gewgaw

… just in time for Souris and Silvio’s BBQ pix and another commentary on the Prince’s activities at EEE!

More from the conference…. that is, if I don’t get stuck somewhere mid-air due to a strike at United!

My back hurts, but it is done.

… from your friendly morning BluesNews…

One, Two, Three, Four

Best quote (re: the new strategy for Xbox) in that last link:

“It is less about creating a more immersive experience,
more about creating a more approachable experience.”

Can you Guess the Google? Total time waster courtesy of Chris.

A short clip I took at E3 of the Video Game Pianist surrounded by the very stuff that inspired him… sort of. I like how the ambient crowd noise, wind and combat sounds blend in with the cheery and then foreboding music from the Mushroom Kingdom.

If you’d told me I could shoot this kind of thing with a hand-sized camera when I was in college – I would have laughed. It’s 16 meg now – rotated, re-sized, filtered, and compressed via Virtual Dub. What a cool program!

Thanks, Ian!

thanks Richard!!!

I’ve been so busy with the machinations of living that I haven’t written anything of real substance here in quite some time. Looking over the last few months’ entries, I see the surface texture crackling with links and jokes, but I feel the undertow of stress and work dragging at my true voice…

Sadly, the next month or so is bound to be the same. Turns out my replacement is moving in about 3 weeks earlier than expected… so I must pack up, find a temporary home for Sabine (he’s allergic – what bum luck!) and begin the final descent while living out of suitcases, craigslisting my accumlated crap, and crashing on my own sofa.

Man plans, God laughs…

Luckily – others are taking it a bit slower. Seth has been overseas for the second live Jandek performance, ever – and has posted a pleasent review on the fan list. Meanwhile, Jon posted Kieron’s Boiling Point review to another list I’m on – probably the best thing I’ve read since Tom’s stardar post.

Sparing me the effort of ranting, Ron has posted his thoughts on the nature of entertainment and game marketing/difficulty. Finally, Mark kept a dilligent journal of the show and its many issues. For more on that, please see Alice’s side of the looking glass.

Alan Yu + Eric Zimmerman = J Allard!

But who, I wonder, adds up to today’s Phil Spector?? (thanks Justin!)

…but far from recovered.

I am tired. My whole body is tired and I feel mentally steamrolled. I’m also feeling too lazy to categorize the pics from this trip.

But I did find the scariest one of them all…

It’s from a series I took at the Namco booth – where the Prince participated in a really frightening display of sex-sells marketing. “Are you out there?” shouted the megaphone blond. “Lemme here you screeeeeeeeeam!”

“Hrm. That was OK but I wanna hear you SCREAM!”

“Are you ready for some prizes?” (Prince jumps up and down and claps) “Cause we have some prizes here. Some calendars” (Katamari calendars? Oh – a new ball for each month! What an idea…) “and they’re filled with photos of the new girls!!!”

After the grasping crowd had dispersed, I climbed up onto the stage to get some good shots of the katamari – and to snag a mouse pad. In the center of the little rubberized image is a baseball cap with an “R” on it – happy Robin! But after all the hype, I was kind of expecting “Ginger” or “Amy” to be rolled up in it, too.

Too bad the ball didn’t grow a bit larger… we almost had them!

A couple of years ago I missed my plane after E3 and ended up hanging out with Souris and Silvio – now it’s a tradition. This year it was the highlight of my LA trip – and next year I may just fly down Friday and stay for the weekend… sparing my feet and ears the extra abuse.

The best thing about the bbq is that it’s a blend of all kinds of people – most of whom have very little to do with games and gaming.. and of course, kids. This year Echo suprised us all by making an impromptu sculpture out of the little kid-sized chairs we’d set up earlier in the day. Lovely!

Ok – so a few days ago I made a list of things I wanted to see at the show. The list was:

• We Love Katamari
• Okami
• Geist
• Getting Up
• Nintendogs
• Odama
• Trauma Center
• Dreamfall
• Ninety Nine Nights
• Shadow of the Colossus
• 50 Cent: Bulletproof (how bad will it be?)

… and the new Lara (despite a rather uninspiring trailer).

Today I saw many of them.

Sadly, Geist has morphed from a promising thriller into a bland first-person shooter with overstaturated tones and tedious cut-scenes. Odama has become incredibly cluttered (adding a list of voice-commands to the already overblown instructions). Whose genius idea was it to demo in a loud, crowded environment with a mic attachment? Shooting hamburgers into the field to feed your soldiers (or was it to distract enemies?)… uh… wha?

Nintendogs is of course adorable (”Yes – but there’s no market for that game, Robin!”) and Trauma Center even more intreaguing (”Yes – but there’s no market for that game, Robin!”). I have to go back and play with it some more (there’s a risk that the gameplay will become stale after a few operations) but it is definitely my favorite new idea at the show. I think I’ll actually bring headphones to use with the DS games. And if I had a DS – I’d bring it, too – as they have a little demo-download station right in the booth. Great idea – was it advertised pre-show, I wonder?

—

Okami also really surprised me. Previous exposure left me thinking it would manifest as a generic platform/explorer with some RPG elements… but from what I saw, it’s more than meets the eye. Again – too bad about the sound. I understand that headphones keep the floor staff from being able to talk to players as they engage in the demo – but man, it seems like a worthwhile tradoff! Especially for anything trying to move beyond the basic shooter/racer/beat-em-up paradigm.

But that’s nothing compared to the name recognition problem they’re going to have. I went to the show with this game on my list – and its title still escaped me. Repeatedly. At least we can rest assured that Neversoft won’t have any issues in this department. Branching out from skating, I guess. I wonder if they can get Charlton Heston to do some voiceovers for them? Maybe they can talk about the design with Mark Ecko. It took us 2 minutes to figure out how to paint up a tag – but beating the crap out of people (and pushing them into traffic) was a cinch! Controller buttons mapped to “punch/spray”? That’s just sad.

—

No chance of playing any 360 games (despite a booth design that plasters the logo and Ipod-inspired color scheme everywhere). How odd is that: to re-design your booth for a new console, and then show only mostly current-generation games? From glitches in the big press conference (introducing a game and then showing footage from … some other game by accident), to the dorky Time cover, to the non-presence of playable demos… I can’t shake the feeling that M$ is really botching their launch. It just seems half-assed and unpolished.

Of course I was very happy to see KD II on the floor, and cannot *believe* the uncanny resemblance of my katamari-ball contribution to the logo of the game. I only paused at the Sony the demo stations briefly today – to snap some pix and get a feel for how people were reacting to the title. Tomorrow Austin and I will have a go at the co-op mode for real, and see if it’s actually fun. Though I must warn you: my review may be biased.

—

Strangely enough, today’s highlight happened while I was standing at the Namco booth. Seeing the Oji-babe (girl in the costume – check out the bumps on his chest!) rubbing elbows with a variety of booth bunnies – that was priceless! Especially the girls of Infected (fucking FANTASTIC makeup)… they are my favorite gimmick of the show, and arrived just in time for Jordan’s booth-babe documentary (more on this later)! I will try and catch up with them for an in-depth photo shoot sometime tomorrow afternoon.

The oddest thing I saw, by far, was the GBA Mini: a super small version of old tech with no real forseeable value other than the fact that it is… tiny. If you understand what Nintendo is thinking here, please drop me a note – cause I’d seriously lacking in clues.

—

Overall I spent 3 hours on the show floor today – but it felt a lot longer. Tomorrow I go back for a full walk of both halls, including Kentia (where there’s always a goofy suprise or two). I brought my rose-colored glasses… partly as a joke, but partly as a prop for portraits. We’ll see if they help me (and other showgoers) find some more beauty behind this beast.

Wanna wager? I’ll bet you 50 cent!

Good news: I found the ideal object for the E3 We Love Katamari ball. I think it needs a little editing (perhaps some embroidery?) – but other than that, it’s perfect! Easy to pack, lightweight, and bright… I cannot wait to take it to the Namco booth!

Also – the upcoming issue of Time magazine focuses on games, and will feature an interview with Keita, among other things. Don’t miss it!

God Bless Tom Chick!

…before the storm:

Get your earplugs ready!!!

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost. The world will not have it.

It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

–Martha Graham

For those of you in the Chicago area, Henry Jenkins will be giving at talk today at 4 in Searle 1-421:

SEARCHING FOR THE ORIGAMI UNICORN: THE MATRIX, TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING, AND CONVERGENCE CULTURE

ABSTRACT:
For several years now, Hollywood insiders have noted the emergence of transmedia storytelling as a new form of popular culture, and researchers have begun to understand the consequences of transmedia for theories of media convergence, participatory culture and collective intelligence.

In the ideal form of transmedia storytelling, each medium does what it does best — so that a story might be introduced in a film, expanded through television, novels, and comics, and its world might be explored and experienced through game play. Such a multilayered approach to storytelling will enable a more complex, more sophisticated, more rewarding mode of narrative to emerge within the constraints of commercial entertainment. The most committed consumers become hunters and gathers, tracking down data which is conveyed across multiple media, scanning any given text for embedded information which may yield insights into the characters and situations first encountered elsewhere. The creative artist becomes a world builder — constructing a information rich, emotionally intense environment which can sustain multiple characters and stories across multiple media.

The Matrix franchise pushes this idea of transmedia storytelling as far or further than anyone has gone before, building out the world of The Matrix across not only three feature films, but also a series of comics (first released on the web and now in print), a series of anime movies (The Animatrix), and an ambitious video game (Enter The Matrix) which contains more than an hour of original footage featuring the cast of the movie. What can we learn about the future of entertainment by understanding the complex interplay between the texts of The Matrix? What can the Matrix teach us about authorship and readership in the new media landscape, about globalization and pop cosmopolitanism, even about the future of media studies?

No time, not local? You could always try your hand at Google Scholar (suggested on a board I moderate over at the IGDA site). Not bad – but man, what is next? I vote for Google Moomin. It would be just like a regular search, except that all results would be rated according to their level of “moominessence”.

:)

Well – I was so hungry when I got home that I actually walked to the grocery store and bought food that actually required cooking (on the stove). Then, I became so engrossed in the act of cooking (mmm, pasta with fresh sauce, garlic bread and pinot noir) that I completely forgot to tune in to the MS/MTV hype (which wasn’t really about games per se)!

Luckily (ok – conveniently) it’s all available online. Apparently these MTV hosted videos actually feature more demo footage than the televised segment. So you can see more – while watching less. That’s not a bad trend to set…

And hey – looks like Omarion had a good toke time…

(Video links via the growing Slashdot thread, which so far, is mostly a thumbs-down affair)

May 18-20, All Day – Namco Hometek – We LOVE Katamari Ball

Help the Prince please the King of All Cosmos at this E3Expo with the We LOVE Katamari ball. The King of All Cosmos has requested all attendees to provide items throughout the three days. Items should be lightweight enough to be attached and as nutty and creative as possible. Items should NOT be x-rated in nature or include clothing, books, magazines, papers or garbage. Those representing the Prince also have full right to decline any item.

Thanks Sean!!

a) Can you tell the serial killers from the programmers? It’s not as difficult as you might think!

b) Still looking to test those skills? CMP media (responsible for Game Developers Conference, Game Developers Conference Europe, Serious Games, Game Developer Magazine, Gamasutra.com) is looking to fill two new positions:

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
General Summary:
This person is responsible for coordinating speakers, session content and logistics for four events run by the CMP Game Group. All of the events are related to the information needs of the developers of electronic games.

Major Job Duties/Responsibilities:
Responsibilities include: Editing and management of abstracts and submissions from conference speakers. Updating and maintaining the accuracy of conference content in internal databases, websites and printed materials including the editing of show programs. Administrative involvement in the preparation of internal post show analysis. Responsibility for the logistics of event advisory board meetings, and the coordination of information developed at those meetings. Responsible to the sales and marketing organizations for supplying conference content as needed for promotional materials and sales collateral.

SALES ASSOCIATE
General Summary:
This person is responsible for a range of sales support duties across our print, online and event products in the CMP Game Group. The position will involve a high level of project management as well ads an active role in the sales process.

Major Job Duties/Responsibilities :
Responsibilities include sponsorship management and fulfillment, exhibitor outreach and communication, cmpevents.net management for sales/expo efforts. For Game Developer Magazine: Management and fulfillment of industry lists, insertion orders, advertising materials, list rental and competitive analysis. For Gamasutra.com: maintain and fulfill newsletter advertising, competitive analysis and online lead generation. Group wide responsibilities include administrative duties for media kits, presentations, sales prospecting, sales database and coordination of materials and logistics for sales meetings.

For more info:

Peter Leahy
Executive Producer Online Products
CMP Game Group
pleahy@cmp.com
415-947-6206 (W)

c) I wonder if these ladies are for hire? Think of how they could improve the look and feel of the GDC!

Today when I got to the train platform it was chilly and gray. I looked up the tracks for the approaching lights, and frowned at the chill. “Do you think it will snow today?” he asked.

“Well,” I joked, “I certainly wouldn’t be surprised!”

We had a good laugh at that.

Daniel is one of 10 children – fourth. On the ride in to Evanston we discussed his own crop of children: a Math PhD from U of C, a Physics PhD from Stanford (teaching at Howard University, if I’m not mistaken), a broadway actor (working in On Golden Pond with James Earl Jones!), a doctor in San Francisco and another teacher out at the University of Oregon. Whew!

“It sounds like you’ve really made quite a contribution to this world,” I remarked.

“Well,” he said, “It was my wife who did all the work. I was just along for the ride.”

His eyes got a little distant, then.

“I didn’t have much in the way of criteria for choosing a good wife – only one, really. That she had to be smarter than me. And that wasn’t to hard! I set my eye on her right away, and I saw how it was. She had some boyfriends, but they all had the same problem. They thought they were smarter than her.”

“This one fella – I remember him sayin to her “Are you trying to make a fool outta me?”. She just smiled and said “No, I’m sitting here watching you do it all by yourself!”. Oh my, he didn’t know what he was in for!”

Nor did I!

Usually, I wear headphones on the train. I tune out everyone, because my magnet attracts fringe-dwellers who are difficult to talk to, at best. But today, I struck gold.

Thank you, Mr. James – it was a pleasure.