really motivating video, showing us the awesome studio of Epic Games, people responsible for the leading industry game engine “Unreal Engine”, also responsible for the award-winning “Gears of War” games.
the video has Cliff Bleszinski (aka “Cliffy B”) giving some basic information regarding the studio, as well as ways to get into the industry x]
gosh.. i’d give anything to work with Epic Games, just look at their facilities and offices! -dreams-
especially look at Cliffy B’s office…! tht’s pimp!
reading more.. and there was this part of a writeup in my game magazine (GameDeveloper) that i simply feel has finally put alot of my thoughts into one good piece of writing.
Read on:
There are songs that are kind of catchy. Others you just can’t get out of your head. And then, ever so rarely, there are those songs which are so memorable, you could swear you had heard them before. Song taste is highly personal–different people react to different songs in different ways– but the breakout hits are the ones that resonate on this level with a large number of people.
Creating a breakout hit is no easy task, in part because the songwriter’s instincts can often be wrong. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith was reportedly surprised that “St. John” from Permanent Vacation was met by collective yawns from concert-goers. He thought he knew what made a hit–the song had an interesting riff, topical lyrics, was meaty to play live–but somehow just didn’t reach the fans. Today, the song is a footnote in the band’s music catalog.
All creative fields are like this. Sometimes films and books just catch fire from nothing. Sometimes, sure-handed directors stumble. Pop radio is full of songs like “The Macarena” and “I’m Too Sexy,” all done by bands that later proved to be one-hit wonders unable to repeat their success. This is true of games as well.
- Damion Schubert
It’s not easy making games. Not easy making “that game that sold billions of dollars in revenue”. Only 1 game gets that recognition…out of a whole barrage of hundreds of other titles developed and released under the same hardship and labor.
Even then, if you did successfully launch that “One-hit-wonder” game that has everyone talking about, everyone itching to squeeze that few minutes out of lunch break just to play your game… repeating this success in a sequel or follow up game will be no easy task.
I’m sure this ‘concept’ applies to all other fields of work aside from the Entertainment fields (ie. real estate, automotive, etc).
didn’t i blog about this before some where… i personally believe very strictly in the micro transaction business model for games. There’s always been a new idea for how to make money off the game you work so hard to develop and put onto store shelves… the more accepted “episodic release” being one of the better favored “new successful distribution” method. Games like NCSoft’s Guild Wars for example was one of the early pioneers of ‘episodic release’ business model… customers buy the game, and get to enjoy the full content of the game for free, until, there’s a new “episode” or expansion, you pay for the expansion, and it’s the customer’s choice if he/she wants the additional content. Valve’s Halflife 2 Episodes are also a great example of this business model.
But that model seems to be… failing. It’s hard work to keep steady with a “6 month” develop-and-release cycle, especially if each new episode has to be as good, or even better, than the previous one (usually it has to be better otherwise why would fans continue to keep up with the game).
So introduce Micro Transactions. The general idea of it alone sounds so much more appealing already to any shopper. You pretty much buy the game free, play all you want, but, when you’re in-game with your character and friends, you start to realize you’re lacking something. So you continue on into the in-game shop, and purchase a new item or boost or armor or etc..for a measly fee of usually something around 2 or 3 real-life dollars. Every time you want something more, or a new kind of boost or upgrade or a new expansion chapter, you head back into that virtual store, and make another 3 or 5 real-life dollar purchase to get an in-game item. Developers are constantly updating and adding new content, usually very simple and quick content, bringing them into these virtual stores within that game, and everyone loves new stuff, so the masses will naturally horde in to grab that new item for 3 dollars a pop.
Alright so what about the iPhone??
well, now Apple has available this type of transaction for game/app developers that wish to make use of. It’s proven that this kind of distribution and business solution helps control piracy, and also increases the title’s distribution rate. Afterall, game is free, why won’t a person grab it? And the moment they do start playing it, that’s where the hook is…and they latch on, and they start micro-transactions, buying mini-game items for “just 1 buck” for the rest of their lives playing this game. Developers add something new and enticing into this virtual shop, and bam, the person goes to spend more money on the game.
I’m excited ’cause i’ve always dreamt to develop a game, which utilizes heavily this micro transaction model..and with the iPhone now capable of it, it’s another motivator for me to push on with my personal iPhone project.
it’s not just any monitor, it’s the perfect choice for me, personally.
given i did read about the problems customers were having, i believed it was just a problem particular to that single unit they had recieved…and i believed right
the unit i recieved, is jaw-dropping gorgeous.
colors pop, compared to my dell 2005wfp 20inch IPS monitor. i believed that my good ol’ 2005wfp monitor was already amazing with regards to colors, viewing angles.
not! not until i got my hands on this bad boy!
it’s. amazing.
and im very very nit-picky about my “big purchases”, and this was one of it.
prior to getting this u2410 model, i had bought a dell 2408wfp (read/researched hype and rave reviews for the 2408) but i had troubles with it, viewing problems, extreme color shifting, making text and any work with the screen just uneasy and uncomfortable for me. i sent it back, waited a while (couple weeks how coincidental!) and picked up a sale/offer for this beautiful U2410 model.
Alright!
Here’s the “down-to-earth” review of this monitor you people have been emailing me to do! Forget CNET and other big sites that are rumored to be biased based off the money they are paid to put good word in for the product.
*Note! I’m no color/monitor geek professional. This U2410 is review is based off Out-Of-the-Box + eyeball/manual calibration (no 3rd party hardware color calibrators).
Aesthetics: woo, dam. does this bad boy look sexy. comparing it to the now-smaller-lesser sibling monitor dell 2005wfp, this u2410 looks absolute professional, and classy. the matte black “square block” of a stand, the nice thick matte silver neck, and the 4 sharp corners of the panel, along with touch-sensitive OSD buttons, and a single non-distracting blue led power button, this baby is beautiful. Compare it with the HP2475 and the NECs (wuxis) (other competitors in this monitor range), the U2410 has absolute class.
The Searing Sun: this screen came out of the box with Brightness 50 Contrast 50. Waaaay tooo bright for me, it caused me to frown and squint (and squeal). I have it set to Brightness 8 Contrast 45 now.
Colors of the Rainbow & Beyond: this screen came factory calibrated. it shipped with a factory color calibration report sheet (with a reported Avg. Delta E graph with everything under 2.1, which is rather excellent). Also, away from the ’science’ of color, what i saw, was immediately a new world of color comparing with my old boy 2005wfp model. The colors on this U2410 pop. It’s not over saturated, not ’sunburned’, or whateva other terms you coined in your past experiences with monitors.
the U2410 is stated as a 12-bit color monitor, an upgrade for the standard 8-bit and/or 10-bit average consumer monitor out in the market. It’s rated to have a color range past 1billion colors, not the typical “12.something million colors”.
So everything together, the color experience is absolute amazing.
Sure, i had to do some manual color tweaks, adjusting the display through the u2410’s on-screen menu options…but the controls are alot more detailed than what was available on the dell 2005wfp model. Depending on the Preset Mode you’re running, the options available to tweak will vary. But it’s still a fairly generous depth of color precision controls you can get.
The Black Blacks: Given this is an IPS monitor, with cathode lighting, i wasnt expecting the U2410 to shine at this area. and i was right. Some might be disappointed with the black levels, it certainly is not as deep as my ol’ 2005wfp model, neither is it as deep and black as the dell 2408wfp i had sent back. But it’s still really black-black. It has a black level reading of “2.0ish” for the scientific readers. (’pro plasma’ screens have blacks levels as deep as 0.01, smaller the value the better black.)
The Whiter Whites: Whites are great. I had to adjust the gamma and contrast setting initially to get the white to be the white i was comfortable with (eyeballing again! no hardware color calibration here!). I was aided with the renown Lagom LCD Monitor color calibration screen tests website. (http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/)
Viewing All Angles: This is an IPS screen, viewing angles are spot on greatness. Comparing my viewing experience with the Dell 2408wfp (which is a PVA panel), that 2408 model and this u2410 difference was like night vs day. It was astounding to me at just how great the viewing angle on this u2410 is.
Gaming in the Fast Lane: I’ve played every game i’ve been playing recently on this U2410. Call of Duty 5, Killzone, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, Counter Strike, Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander, Grand Theft Auto 4, Crysis. (Yes, notice the cross-platform titles in this list haha, that’s because i have hooked up my playstation 3 to the U2410 as well as my PC, i’ll be commenting shortly about the U2410 connections inputs.)
And this screen is excellent for every game in any genre. Drop-dead gorgeous! AND IN FULL 1080P HD! (yes, im coming from playing my ps3 on Composite video on my ol’ 2005wfp monitor).
Inputs galore: Yes, you certainly get everything you put your money down for. The U2410 has an entire barrage of inputs/outputs. It has 2 x DVI, Component, Composite, HDMI, Display Port, Speaker in/out for the Dell Sound Bar, 8-in-1 Card Reader, 4 x USB ports.
I have hooked up my Playstation 3, PC, laptop, and cable tv, all to this single screen. All i have to do is push the Input button on the U2410 to select a video source, and wee! I’m contemplating purchasing a nintendo Wii some time soon, and it’s gonna go up on this same monitor
The final experience: At the end of the day, i’m way more satisfied than i had been psyching myself to be! I had read alot of complaint about the U2410, common troubles like dead pixels, color tinting in the screen’s corners, and screen graininess (?)…all of which i’ve seemed to have completely avoided! This U2410 is yet another absolute awesomeness buy i’ve made, and i will forever recommend this screen to my friends and relatives. (if you can bring yourself to it’s price, i dropped down $500usd for this, and that was after a discount/sale of over a hundred bucks! but it’s certainly the best bang for your buck for a monitor of this sature!) I can say with confidence this U2410 is clearly the ultimate next step up from the dell 2005wfp!
It’s not often i shop for and buy a new monitor, the last time i did was in 2005, that’s a 4 year gap, and $400-500 in such a long time, i’m certain that’s really conservative already. And plus, i know well in heart that this U2410 is going to take me through another 5 years or more! woohoo! what’s not to like!
Yes, let it be made known, there is no perfect monitor out on the market, there is no “the One monitor”…every monitor to date has it’s own flaws, and when it comes down to the money, the Dell U2410 hits the very sweetest spot. The next competitor up to this behemoth would be Apple’s LED Cinema Display, retailing for $900 USD. Almost twice the cost of a single U2410. Further up the tier into the professional monitor zone, you can start looking at the NEC monitors, which start at $1200 USD and go up to $10,000USD! (all 24 inchers too)
Review Requests: Please email me your thoughts and questions and requests! Want me to “test” or write about another aspect of this monitor? Or leave a comment below too!
U2410 Pictures and Video:
I’ve made a video with my point-and-shoot camera of this screen “in life”, readers interested can easily check it out at youtube.com. (link will be added shortly)
meanwhile, indulge yourselves in the pictures i’ve taken of this sexy beast too!
If you like, i have made available the “Full Color Screen” test pictures i used in the following pictures, for download if you like. They are 1920×1200 resolution big, and just view in something you can set to ‘full screen’, good choice would be the standard Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, and going into Slide Show Mode (pressing F11).
*Note: The Fuzziness/Graininess in the following pictures are not in/from the monitor! It’s from my point-and-shoot camera…crappy $200 consumer budget camera :/ Also bear in mind that this camera has White Balance, and i’ve not been successful with tweaking it to the right tone, so these pictures are not “true to your eye” compared to in real life.. i made them to give readers a feel and idea of what this screen is like in a home. (clik the images for full size!)
Full Black Test Screen (i need to retake the picture in a completely darkened room!)
Full Blue Test Screen
Black To White Gradient Test Screen
Full Green Test Screen
Full Red Test Screen
Full White Test Screen
View Angle Test: Front
View Angle Test: Side Right
View Angle Test: Side Left
View Angle Test: Bottom
View Angle Test: Above
How helpful was my review? Did you like it? What else would you like to see with regards to this monitor? Leave a comment please! Hope this write up helps those that are having a tough time deciding what monitor to put down their money on!
Thanks all for reading! 450 reads and counting!(as of 10/15/2009)
Stumbled again (i love stumbling!!) over this article about the basics of using actionscript to create a RTS/Strategy type of flash game.
I find it especially intriguing ’cause the actionscript source itself pretty much is commented about at every line, so i’ve managed to pick up and apply my own needs with various areas of that chunk of code.
It’s great reference and/or base source material for anyone that’s also into Flash game development.
I have to say, first up, the dell 2408WFP is around 2 or 3 years old now, with a couple Revisions done to it, they are currently at “Rev A02″ shipped. Rev 02 knocks out all the kinks in the older revisions, making the Dell 2408WFP a King of all 24” Monitors.
or is that been bumped now?
Dell has introduced its new model into the 24inch monitor range, and it’s a killer buy too. The new Dell U2410 monitor uses a H-IPS panel from LG. The 2408WFP only uses a Samsung PVA panel…
I recently had the 2408WFP, after trying to use it for 3 weeks, i’ve decided to return it to Dell, despite all the rave reviews about it. Yes i must say it’s truly a magnificent 24incher (2408wfp), but being a PVA panel, and having had moved up to this from an older Dell 2005WFP monitor (which, is an S-IPS panel), i could not get myself accustomed to the PVA technology.. the Viewing Angle felt dramtically smaller in comparison with even the old 20inch IPS panel monitor i had prior.
It resulted in intense Color Shifting for me, making it hard and very uncomfortable to read Email or Text documents (black font against a white/bright color background..high contrast documents). It caused eyestrain on me and headaches. Color Shifting is not the same as Viewing Angle, many might think it is but they are two different things.
If i was able to rid/calibrate that 2408wfp the right way, i’m sure it would have fixed the color shifting problem. However, i couldn’t and thus my inability to make it a keeper. Aside from color shifting troubles i had, put that aside, and wow, i must say 24inches of such wide-gamut colors is breathtaking. Movies and videos looked fine, and immersive because of the size of the screen itself.
I for one love high resolutions, and that 2408wfp gave me just that, a 1920×1200 resolution (16:10 aspect).
So comparing the 2408wfp to the new U2410, i’m pretty confident to say i would, if anything, take the U2410 over the 2408wfp any time. The U2410 seems much closer to my experience with the 2005wfp model, both of these having IPS panels. With the newer U2410, it not only increases my physical screen size, it also increases resolution estate from 1680×1050 to 1920×1200! Also, the U2410 sports an even wider gamut/range of color, so in theory, the U2410 will be our new King of 24inchers.
Things to note about the Dell U2410, is that there are complaints about it from the people that already own this. The biggest complaint being an annoying “graininess” visible across the screen, and “bad dithering issues while using the sRGB modes” of the screen. These complaints however, are followed up by the same persons saying “i dont see the problems anymore after more usage”.
Another common complaint going around now too, is that there are “stuck-pixels” on the U2410 that people recieve. The pixels are not dead, they work, they light up. They just dont change colors.
With all these problems and some other less common complaints though, Dell has willingly done all exchanges/refunds where requested for this monitor.
Prices between the U2410 and 2408wfp aren’t much different, but both are pricey. In an average shopper’s terms, you could easily buy 2 or 3 other 24inch monitors with the money you spend buying a single U2410/2408wfp.
But. For the price you willingly put down, every, single, buck, is totally worth the while. These 2 monitors have an entire range of input connections, unlike other standard consumer monitors (your 150buck 24inch monitors). With HDMI, 2 x DVI, VGA, Component, Composite, USB ports, Card Readers, and even HDMI Audio Output, your money spent here will cover your every need (PC, Mac, PS3, Xbox, Wii all-in-one).
On top of the full range of connections, you get a quality “pro-technology” panel, PVA with the 2408wfp, and H-IPS for the U2410. Both technologies far superior over TN panels (which is the mass monitor market).
All in all, from where i stand, i’d give the Dell U2410 the crown over the 2408wfp.
If you are ready to bite the bullet and get your hands on this beauty, wait for Dell discounts on the U2410. It will be very worth the wait ’cause their deals are killer.
Article i found showing just how much people are getting involved and believing in the iPhone Game Application market.
Apple, company responsible for the infamous iPhone/ipodTouch, “revealed that 21,178 titles are currently available for download from the iTunes App Store.”
Comparing with other Portable Gaming Devices suchs as Playstation Portable, Nintendo DS (modern age Gameboy)…the iPhone has at a minimum, 5x more games available than those 2 platforms combined.
Playstation Portable “has 607 titles”(games) available, and the Nintendo DS “has 3680 titles” for consumers.
Awesome eh? Apple also notes the newer models of iPhones will boast stronger hardware, allowing games to run and look better on it..meaning the games are just gonna keep coming. more, more and more.
These numbers reflects our average society today. Shows us how much we’ve accepted Gaming into our lifestyles today…and shows us that Gaming, is here to stay. Gaming has become so much a part of our lives now, be it casual or hardcore-intense gaming…we all love games.
It also shows me just how much competition there is now…i’ve “missed the boat”, and piercing into this now-humongous mobile game market is gonna be dreadful tough.
been a good year at least, since the hype for Crytek’s “Crysis” game was fed & satisfied. With just one expansion so far that’s fully built on the CryEngine2 “Crysis: Warhead”….there’s still plenty more to see just what the engine can do.
or can we.
Crytek’s already demonstrated a newer CryEngine3, but bringing only a few “wows” and “ooohs”. Reason being it’s really nothing too new, CryEngine3 is just a tweaked up version of its predecessor so consoles, like the Xbox & Playstation, can too, have their version of this mouth-watering game engine. Does it hold up? Nah. The original CryEngine2 for the PC is still just as strong, if not, still the King of CryEngines. I still haven’t seen any studio push as hard as Crytek does to put art & visuals as high a priority as say gameplay, game design, or story. Sure, sounds like they decided not to skimp on any aspect of the game, but they do lose out on market size..and, that, does, not, matter. ;D
Enjoy the video. This is what makes me proud to be a Game artist. Unreal Engine 3 still needs work, if i have to decide anything.
news around about Disney, Walt Disney, yes yes, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Disney, buying out Marvel! Marvel is the group with the famous Spiderman & X-Men series..including Fantastic Four and the Hulk and other classic child Superhero favorites.
Disney is said to be buying over Marvel in a $4billion(USD) deal..and there’s alotta comments already regarding the future of what a Disneyland-Marvelled will be. It’s a really significant and interesting “merger”. Marvel is more targeted to grown-ups, while Disney seems to be targeted to lil’ kids. So yes, the combinations of a “SuperHero Team” in the future appears to be confuzzling. “Mickey Mouse tag-teams with The Hulk to rescue Daisy Duck from the evil clutches of Venom!”
Fat Princess, a multiplayer game developed by Titan Studios, finally launched. I’ve personally been keeping an eye out for this title, and wow, it’s definitely held up to my expectations. Take a look at the video comments of this on gametrailers.com, pretty much the highest number of “i want to buy this game” comments i’ve ever seen.
This game is targeted for both casual & hardcore gamers. It’s built to be very “user friendly” so anyone can just pick up the game/controller and jump straight into the mayhem. The concept of the game is as simple as you can get, rescue your princess. You play as Red or Blue team, and battle the opposing team to get your princess.
However, the depth of the game stretches with the introduction of 5 different playable classes. It’s the standard roles you will find in any and every multiplayer game around. You have the warrior class(melee attacks), archer class(ranged attacks), mage class(magic spell attacks), priest class(healing/supportive role), and lastly the worker class(collect resources to aid your team’s overall strength). Upon choosing what role you wish to play, you’re dropped straight into battle royale…and depending on the level, it could be anything from the typical “team deathmatch” (kill all opponents), “capture the flag” (in this case your flag’s your princess), “point-control” (sieze and hold various strategic points around the level for the longest possible time). The battles can get up to 32-player huge, meaning 31(+1 you) other people around the world will be able to play together with you online..giant battles! (not to mention long battles too hehe)
What’s cool is that you can even switch roles out on the battle field. Say you’re a warrior(melee) and you’re having a hard time “doing your thing”, if you see an archer(ranged) [Hat] on the ground, pick it up at will and you’ve switched to that class. This will have significant impacts on strategies teams employ…what may be working right now might just flip for the worse! So be prepared, think and act fast
The other twist to this “simple” game design is the fact that you can feeeeeed yourrr princesss Cake! More cake, she gets heavier! Heavier, your opponents will have a harder time rescuing her! They will move slower back to their fort the bigger the princess is..
The art style for the game is my perfect cup of tea too! I digg the cartoony look, vibrant colors, stumpy characters. The level design too is amazing…clearly there’s many heavy choke points, bringing out the biggest clashes between the teams Everything comes together beautifully.
If i ever had the chance, this would have absolutely been one title i would be thrilled to work on. Every aspect of the game appeals to the type and style of work i’ve grown to love.
Check out the Developer Diary videos too! They’re a great peek into what kind of minds we need to bring forth a game like this one
Oh yes, this game is available for only the Playstation 3, on PSN..unfortunately.
one, sexy, super stylish, wireless, keyboard…the diNovo keyboard from Logitech, is currently on offer for just 20bucks. The street/original price is a more supreme 100bucks… now for 20bucks, thats 80% sale.
you, simply, can’t, miss out, on this. period. there’s not even a basic, wired keyboard, for less than 20bucks anywhere else.
Dell’s finally released another IPS monitor, the new 24 inch U2410 monitor. Granted it only just launched in Japan & i believe UK now, the USA launch is still not here yet.
i’m a little disappointed this “new” monitor does not give us LED backlighting technology, but instead still continues with the CCFL backlight technology (well though Dell says it’s an enhanced-version of CCFL backlights..still not LED!)
There’s still no good in-depth analysis of this new Dell U2410 IPS-based monitor, but i do think it will become the next new champ of monitors at the price range (of around 600-750 bucks before tax, so i heard). Do take note, this is one of the very few, if not the only, 24inch IPS monitor to have a full range of inputs..including HDMI, Display Port, Component, Composite, not 1 but 2 x DVI ports, and VGA port, and also Card Reader and USB Ports. That means you can use this 700bucks monitor for not just your computer, but hook it up to a PS3 and/or Xbox and/or Wii, and DVR/Dvd player, and TV, all simultaneously. Saves you the money of buying a screen for each individual purpose!
And, naturally, with a newer (and im betting superior as well) high-end product out now, Dell currently has the other 24 inch king of monitors, the Dell 2408wfp, on sale! The price has been tagged all the way down to 395bucks before tax, and it has free shipping! This is the cheapest and best best deal anyon can ever get for such a beauty monitor as this one.The offer expires on the 20th of August 2009 i believe, which is less than 4 days remaining if you’ve got any interest at all.
However, the 2408 is PVA, while the 2410 is IPS…would you jump the gun to get this PVA unbeatable-price, or wait an extra 5-8 months with high chances that the superior IPS panel U2410 will also be tagged with discount coupons.. choices!
but at the end of the day, it’s up to your eyes, and wallet.
Yash. I spend too much time reading, aka “researching”, products that i wish to buy.. (electronics/gadgets/geek boy stuff)
not really sure it’s a good thing, because i always discover another similar product with “better pros” than the original product i was researching about…then at the end of this extensive period of reading/web browsing, i end up stuck and torn between usually 2 products, and i get all frustrated about “which one do i buy now?!”
anyways, i’m sure alot others and i guess everyone else does do their own kind of “research” on a product they wish to buy… especially if it’s something pricey. Everyone wants that “BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK”…i’ve picked up this habit since early 2000s, i typically spend literally, hours n hours, amounting to weeks, reading up on specifics and up to minute details on something Sam wishes to buy!
I don’t read much..like on a normal day… i’m not much a reader as a person, i don’t like books. It’s strange how much i can spend just reading internet reviews, consumer feedback, technical details, theoretical information regarding the technology behind the product i’m buying (ie what is sound? when im buying speakers…or what is a monitor? for when i’m looking for a new monitor screen.. or what makes a digital slr camera? for when i’m looking at getting a new camera).
Pretty much each page i end up reading, will link me to yet another whole page with even more feedback, details, etc…the knowledge keeps coming!
Anyhows, point is, i believe everyone owes it to themselves to do their own version of ‘researching’ a product they plan to buy. It’s simply like buying a house or car, you explore your options, you spend weeks walking through showrooms, test driving cars from different manufacturers.
The last thing we all want is to say “i wish i didn’t buy this.”
ok this is a rant … thoughts going through my head as i was working on my painting homework all day.
earlier yesterday was spending time on another of those MMORPGs (massive-multiplayer-online role-playing-games)..yes i could rant another whole post just about my take on MMOs.. but yesterday, i happen to be chatting to one of the players (usually target audience for these game developers are teenagers if not younger), who happens to be just 13 years of age.
what really started me thinking is just how much our society now has changed, we are in the age of “the computer”. My parents and your parents didn’t have the privilege of being able to “send mails electronically at the clik of a button”, they never had the opportunity to “google it”. They were, as i quote from my other literature i’ve read regarding Video Games & our modern society, the Baby Boomers, and we’re Generation X!
alright so back to my chat with this kid..this game has an “Upgrade system”, which is pretty much what all MMORPGs thrive on and are designed around. The player has the opportunity, not forced upon, to further enhance his character/avatar of himself, making his/her virtual self stronger, more respected, etc. A “sword+1″ is not as impressive as a “sword+3″. And upgrading it to a “3″ is, a simple feat within the game. You are allowed to enhance your item up to a “10″, which will be the maximum power your character can attain. However, as logic shows it, the further you upgrade, the tougher it will get to achieve that level of power. Getting a “5″ to a “6″ might take you only a few attempts, and going from “6″ to “7″ will more than likely double that number of attempts to achieve.
Majority of the players in the game boast anywhere from a “sword+5″ to a “sword+8″. This kid had a fully upgraded item “sword+10″, he had “beaten” the game system in a sense, achieving the highest goal within the game(well there are plenty other goals to achieve within any given game, this was just one). The game designers dont wish for players to be able to reach the max. They want you to keep “trying”, buying upgrade-recipes over and over again, giving the developers your money & time.
I talked to him, asking how many times he had to try, to upgrade his “sword+10″. He replied “hundreds”. I asked him “why did you decide to spend your money (virtual game currency) buying upgrade-items to attempt that? You could have just spent your money else where, for example buy a new pair of boots for your character..afterall, everyone in the game knows it’s ground breaking hard to achieve a “+10″ item…you would be left with nothing if you did not get the 10, since you’re spending everything you have to get this 10.”
He replied confidently “yes i know, i heard it was a 0.1% chance of success going from 9 to 10 alone…”
“…but there [is] that chance right? so it’s not impossible. it’s not a 0% i wanted to take that chance.”
that’s it right there. that’s what sets children these days apart from “us”.
He’s a risk taker. He’s 13, a very young age, and he’s already developed a mindful for taking risks. Yah sure, to him its all just fun and games, but subconsciously, he’s already grasping important life skills that will take him beyond his “friend in the next cubicle”. He did not know how many times he would have to attempt to achieve that “item+10″, he simply went for it, disregarding other temptations or distractions (like a new pair of boots) or that chance that he might come up empty and fail it all.
Now compare that to a real life scenario. A good example will be that movie “Pursuit of Happiness” with Will Smith.
He struggled at the beginning. He failed some times. It was all not easy.
But he had it in him. He was one of the very few at the time to be able to solve a Rubix cube puzzle. Everyone else gave up on the puzzle. Everyone else gave up on life when they ran into troubles. Everyone else gave up on “upgrading that sword further” to get to the top.
But.
He made it. He didnt give up, he promised himself and his son to be successful. The other candidates trying for the job were white men, he was black.
He saw that “small chance”. This 13 yr old kid saw that “0.1%” chance. There is a chance. Now are you bothered enough to pursue it? How far you going to go.. how much you willing to risk..how many times are you willing to fail..? There’s a chance in life that me, Sam, will achieve my personal goals for life. I’m willing to go all out for it. There. is. a. chance.
While the normal-day-average person will settle for a comfortable job, earning in just about good to support his family comfortably, there is that minority that is willing to take risks and push it further. While the average MMORPG player may simply settle for a “sword+8″, there is that minority that will choose to go for the “10″ and risk it all.
Many “Life Lessons” in my terms, can be learnt, from playing video games. You just have to Game Responsibly. When i have kids next time, i already know, i’m not gonna be that parent that says “GET OFF THE XBOX & DO YOUR HOMEWORK”.
There’s a good book i read a couple years ago now, Got Game, a study about this growing Gamer Generation and how it has changed our society significantly. We can’t hide and lie to ourselves anymore. Video games are, part of our lives now just as much as television and radio is. Embrace it. Everybody wants to win..no one wants to lose. If you want to win today, it’s no harm to pick up 1 game quietly and sit down one evening, give yourself a chance to experience the fun.
really motivating video, showing us the awesome studio of Epic Games, people responsible for the leading industry game engine “Unreal Engine”, also responsible for the award-winning “Gears of War” games.
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