Matt's Game Blogamado

[Ben]

ok yeah that's kind of dumb, it kind of makes you wonder why he's making games and not just making movies?

Also as far as

I think we've hit a barrier that would cost too much time and effort to cross.

Honestly I rekon we're getting pretty close to crossig it on the animation side of things anyway. Things like Enslaved have amazing animation both full body and facial. LA Noire looks like it's going to kick all kinds of arse with it's facial animations.

[Matador]

I agree on animation. Hoggarth Hughs and Spike Spiegel more life and breath than that fucking kid in the Polar Express.

But Graphically we're hitting a wall. It's like "It's not real yet! Throw moar grafikz at it!!"

Personally, Nathan Drake and Ethan Mars are completely different directions, but that may go back to my ideas on movement.

On another note, I think I want to do a new design for my banner. Something simpler. I've been looking at the sites of game bloggers and they seem simpler. Leigh Alexander's Sexy videogameland does screens or art from games with the game name over it. Kirk Hamilton just put a long white banner with Neku from Twewy on his site. Kieron Gillen uses his silhouette with the glasses highlighted uses his silhouette with cyclops visor over it.

I'm not sure if my banner is very interested, or on topic, other than the title. I want to stay away from using pixel art, since that's kind of over done. I personally would like to avoid using someone else's artwork or characters. Any suggestions?

[pie]

I like the Kieron Gillen one, something minimalist like that would be cool. And something that exemplifies what your blog is about, obviously.

[Matador]

May do something like that.

I was looking at my page stats, and Ben, your article has the most views of any (62 pageviews of all time). The next biggest is my post on Cast mechanics, though I haven't a clue why.

I wonder if we should team up more often.

[Kelso]

Bannerwise, I think the current banner is a bit too big and the font is hard to read since the title is so long. Maybe just rearrange your hexagons.
This isn't meant to be an actual suggested banner, but it's the kind of idea for a banner that I think would be good.



It's a five minute photoshop job and I suck at choosing fonts, but the elements are there. There's representative fonts for the two mediums in question and a little graphic for both sides too.
Of course the Space Invader is a copyrighted image, but there's lots of other things that could be used instead. It's just an example of a type of visual associated with gaming. And the nib pen... well I just like nib pens, and it goes with the Literature half. It could just as easily stand in for a sword or something, instead of the... whatever it is that shoots at the Space Invaders. Also, the bullets should have been elongated, now that I look at an actually screen shot of the game. This is still kind of big for my tastes though.

[Ben]

I think that's probably from me posting links to that article every were I could find to post it cause I was excited
Considering most of my posts on forums are usually a mixture of misspelt words and astricks censoring out the swearing I think people had to be curious what the fuck I would write


Honestly I think the biggest problem with your banner at the moment is that it doesn't fit in with the rest of your site design.

The sexy video games one fits in with soft blues and greens in there backgrounds with the soft blues and pale colours of the advent children screens.
Kirren Gillens one is plain black and white minimalist wich compliments the minamlist design of the blog with no backgrounds etc.
Honestly I'm not a fan of the Kirk Hamilton banner.

Your one though seems weird since your background and general look of the site is kind of grungy dark greens and yellows were as your banner is mostly pinks and whites and all clean vector art.

You need to decide weather you want to go with a grungy or a clean vector look. (Honestly I prefer the grungy look, especially since you're focusing on games as litrature it seems appropriate to have a physical tangible feeling site design)

Also I agree with Kelso that an ideal design would incorporate elements of both video games and literature.

I've got an idea for something that might look cool, I'll give it a shot when I get home and get on photoshop.

[Bronze]

The pen is mightier than the Master Sword.

[Matador]

I love the idea of a Space invader and a pen. I can probably pulls something like that off, whether or not I use the actual space invader.

I'm kind of thinking, now, that I should do something clean over a harsh texture. I was looking for free textures of wet mud on googles images, but I'm not really impressed.

Font is gonna be an issue. I've never been completely happy with the fonts I've found.

And Ben, I should be doing more of that kind of thing. I tend to feel like I'm whoring out my stuff, though. Like I'm just spamming my ideas. I feel kind of... I dunno.. self important when I link to myself in a comment, even if my writing is relevant to the topic at hand. I've started looking at where my traffic comes from. Most of it comes from here and google (I'm now the third result when you google "Game Literature"), a couple from twitter, a couple from Brenda Brathwaite's site (I left a comment. Whenever I leave a comment and it asks for my website, I leave my blog there). The remaining come from some weird russian furniture site and some Polish gaming site, which I believe to be have been arbitrary, or related to the spam we get here.

This past week, my article on Stacking seems to be leading, followed by today's post, then the one on lending me games to my cousin. The one today was a bit of an experiment. I'm not exactly happy with the post: It's about Suparna Galaxy. If you haven't heard of it, google it and look at the wiki. Basically, it's a wiki to a game that doesn't exists. The wiki is sort of a commentary on what we as gamers value and how shallow can be... It's a big joke... hence why I put a video on there titled "Don't Explain the Joke."

I'll probably take the article down at some point, but I had read somewhere that video content gathers more views, and that seems to be true.

I guess I'm unsatisfied with the size of the audience I'm reaching, and I'm ready to whore out. I'd still like to partner up, though. Maybe do something with audio.

[Kelso]

Youtube is a good place to branch out. Do a few commentary videos as you play part of a game or something.
Also Minecraft. Anything Minecraft will gain you an audience.

[Matador]

I don't have fraps or anything to record video. I might in the future, but now now.

Audio I can do, though. I have Audacity (which is free) and I have a call recorder for skype. I bought the call recorder pluggin when I interviewed Edmund McMillan. I just transcribed the conversation and used it in the movement article.

I think that's a subject I'd like to return to.

As for Minecraft, I wouldn;t mind doing a few posts on it, but I'm of the opinion that it isn't truly a game. At least, Minecraft isn't a game by the technical definitions. It's definitely interactive entertainment, and it's definitely a video game (I do feel that not all Video Games are Games), but Minecraft is less a game and more a toy or a simulation with aspects of a game. Now, this opinion is based on beta, which is unbalanced and mostly elder game, but Minecraft is still a fantastic experience.

[Ben]

I have a massive backlog of textures that I keep on my pc, I'll see if I have any wet mud (I think I've only got dry cracked mud beds though)
When it comes to textures one thing that it took me a ridiculously long time to realise is that it's often easier to just go make photograph your own.

I remember spending like an hour looking for a texture similar to a broken wooden board at the front of my house before I thought "Shit why don't I just go get a photo of the board?"
So yeah if there's a texture of something you want just mix up some dirt and water and get a photo of it.


I've got no idea on how to get views though, fuck I'm constantly surprised when I find out people actually read my blog

[pie]

You have a blog?

[Ben]

the most bitching arse kick arse blog on the internet.
http://bshambrook.blogspot.com/

[Kelso]

As for Minecraft, I wouldn;t mind doing a few posts on it, but I'm of the opinion that it isn't truly a game. At least, Minecraft isn't a game by the technical definitions. It's definitely interactive entertainment, and it's definitely a video game (I do feel that not all Video Games are Games), but Minecraft is less a game and more a toy or a simulation with aspects of a game. Now, this opinion is based on beta, which is unbalanced and mostly elder game, but Minecraft is still a fantastic experience.

You and I may be applying different operational definitions to the word "game". But as far as story goes, it's true Minecraft can lack a sense of direction or back story, but you should try some adventure maps if you haven't already. It creates a situation where anyone can create an experience, story, and/or adventure for the game. A game where people make their own stories, and stories for others. There's some pretty great stuff out for it (and a lot of crap), but there's always more being churned out.

the most bitching arse kick arse blog on the internet.
http://bshambrook.blogspot.com/

To be fair, you have like 3 blogs in different states of updating. It's hard to keep track.

[Ben]

You and I may be applying different operational definitions to the word "game". But as far as story goes, it's true Minecraft can lack a sense of direction or back story, but you should try some adventure maps if you haven't already. It creates a situation where anyone can create an experience, story, and/or adventure for the game. A game where people make their own stories, and stories for others. There's some pretty great stuff out for it (and a lot of crap), but there's always more being churned out.

I'm with Mat on this one, mine craft verry well may be great (WONT FUCKING WORK ON MY PC!) but what you're describing is still more of a toy then a game. It's something people make up there own stories etc with. A game usually is something you can win, with a goal to work towards. A toy is something you play with and do whatever you want.

To be fair, you have like 3 blogs in different states of updating. It's hard to keep track.

it's only two now, I merged two of em together. And one is still being updated sporadically, the other is well dead.