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All items from February 2007
6 Feb 2007 : Pigeon AI #
It wasn't until after writing up that last post about birds in computer games that I discovered - whilst search for suitable screenshots on the Web - that the birds in Broken Sword Angel of Darkness were actually intended as a clue in the game. Not quite as incidental as I'd imagined! It just goes to show how much thought has often gone into such things.
6 Feb 2007 : Free as a bird #
Over the years, I have to admit, I've played a fair few computer games. A common theme that runs through many games is that of 'struggle'. You take on the role of an - often reluctant - hero, struggling against some alien or mystical aggressor so as to fulfil your destiny and, coincidentally, complete the game.
Another common theme that I've noticed is that many computer games like to include incidental aesthetic features. Bushes that move with the wind, birds that fly away in reaction to some movement, the changing light as the sun moves through the sky. These all add to the atmosphere of the game, immersing the player and increasing the feeling that the environment is real. It's touches like these that I find particularly beautiful in computer games; things that aren't necessary, but which nonetheless add depth. Half-life 2, Broken Sword Angel of Death, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Tomb Raider Legend and Prince of Persia the Two Thrones are games with these kinds of incidental effects that immediately spring to mind.
However, whenever I notice such things - usually as a result of me disturbing some quietly perched birds - it also has another effect, serving to highlight the disparity between the tumultuous struggle inherent to the gameplay and the unchanging indifference of the world it inhabits.
Why are evil overlord alien races or mystical enemies never interested in subjugating or annihilating the bird population? Why are they only interested in the humans? Why is it that they are happy to share their world with the birds, but not with the humans? There might be all manner of pain and suffering, battling, fighting and enslaving going on - massive gun battles and destruction - yet the birds just seem to go about their business oblivious to the disaster going on around them. It's not just the birds either. It's pretty much all of the other animals: fish, lizards, insects and so on. All of nature in fact.
Okay, perhaps I'm reading too much into what is really just an incidental addition to a game. But I think it's an interesting metaphor for everyday life. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of stress and work that can consume our daily lives, whilst at the same time the world goes on, oblivious and unaffected. The stress and work is often entirely of our own making.
You can extend this further to more serious matters too. I'm lucky to never have experienced wartime in any real sense (although Britain seems to have been at war with at least one country for as long as I can remember; it's testament to the aggressive nature of our democracy that this always seems to be happening somewhere else). But even during the most horrendous times, nature carries on, the weather changes and animals continue their lives indifferent to the human follies around them. It's somehow reassuring.
It may seem a little odd, but it's this that I'm reminded of when I disturb a flock of birds in a computer game.
Over the years, I have to admit, I've played a fair few computer games. A common theme that runs through many games is that of 'struggle'. You take on the role of an - often reluctant - hero, struggling against some alien or mystical aggressor so as to fulfil your destiny and, coincidentally, complete the game.
Another common theme that I've noticed is that many computer games like to include incidental aesthetic features. Bushes that move with the wind, birds that fly away in reaction to some movement, the changing light as the sun moves through the sky. These all add to the atmosphere of the game, immersing the player and increasing the feeling that the environment is real. It's touches like these that I find particularly beautiful in computer games; things that aren't necessary, but which nonetheless add depth. Half-life 2, Broken Sword Angel of Death, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Tomb Raider Legend and Prince of Persia the Two Thrones are games with these kinds of incidental effects that immediately spring to mind.
However, whenever I notice such things - usually as a result of me disturbing some quietly perched birds - it also has another effect, serving to highlight the disparity between the tumultuous struggle inherent to the gameplay and the unchanging indifference of the world it inhabits.
Why are evil overlord alien races or mystical enemies never interested in subjugating or annihilating the bird population? Why are they only interested in the humans? Why is it that they are happy to share their world with the birds, but not with the humans? There might be all manner of pain and suffering, battling, fighting and enslaving going on - massive gun battles and destruction - yet the birds just seem to go about their business oblivious to the disaster going on around them. It's not just the birds either. It's pretty much all of the other animals: fish, lizards, insects and so on. All of nature in fact.
Okay, perhaps I'm reading too much into what is really just an incidental addition to a game. But I think it's an interesting metaphor for everyday life. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of stress and work that can consume our daily lives, whilst at the same time the world goes on, oblivious and unaffected. The stress and work is often entirely of our own making.
You can extend this further to more serious matters too. I'm lucky to never have experienced wartime in any real sense (although Britain seems to have been at war with at least one country for as long as I can remember; it's testament to the aggressive nature of our democracy that this always seems to be happening somewhere else). But even during the most horrendous times, nature carries on, the weather changes and animals continue their lives indifferent to the human follies around them. It's somehow reassuring.
It may seem a little odd, but it's this that I'm reminded of when I disturb a flock of birds in a computer game.
3 Feb 2007 : The longest journey of all #
I've really fallen in love with small games (maybe "become addicted to" would be more honest!). Most games are so huge and cinematic that you can't really pick them up for a quick game and put them down again. Sometimes you want something with epic production values, but just at the moment I'm enjoying a games that's epic in a totally different way: The Odyssey: Winds of Athena is a small game based on Homer's epic poem. It's sort of puzzle based, but mostly it requires dexterity, creating currents in the water and wind with the mouse to blow Odysseus's boats to safety. At the same time as providing fun and frustrating gameplay, it also charts its way through the classic story, which is enjoyable in itself.
It isn't expensive, and I for one reckon I'd spend a lot more overall buying several games of this size and price than on fewer of the more costly variety. This is certainly what's happened over the last couple of weeks (last weekend I bought Gumboy's Crazy Adventures; another great game).
To be fair, it could be that the reason I find these kinds of games more appealing is because they tend to be 2D and puzzle oriented, with quirky rather than realistic game mechanics. This is the kind of game I grew up with before 3D games became the norm. Nevertheless, there's no denying that they're fun to play, and much better if you just want to have a quick break between doing other things, so I'm indebted to the Out of Eight PC Game Reviews site for introducing it to me.
I've really fallen in love with small games (maybe "become addicted to" would be more honest!). Most games are so huge and cinematic that you can't really pick them up for a quick game and put them down again. Sometimes you want something with epic production values, but just at the moment I'm enjoying a games that's epic in a totally different way: The Odyssey: Winds of Athena is a small game based on Homer's epic poem. It's sort of puzzle based, but mostly it requires dexterity, creating currents in the water and wind with the mouse to blow Odysseus's boats to safety. At the same time as providing fun and frustrating gameplay, it also charts its way through the classic story, which is enjoyable in itself.
It isn't expensive, and I for one reckon I'd spend a lot more overall buying several games of this size and price than on fewer of the more costly variety. This is certainly what's happened over the last couple of weeks (last weekend I bought Gumboy's Crazy Adventures; another great game).
To be fair, it could be that the reason I find these kinds of games more appealing is because they tend to be 2D and puzzle oriented, with quirky rather than realistic game mechanics. This is the kind of game I grew up with before 3D games became the norm. Nevertheless, there's no denying that they're fun to play, and much better if you just want to have a quick break between doing other things, so I'm indebted to the Out of Eight PC Game Reviews site for introducing it to me.