Interactive Gaming 2009

I must say, I really, really enjoyed last week from start to finish. As a teacher, you often deliver stuff that you've delivered over and over again; but I felt that I really got a lot out of you all last week.

Let's look at what we did with Dante, Nero and Devil May Cry 4:

Genre & Genre-less/Multi-Genre gameplay - It was interesting to see how many of you had this pre-conception about genre and what it should be or is.
Ludological Gameplay - How cool was it to look at different stuff in the initial tutorial and be able to compare it to Systemic, Behavioural or Compound Elements?
Perceived Target Audiences - DMC4 had an arcade feel and a very Japanese sense of storytelling. Is that something we want in the West?
Hack 'n' Slash? - Is that what it was? It indeed it was simple hack 'n' slash then why were we so into every aspect of Nero, Dante, Kyrie, Credo, Gloria and Trish?

Overall I think that we really turned a corner as potential gamers and I'm really glad that we have cast off the shackles of last term's interactive and web stuff. I feel that I'm really on a journey to show you everything I've learned and experienced in Game Design.

I hope you enjoy the ride.

Oh heck! Will I mark a piece of work with some mention of VOIP please?

Does anyone use VOIP? It's been around long enough for you to at least try it and be able to write about it and yet, no one (so far) has even given it a mention.

I'm like, sat in my living room pacing up and down because I'm so eager to find at least one assignment that documents or sets out exactly what I've asked for in the assignment.

I wonder whether you'd be surprised to know that some of you have avoided the question on all counts, preferring to do your own thang. Do your own thang? What the hell?

Give me GS8 any day of the week over you lot on this assignment.

What happens if it snows? Well, you can head on over to our website which will be updated daily at 0730. Keep it locked!

All you do is go to http://www.confetti-ict.com/ and click on ‘news’ or the tab on the right hand side ‘snow status’ under latest news . . .

... Wow, where to begin:

• Chipmunk is very poor indeed
• Basshunter is a really nice person
• Vodka makes me miss my friends
• Old age starts at 36
• It is possible to live on what's in the cupboard when you are snowed in
• Xbox 360s are not the end of the world
• Ski socks are the best things about winter
• Saying you are going to the gym and actually going are two separate things
• The Jeremy Kyle Show is strangely engaging
• The geeks shall inherit the earth
• 3 weeks is too long to do nothing

... And much, much more.

Random is the only way that I describe the assignments I've seen so far. It's weird because I thought or hoped that you might be able to produce work that flowed and had meaning in terms of the implication of ethics and law. It hasn't been apparent so far and I'm 10 assignments in. Incidentally, where are all of the other assignments I wonder? Not everyone handed work in, did you know that? Probably 15 or 20 if I'm lucky. So expect a few shoutings at when I return/Monday.

I guess I have been making a natural comparison between the work that GS8 did last year and what you guys have done in assignment 1.2. Is that a fair comparison to make? If so, they really rocked at the assignment which will probably have some issue with how I have taught you ethics and law.....

Mmmmm..... Just thinking aloud.

.... We start at 9am!

For the second year in a row, games have outsold films. It's astonishing to think that we were in the grip of a pretty huge recession last year y'know?! No one can dispute the power of storytelling in games huh?

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a194397/uk-game-sales-total-gbp162bn-for-2009.html

The geeks shall inherit the earth.