I Had a Random Thought (About Video Games)

[JonCole]

I actually made one but I'm trying to figure out the permissions and settings stuff. Also how/where I'm going to post it.

[Griddlelol]

Just in time for D-day.

[JonCole]

So, input needed - it seems I was mistaken about Google Calendar, it seems that you really can only add events if you have a Google Calendar account. I still think it's probably the best service for this thing, but I am bias because I use Google services. Would people still want to use it if it required having a Google account?

[SecretAsianMan]

I would imagine that most everyone at this point has a Google account.  It doesn't bother me but I'll defer to the group consensus.

[prettyunsmart]

I'd imagine most people here have a Google account, even if they don't use it regularly. Then again, I understand not wanting too, with privacy concerns and all.

[Apelsin]

I've got a google account.

[SuperBiasedMan]

If we make a thread for it anyway, maybe those who don't want to use Google could post replies to the thread about events and have someone with a Google account add the event itself? A not great solution but it means a Google account isn't 100% necessary.

[tegan]

Random thought about how video games are fucking weird:

 

Does anyone else ever stop and think about how messed up it is that video games have equal experience and validity as both a means of expressing a narrative and as a competitive sport? I feel like a lot of bullshit "it's not a real game" sentiment stems from the fact that Pong (which is a representation of a sport that's meant to be even more abstract than, say, chess), Gone Home (which is an almost purely narrative experience with little in the way of rules or systems), and Pokémon (which is equally valid when played as a narrative experience with competitive elements and as a competitive sport where the positions have unusually specific designs and backstories) all grew out of the same thing.

[clyde]

I started looking at archaic terms for what we put under the "games" umbrella and found some interesting entries. I think that most of the single-player games I play could be considered tour puzzles. I love that name.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_puzzle

[zerofiftyone]

  On 9/5/2014 at 10:23 AM, tegan said:

Random thought about how video games are fucking weird:

 

Does anyone else ever stop and think about how messed up it is that video games have equal experience and validity as both a means of expressing a narrative and as a competitive sport? I feel like a lot of bullshit "it's not a real game" sentiment stems from the fact that Pong (which is a representation of a sport that's meant to be even more abstract than, say, chess), Gone Home (which is an almost purely narrative experience with little in the way of rules or systems), and Pokémon (which is equally valid when played as a narrative experience with competitive elements and as a competitive sport where the positions have unusually specific designs and backstories) all grew out of the same thing.

 

I know right? It's a pretty bizarre (and amazing in a way) thing that Tetris, Flower and DayZ are all under the same header of "video game". It's a taxonomist's nightmare .  

 

Yeah a lot of the "it's not a real game" sentiment is I think perpetuated by people who only look at games as being one narrow thing, and feel as though other varieties of game are impostors, or leaching off of the perceived prestige of the "game" category.

[chummer]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had memories of a video game triggered by something and then spends a bunch of time trying to remember its title.

 

I just had this experience last night while watching GB's CD-i video and ended up remembering an old arcade game where you play one of many alien species in a starship, dog-fighting arena. I played this a lot at Camelot Aracde b/c as a kid I was obsessed with flying starships and I really liked the flight stick controls. The best part was when I found out the name of the game was Space Lords. Here's some video of the cabinet:

 

 

The klaxon triggers specific sense memories in me as well. The layout of the arcade, its dankness, the air conditioning, the carpeting, the smell of pizza, the solitude of where the cabinet was located (it was in the back with a lot of the older games), the brown hue of the arcade. I should go back there one of these days.

[SuperBiasedMan]

I got some old adventure games I never played and booted up Maniac Mansion.

 

 

 

 

I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Eric]

  On 9/5/2014 at 11:05 PM, SuperBiasedMan said:

I got some old adventure games I never played and booted up Maniac Mansion.

 

 

 

 

I have no idea what I'm doing.

 

Click everything onto everything else

[Apelsin]

  On 9/4/2014 at 10:54 PM, SuperBiasedMan said:

If we make a thread for it anyway, maybe those who don't want to use Google could post replies to the thread about events and have someone with a Google account add the event itself? A not great solution but it means a Google account isn't 100% necessary.

 

Well we already have the multiplayer networking subforum, but I keep forgetting that exists all the time.

[JonCole]

Undermind has been chatting me up about a potential way to do this without needing a Google account login and it's looking good. Just want to iron a couple things out and we'll make a thread in the Multiplayer subforum.

[chummer]

  On 9/6/2014 at 9:21 PM, JonCole said:

Undermind has been chatting me up about a potential way to do this without needing a Google account login and it's looking good. Just want to iron a couple things out and we'll make a thread in the Multiplayer subforum.

 

Don't Steam groups have calenders?

[JonCole]

Considering the goal (in my mind) is not only to make a calendar for Steam games but also PC games on other platforms like Origin or UPlay as well as on consoles I don't really see using Steam as practical for this. Also, as far as I know everyone would have to be an admin for anyone to add events to that calendar.

[undermind9]

posted to the mp networking forum.  

 

this was way more difficult than it should be.  google docs was a pretty good solution, but even their stuff didnt totally mesh together which was mildly frustrating - but typical considering the almost-done nature of a lot of their products

[tegan]

I started playing Burnout Paradise. It's pretty neat! However...

 

"Man, what's with this soundtrack? It's all like late nineties nu-metal and butt rock or something."

 

"HEY HEY

 

YOU YOU

 

I DON'T LIKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND"

 

"Okay, back on board."

 

 

 

(I turned off every track except for all the classical music, a handful of okay songs, and the above inexplicable inclusion)

[miffy495]

When Giant Bomb played it for a Thursday Night Throwdown, they turned off every song except for that one. For 2 hours, it was nothing but Lavigne. It was pretty great, especially when Vinny started fucking with the levels. Justified my premium subscription right there.

[Apelsin]

Butt rock? Now I'm interested.

[Justin Leego]

Burnout Paradise is ace, we should have a playdate of sorts (or maybe two, so as to encompass the global timezone-dispersed nature of The Thumb)

[Nappi]

Indeed. Burnout Paradise is awesome but the playlist is very poorly constructed.

[eot]

Far Cry 2 always tells me my video card drivers are out of date, no matter what. Well I just uninstalled it and even the uninstaller complained. I guess it's fitting for that game to nag.

[Bjorn]

Your video drivers have jammed and contracted malaria.