Interview to come with Plus 10 Damage

[Victoria Victrix]

[NecrotechMaster]

i think you did a great job with that, and i think that the closing was well said, sometimes poeple need to hear the blunt truth about stuff, poeple who are sitting back and either accepting, or are outsiders looking in and thinking that it was just another game, need to get a perspective on what happened

[Triplash]

Sorry I have not been on as much.  I got hit with the flu and mostly I have been coughing up lung, trying to keep my diaphragm muscles from tearing, and using the boxes of tissue I stocked up on for reasons other than crying.

Awww... poor thing. *emails you some chicken soup*

   First off, is it possible for a game to be a legitimately creative environment?


    Do you think introducing kids to the power of creativity early through a medium widely seen as fun and enjoyable has any long term effects? Or does it start and stop with that medium?

I think Minecraft proves pretty well that a game can be both legitimately creative and wildly popular at the same time.

As for the introducing kids to creativity aspect, there's this one particular teacher who uses Minecraft as a classroom tool to teach kids about creativity as well as, among other things, co-operation and manners in online environments. So while they may decide to try, and come to enjoy, such games for the fun they provide, it is also possible to learn not just creativity from games but other positive concepts as well. Depending on whether they are taught to recognize and value such aspects in the games they choose to play.


Well done interview once again. I especially enjoyed the answer to the last question, and agree that people need to hear the plain, straightforward truth. If we don't take steps to raise the quality of the things we pay for, corporations will take steps to continue lowering it. They've been proving that for decades.

[Harlequin565]

    Do you think introducing kids to the power of creativity early through a medium widely seen as fun and enjoyable has any long term effects? Or does it start and stop with that medium?


I wish I had an answer for that.  I will say that kids will always want to play, and play will always increase creativity, so if you introduce kids to the idea that they can tell a story through a game and they will be the hero of it, I think the long term effects will be good.  Creativity begets flexibility.  Creativity begets original thinking.  Creativity begets critical thinking.

As an old-school (80's) tabletop player, I agree 100% with this - and it's in 100% disagreement with my mum

Having to GM for 3 players twice a week, every week was a real challenge. One has to be adaptable to change, and able to think fast on ones feet to be able to host a game so frequently.

When Neverwinter Nights was launched in 2002(?) it was "just another game" until those player created worlds started popping up. I started playing with people from all over the world, and I was hooked! It wasn't long before I was having a go myself, re-creating the worlds I'd imagined in virtual reality.

This taught me soooo many things. Programming, game balance, how to manage a (dev) team, how to run a community etc. It also forced me to turn on the creativity every night when I logged in to my server as a DM to run something for whatever players were online. It was an incredible experience. To see other players then writeup their experiences in character journals etc was extremely rewarding.

City of Heroes didn't have a DM client, but oh how I wished it did. I imagined the logon screen with another option - "run as an NPC" which would drop you into a random mission as the main boss and allow you to taunt the team invading your office building. Ah well... 

Nice interview though

-H

[Mindscythe]

If you look around at a lot of the folks who are innovators and creators today, you'll find a disproportionate number of them were Dungeons and Dragons or other tabletop game players.

I also have to chime in and agree with you whole-heartedly on this point. I'm in a bi-weekly gaming group currently, and it's made up of five college professors, a public school teacher, and a baker. Two of the professors (myself included) teach about online communities.

I used to use CoH for mine, the other professor uses Second Life (which I am now using as well, for lack of my Paragon City). My wife (the Baker) asked me why I don't use another game for class, since I'm not liking SL very much. My reply was simple: I wouldn't expose my students to the communities on other games, because they are, largely, wretched for new players. The one thing that marked CoH for me was that the community welcomed new members, tried to make their first experiences enjoyable, and encouraged them to come back and be part of the game. No other online gaming community has that as their primary response to new players (and their inevitable newbie questions).

And I have to say, with regard to you letting your rage out at the end, I'm not seeing it, at least as compared to what happens when people ask *me* about these subjects. I think you showed remarkable calm throughout.

[Omega Mark V]

It's true. If games don't change, every game will be a 'Walmart.' There won't be change in the gaming industry unless people ask or demand for it.

This is why I support Indie games, you can avoid the publishers that (usually) just want the money from a bland game. I say usually because there are some publishers that are still okay.

I don't necessarily think you got 'mad' in that post, Victoria, I personally didn't see it. Just truth of the situation.

[Segev]

Tangent, but it's a bit unfair to characterize Wal*Mart as unchanging or uncreative. They are similar to each other at any given point because they apply their innovation across the board, but not only is a certain kind of change in which they tend to engage rather irritating (like many stores, particularly grocery, they periodically seem to re-arrange their entire layout, making it hard to find things until you get used to the new one), but they were founded on innovative technologies and techniques (Sam Walton made his fortune on an inventory tracking system with then-unheard-of accuracy). And they're still working to constantly innovate new ways to efficiently bring together customers and products so they can maximize the convenience and efficiency of their massive buying power to their individual customers.

Say what you will about their corporate ethics or policies or attitudes; they are NOT stagnant as a company and they DO innovate, adapt, and change with tech and times.

In that, they are an example from which the tired and staid AAA publishing studios could stand to learn. Focus on the customer and what the customer wants and making things that earn you money the most convenient things for customers to do, and you not only will make the customer happy, but you'll make yourself rich and very, very big.

[Nafaustu]

Say what you will about their corporate ethics or policies or attitudes; they are NOT stagnant as a company and they DO innovate, adapt, and change with tech and times.

I think she was going for more of homogonization thing.   

Although, to also comment on the aside, Taco Bell has one of the most elaborate 'how can we take these x ingrediants and combine them in another different way to create a new, different tasing food item' programs ever.   Apparently their food research department is amazing.   Now if only it were being used for good instead of evil

[Segev]

I think she was going for more of homogonization thing.   

Although, to also comment on the aside, Taco Bell has one of the most elaborate 'how can we take these x ingrediants and combine them in another different way to create a new, different tasing food item' programs ever.   Apparently their food research department is amazing.   Now if only it were being used for good instead of evil

Be fair. They're not being used for evil. It's just that Taco Bell won't let them use actual food. 

[JaguarX]

I think she was going for more of homogonization thing.   

Although, to also comment on the aside, Taco Bell has one of the most elaborate 'how can we take these x ingrediants and combine them in another different way to create a new, different tasing food item' programs ever.   Apparently their food research department is amazing.   Now if only it were being used for good instead of evil

Yeah.

I miss good old fashioned take a cow hit it over the head slice it up into pieces cook it and eat it meat. Alas, we live in a world where we have the best medical stuff i nthe world but more cancers and diseases in the history of mankind hanging around, many caused by stuff we are not supposed to be eating. But they figure "Make billions now and let the people deal with the ill affects in ten years. By then we would have found a more dangerous and cheaper product to put into food by that time. So we wont lose any money acting like we had no idea that stuff caused cancer and just telling them we found a better product tha tis new and improved and like sheep to the slaughter, they will come. Rinse and repeat."

[Segev]

That's rather cynical, and assumes that Taco Bell's execs never eat their own stuff. I'm fairly sure that's not true. (That said, I would not be above working for Taco Bell, especially at an executive level, despite being unable to stomach any Mexican-style food. I'd just sooner pick a company where I could whole-heartedly say I like at least some of their products.)

[JaguarX]

Ironically Taco Bell isnt half bad, especially compared to other food stuff people dont think of or think is "safe". Fast food have such a bad rap, although MCDonalds didnt help, that some think anything unhealthy and disgusting and grimy and chemical laden food comes from the big fast food chains. In reality, that stuff people pick up at the grocery store...be careful with what you eat and slow down and read the labels and understand what you are reading. "I dont have time to read labels of everything I eat!" is probably someone is yelling now. Of course not, people never have time for anything when not on the phone of computer these days anymore,  not even to say hello to anyone. But when crap happens, cant blame the food people. The information is out there, and more money they make the easier it is for them to get away with it, but they know people dont read labels so by definition they can put just about any ten syllable word on the can and not many people will even question it. 


Taco Bell is the least of the worries. Trust me on that one.

[Segev]

I'll take your word for it. I admit, I am not one to worry about "what is in" the food I eat. I am occasionally conscious of the caloric content, but otherwise, I trust that it won't kill me because, well, no company actively wants its customers to die (cigarettes and drug dealers and booze sellers, even, are unlikely to encourage people to buy so much of their product that they die fast rather than patronize them for decades).

If concerns developed, I would become more cautious. But personally...eh. I plan to be as healthy as my grandfather when I'm his age. And his joke is that he's so well-preserved because of all the preservatives he's eaten over his life.

[Minotaur]

I'll take your word for it. I admit, I am not one to worry about "what is in" the food I eat. I am occasionally conscious of the caloric content, but otherwise, I trust that it won't kill me because, well, no company actively wants its customers to die (cigarettes and drug dealers and booze sellers, even, are unlikely to encourage people to buy so much of their product that they die fast rather than patronize them for decades).

If concerns developed, I would become more cautious. But personally...eh. I plan to be as healthy as my grandfather when I'm his age. And his joke is that he's so well-preserved because of all the preservatives he's eaten over his life.

There's a scandal going on atm in the UK/Ireland where 29% horse meat was found in value beefburgers. Everybody is shocked. Some that horse meat was found, but most that there was that much meat in a value beefburger.

[JaguarX]

I'll take your word for it. I admit, I am not one to worry about "what is in" the food I eat. I am occasionally conscious of the caloric content, but otherwise, I trust that it won't kill me because, well, no company actively wants its customers to die (cigarettes and drug dealers and booze sellers, even, are unlikely to encourage people to buy so much of their product that they die fast rather than patronize them for decades).

If concerns developed, I would become more cautious. But personally...eh. I plan to be as healthy as my grandfather when I'm his age. And his joke is that he's so well-preserved because of all the preservatives he's eaten over his life.

basically.

 Your grandfather's joke is also a running joke among funeral directors and morticians in they have to use less chemicals because many bodies come in already half preserved.  .  Off-topic-Discussing zombies and zombie invasion with morticians- priceless.

[WildFire15]

There's a scandal going on atm in the UK/Ireland where 29% horse meat was found in value beefburgers. Everybody is shocked. Some that horse meat was found, but most that there was that much meat in a value beefburger.

It is rather entertaining. I agree that it was falsely advertised, but revolution at the idea of eating horse is amusing as there's nothing wrong with it. Hell, Guinea Pig is eaten in some corners of the world, as are insects. But yeah, the fact there's actually meat in a value burger is pretty staggering.

[Segev]

McDonald's, back when I was quite young, had a similar scandal, though it was over discovering that there was relatively little beef in their standard hamburger patty. It was actually largely vegetable proteins with good beef-based flavorants. But they got sued for calling these things "hamburgers," as apparently that supposedly guaranteed there was 100% beef in them according to the plaintiff. They changed their recipe after that, using actual ground beef. Reportedly, most people thought the new burgers, with wrappers that advertised "100% beef" on them, tasted worse than the old recipe.

[ahmpizzedoff]

I think this was a great article. I can particularly identify with the creativity for children. My grandson, a 4 year veteran, began playing and desigining his own characters, when he was 2. He would sit on my lap and watch me play and eventually asked, "Grandpa can I make a guy and play too?" At 6 years old he was very upset his "toons" were taken away from him and he could no longer play his favorite game.

[houtex]

So many replies... I'm late as usual. :p

This... THIS is a beautiful thing right here, Mercedes.  Thank you for writing it... well, for doing the whole thing, really but this is awesome:

With the (hopefully only temporary) demise of City of Heroes, what has the gaming world lost in terms of its ability to offer gameplay that fosters creative thinking

    As the players are now finding, to their bitter disappointment, City of Heroes is absolutely unique among MMORPGs. The wide variety of powersets among the archetypes, rich and deep story-lines and the constant updates of content meant that there were people who had played for the entirety of its life, and still had not tried everything. The User Interface was easy and intuitive. The graphics engine could perform at several levels, so that those with older video cards were not left out and those with the latest and greatest could gape with wonder at ever-improving graphics modes. But most of all players are missing the fact that this was never a game. This was a social interface wrapped in a game, as if the very best parts of the Sims (character customization), Second Life (rich environment and the ability to construct some truly jaw dropping bases), Facebook (a social network and interface none of us have been able to replicate in any other game) and WoW (depth of story and world, plus so much content that even as a 7 year player I have not played through it all) had been neatly gathered up and presented to them with a bow on top.  And then you add something that (at least until recently) was COMPLETELY unique in MMORPGs--the ability to write your own missions, where each player could, literally, make the game the place for him to tell his very own story.  I would say to those who are whining that we should "just get over it" that I curse and bless them at the same time with the same words--that I hope they never experience the incredible Camelot that was City of Heroes.  A blessing, because then they will never experience having that wrenched away from them.  A curse, because they will never know the joy we did.

Especially that last.   Beautifully put, ma'am.

/It's 'Britney', btw...
//Like anyone here cares, right?
///And please, don't shoot yourself in the face.  Perhaps another area, like a pinky toe.
////Is it bad I happen to like BSB, Britney, and Taco Bell?  Walmart y'all can take, but I am digging teh Beef Nacho Grillers... Yum.

[Omega Mark V]

More internetz for everyone, going from an interview to taco bell, to the scandal with horse meat in Britain!