Mundinator

Portal Tattoos: Love and Lies

Portal has generated so much respect that this dood decided to make it permanent.  Mr tattoo Guy, did you ignore the fact that when you are 80 years old you will still have these and most of us will think you are just plain crazy for continuing to tell us that "The cake is a lie."

Thanks to Digg.com and BMEink.com for the leads.

MGS4 to Have 90 Min Cutscene?!? WTF!?!

I'm sorry, but did we all read that right????  Is this true or did I just blink a little too fast when reading?  I actually had to read this a few times to make sure I was on the right page.  No, it is not that the total length of cutscenes added up is about 90 min.  There is AT LEAST one cutscene (maybe more) that is 90 full min long.

For those of you who watched Cloverfield, it is longer than that entire movie.  So the big question that it raises for me...what the hell takes 90 min to communicate in a game cutscene.  I was not really interested in MGS4 until this morning when I read the news.   Argh...looks like I am going to have to get a PS3 now (it was going to happen at some point).

Head Tracking for the Wii

Holy crap this has to be the coolest thing evar!  Watch the video and you will know what I mean.  Head tracking rocks.  I just have to wonder what games could possibly use this tech. 

FPS: The head movement could be used for ducking and dodging.
Boxing: OMG ducking dodging and stuff!

Ok, so I think its just too early or I'm too tired, but I can't think of a ton of applications for this tech, but it's quite cool.

I leave you with one final cool thought...imagine an entire art gallery where each picture moved like this.  Sure it would only work for one person at a time, but I think people would have so much fun playing in the gallery space.  Hmm...side project?

Design Reboot: Jonathan Blow's MIGS Talk about Hacking Game Design

I ran across this link this morning to Jonathan Blow's slides from his recent talk at MIGS called "Design Reboot."  I think it's worth a look as it feels relevant to all those who want to think of games as art in the future.  BTW...this is the kind of thinking that  continues to convince me that Roger Ebert is a fat bloated movie prick.

“Design Reboot”, Jonathan Blow, Montreal International Game Summit 2007

I think he hits on my take on games as a predominant art form.  Specifically, I believe games have the potential to be the major art form in the near future, but will never do so in their current state.  In fact, some of the most successful games right now, the games that define our industry to non-industry folks, work against this (Madden 200X, WoW).  Of course, games can be art on many levels, but I feel the spirit of "games as art" is about games as teachers...games as thought provoking entities that teach us something about ourselves that we otherwise would not have considered.  Something real and something "deeper" than just hand-eye coordination and being at the top of a leaderboard.  Ebert approached things all wrong as he slammed games for never having the chance because they gave up authorial control and handed control to the player.  So, he assumes games are about story...I say games are about experience.  So are movies and literature...about experience.  Story is just one way to give experience.