV: 'Just Add Performance' – Kiri Miller / Brown University |
'My standard strategy for explaining my research to those caught up in the effects debate is to point out that playing these games isn’t just like playing real instruments, but it’s nothing at all like just listening to music.'
Original post editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless)
RSS
