This journal is going to follow the process, and what it takes to get their, or fail as the case may be. Hopefully I can keep this as a weekly column covering my discoveries, hardships failures… yet if there’s nothing to talk about that week I won’t bore you or myself by writing.

The idea behind these posts is to give some insight on what it takes to make a game, and force me to look at my current process’s with an analytical eye. Keep in mind that this is NOT a guide on how to make a game, there are books that claim to do that. However if your a small developer or someone hoping to make games for fun than maybe these articles will amuse, entertain, and there’s a slight chance that they could inform. We’ll see.

First of all let’s talk about the things I’ll be discussing in these articles. In other words what are the fundamental parts of a game, and what do they mean.

Design: The how and what of a game. Every game needs it, every game has it. Even games that don’t have some of the other elements like sound, and non-video games have game design. Put simply game design is how high Mario jumps, and how fast he can run, not the actual code that lets the player do those things. As you can see this is fundamental because it creates the player experience, without a unique and fun design no one will want to play your game, it would be the equivalent of a boring action movie with no plot. Just boring and monotonous. There were plenty of games with jumping before Mario, but they didn’t have the addictive design that Mario so nicely presented.

Good design makes a game fun long past its release date

Code: This brings us to the code. Code is the bones of any program, including the browser your reading this in. The nitty gritty behind the scenes because you never actually see the code, just the result of its 1′s and 0′s. Code is very important because it literally allows the game to be played. Games are run on top of engines that make development easier. Some buy liscenced engines to make development easier, and have a familiar tool while other create their engines from the ground up specifically with their game in mind. They both have their advantages, and pitfalls and they are both implemented by big great games. For example from the three games on my best of 2011 list, Mass Effect 2 uses the liscenced Unreal Engine, while Skyrim and Bastion both use “in-house engines”.

One of the most widely used game engines

Art: Art is what you see, so as “video” is in the mediums name you can bet the visuals are pretty important. The art works hand in hand with design as the game world is either 3d or 2d. The art of a game can either make it very striking, memorable and evocative or leave it completely forgettable. There are two standards that visuals are usually held to, and those are technically impressive, or stylistically impressive. Obviously you can have both, although most games that do lean heavily one way or another.

Games have come a long way

Sound: Sound design has evolved immensely from the beeps and boops of old games. These days you have immersion surround sound effects and orchestra’s playing the games score. Mix this in with voice acting and you have a modern game, but of course its not that simple. Music is all about mood, and games do whatever they have to to capture that mood which means that not all games can, or even want an orchestra to be the backing to their game. Sound effects really aren’t necessary in games, but they like music can do a lot of things for a game. They can provide the player with hints, reward, direction, and direct feedback that you can’t get visually. Plus they suck the player into your game like nothing else. Remember when Bioshock was new and how crazy that game sounded? There’s a reason why for a while every freaking game had audio logs in it.

Storytelling: Storytelling while I’ll admit is not vital, is becoming increasingly important to games. Especially single player titles. Pac-man could get away with no story, but even its sequel Mrs. Pac-man had simple cut scenes. The main difference between storytelling in games vs other stuff is that the consumer is actively a part in the story. This means the player has an active investment in the story, but this also means that the story is in a lot of ways out of the storytellers hands. Their really is no right way to approach story in games. Some put the player on a linear controlled path, others create a virtual sandbox for the player to play out their own unique story, and most are some combination of the two.

Dialogue trees give players a lot of narrative control

Are these aspects all I’ll be talking about? No of course not. I’ll probably get hung up on some weird little thing at some point. Plus you can bet I will talk about the managing side of production. In other words the talking to people part.

Next week we’ll get into what it is I’ve found since I’ve rambled for a long time here. I hope you enjoy my commentary in the coming weeks.

We go kill us some vampires! Then we get ourselves a nice pet in Lydia.

Best

Age of Adz

Age of Adz is an album by apocalyptic indie/folk/pop artist Sufjan Stevens (rhymes with poof gone) and it is the single best piece of music i have ever heard. It mixes elements of classical, folk, heavy electronica, and indie, creating a truly unique sound. Sufjan Stevens in all of his music tends to play with the form of music, making his songs similar to classical compositions without form as opposed to verse verse chorus verse pop songs. This is especially apparent in his 25 minute (Your read that right) song impossible love which deals with love, self contemplation, death, and living your life to the fullest. Still, about 40 listens in, the booming opening to the title song still takes my breath away.

Nicolas cage

Recently me and Devin have indulged ourselves in some wonderfully horrible Nic movies, including the Wicker Man, Deadfall, and Vampire’s Kiss soon. His acting is simply so god awful and overdone, it is one of the funniest things to ever exist. While he has made some decent movies, the outrageously bad ones outweigh those, and so i can confidently say that Nicolas Cage is a horrible actor, but should make tons more movies.

LOST

So viewer, you may know, but probably don’t, that i watched all of Lost in a week last summer. Yes, hold your applause, i am amazing, but we should be focusing on the show. It has some of the most insane and well done plot developments i’ve seen in tv, and all though it has its low points, they only make it better. (Ex. the Lost drinking game) Watching LOST in a week was one of the highlights of my summers, and god i want to do it again so bad.

Let’s plays
Now it would be a shame if i didn’t put in some shameless self promotion here, wouldn’t it. So at number one of my list, is me and Devinsky Curtinsky’s amazing let’s plays. Instead of saying this my self, i’ll let Good Let’s Plays Weekly the REAL magazine describe it for you. “Get Geek’s Earthbound and Skyrim let’s plays are literally the best things that have happened to our lives here at GLPW. We spend all day watching them, and nervously refresh the youtube homepage every day and episode is to be expected. (Of course, due to Youtube’s utter shit uploader they often upload later than what would be hoped.)” So yeah, go watch them and stuff.

Worst

sopa
Now i’m sure you’ve heard enough about SOPA, but here’s one more post. If SOPA gets passed, it will essentially destroy the water? (meant internet) as we know it. It has been put to sleep for now, but it is not dead. So sign any petitions that come your way, and if you REALLY want to, talk to your local goverment official.

Jack and Jill

This movie, starring Adam Sandler and Adam Sandler, looks to be sheer agony. Out of pure fear, me and Devin have not seen it, but maybe at some point we’ll watch it online. As on critic put it so perfectly, “This is the beginning of the apocalypse.”

We journey to the desert, and yes this is the last episode where we have to deal with the stupid video glitch. So rejoice.

As that quest raps up we get out to the local bar, you know socializin.

Again this one and the next are going to be a bit f’d up. Bear with us. Also its Bos fight time!

Worst: Let’s get this crap out of the way!

Stupid Autotune pop radio songs

I don't even know what LMFAO stands for but I bet its stupid

Yes! Every bodies booing this song tonight… Seriously, you guys stop listening to this shit. I’m subjegated to stuff like Party Rock Anthem, Sexy and I know it, and possible the best(ie worst) Moves like Jagger. Wasn’t Maroon 5 an actual rock band at some point? For those of you out their that like this music. I’m not attacking you, I’m just saying their are better songs in these genres, and that they get waaaaaaaaaaay over played on the radio. And no I’m not choosing to listen to the radio. What kind of person do you think I am.

Christmas time stage productions

Yep, look how hip these penguins are!

Yes, I think its time for the stage production to go the way of the dodo.  If your not Broadway or an actual professional British theater then I don’t think you belong any more. Yes its a bit harsh but they just can’t compete with TV or Movies. I’ve yet to go to a production that wasn’t under or overacted. You know why? Because you have to overact in theater, you have to almost scream everything. But what am I talking about specifically here? Well for the past few years I have been dragged along to Christmas time…things. The first was Zoozoo. Yep Zoozoo. What is a Zoozoo? Well I’m glad you asked. Basically its a group of gymnasts or something that dress up as animals and…move around. Either I’m crazy or I just read a quote from the New York Times saying “delightful…just watch!” . Maybe I’m just missing what makes this such a “delightful” experience, but to me watching dudes jump around in frog suits for over an hour, at the nice fee of $25 is just crazy. I mean whats the internet for?

I really wish I could have found a different picture, especially since this one could make one think something else is going on

Ok so now we get to the second production was an actual play. The Christmas Carol. Oh a classic, they can’t mess it up can they? What am I saying of course they can! I wish I could find a picture of their poster, because if you saw it you would think, “Hey, that looks like the Christmas Carol. Its got the knocker, man is that like blood, looks kinda dark.”

Then you would get to the play, and your treated to what is basically a) a mockery of the creative proccess, and b) akin to those really bad really dumb dreamworks animations where you cringe at each joke. And its like 2 hours long. At least Zoozoo had the decency to let me leave after about an hour.

My own god damn ambition

As you can put together this ones my fault. And I don’t even think its that bad of a thing, except it tears me in all these different directions. So over the course of 2011: I have started this blog(yes the one your on right now!), started 5 let’s plays(2 unrealeased and still not very far in but still), swam in the swimteam 10 out of the 12 months, taking mostly advanced classes in highschool(there are some that don’t have an advanced option, like health and its Laserdiscs for example),started to write a novel(la?),started to learn the C programming language, and I think finally start to learn pixel art at the very end of 2011. We will see what sticks around in 2012, and I’m planning on posting about what 2012 holds for us here at WeGetGeek.

Best: Whew let’s get to the good stuff

The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim

Ezekial looks out to the survey the land. All for the taking.

What is it about the Elder Scrolls games that makes them so damn fun? Sometimes I wonder that myself. It doesn’t have an amazing main story, or great combat, or super stunning visuals(unless your talking about those vistas, cause damn). No in one of the best years in my video gaming life its almost in spite of these things that Skyrim is such a spellbinding experience. The way that the world is presented, as a living breathing world is something you just don’t see in any other game except maybe the other games that Bethesda has worked on. The scope of Skyrim while being intensely captivating at the same time is almost too much at times. I’ve played a rough 50 hours in my main character not to mention the time I’ve spent with Ezekial everyone’s favorite gray Orc and I have yet to even enter some of the major cities. That’s right and each city has dozens and dozens of quests to complete. As an example I just entered the hold of Windhelm, and picked up a quest about solving the murders of three girls, by questioning witnesses and collecting evidence. There are no other quests like this one as far as I know. That’s super cool!

Also Colonel Tigh is in it as, you guessed it a general. Poor guys going to be typecast for the rest of his career.

Bastion

Bastion is an inspiration. It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played and it was made by five people. The art is beautiful, the game play snappy and fun, and the music FU**ING awesome. It’s a cool, surprisingly emotional story narrated brilliantly to respond to the players actions. I seriously can’t say enough about this game, its one of the smartest games I’ve ever played.

Mass Effect 2

Tust me, I'm a doctor, scientist, warrior, alien, biological warfare researcher

What is there to say? Mass effect may end up being my favorite sci-fi universe when its all over. It’s got the crazy looking aliens from star wars, along with force like powers without all the spiritual crap. All the alien races have interesting developed cultures, and histories, and science. That’s right if you want to there are hundreds of pages on breeding, development, technology, species relations…you name it they thought about it and its in the game. But enough about the fiction, what do you actually do? Well, early in the game your put on a task to assemble the greatest team in the known universe. So you fly around recruiting these guys like Mordin up their. At its core its a shooter, with RPG mechanics backing it up. Besides guns characters also have tech powers, and biotic(see force like) powers to throw around. The gameplay doesn’t get in the way of what’s really important, and that’s the characters and setting.If I’ve not made my point clear Mass Effect is awesome. The first game is pretty clunky, and you can skip to the second and piece together what went before without losing out on too much, so do it.

The Morning Stream

A morning show? No thanks. That was my response upon hearing about the Morning Stream even though I listened to a bunch of other podcasts done by the host Scott Johnson. So I didn’t listen to it. Finally after I kept hearing about it on their shows, I decided to give it a chance. I’m glad I did, four days a week Scott and Brian take me through the day with stupid news stories and “celebrity poop”.  I love hearing their stories like Brian’s son, who got his ipod stolen. Then Brian tracked the phone, staked out the place and discovered it was his kids friend from school. Tell me that didn’t sound like a sitcom’s plot. They are geeks to the biggest degree, and are the reason for me getting into A Song of Ice and Fire. Their nearing their one year anniversary so you can bet some crazy stuff is about to go down.

Fables

So bringing updating fairtales for the modern times is nothing new, especially after the recent glut of them, however Fables did start over ten years ago. Plus its so much better executed then everything else. The fables have been exiled to the human, or Mundy world and have to try to keep a low profile while fighting off an impending invasion from the Adversary, and no spoilers but apparently there are hints as to who it is withing the border of the first few issues of the book. I’m not their yet, but I think that the Adversary was revealed around issue 100, if that’s not good foreshadowing then what the crap is. Always surprising, always entertaining Fables is a must read.

A Song of Ice and Fire

Winters...actually already here, kind of a bummer huh?

Did somebody say must read? This one slides in close, because I didn’t finish reading the book till late December. Plus I have yet to see the show, because I don’t have HBO and they take forever to put out their dvds. A year…seriously? Whatever it just gave me time to catch up with the book, and figure out my own pronunciations of the characters names, so that when I watched it I could yell about how my pronunciations are better. The book has one of the best mid-book twists I can think of, and the only think I can really say bad about it is that it doesn’t really end. It just stops. But whatever there are four more ~700 page books out and I can’t wait to read them.

Super 8

Even the poster is not safe from lense flair!

I saw this movie in the theater, which is pretty rare for me, but I’m glad I did because there are moments that just don’t play the same outside of the theater. Like the train sequence, it was just soooooo loud it freaked me out. Not in a bad way. I love the feeling this movie gives me. It’s not a dark, depressing movie and I love it for that. And come on its the Goonies meets E.T.

Fiasco

Thats right. Poor impulse control is probably the most important skill.

Like the sign says Powerful Ambition and Poor Impulse Control. I’ve played this game once, and it was one of my favorite roleplaying experiences ever.  Plus its great for anyone out their who is afraid of RPG’s because of their genre trappings, or because you don’t know anyone who can DM. Fiasco is generally set in modern times, and there is no DM! The rules are simple and are only their to facilitate your groups crazy antics. Let me tell you what happened at my game. Now if I remember correctly I died at some point, my mom’s character thought she was psychic, two people were animal right activist radical terrorists and I think one of them turned out to be a vampire at the end. That’s just the kind of minds we have I guess, but it all started as a group of researches at an Antarctic research facility.

Community

Don't let it die people!

The first episode I watched was the D&D one. I watched it again pretty much right after I had finished. Then all of season 1, hooked Tim, and Season 3 started coming out. Still haven’t seen all of Season 2 but the discs should be here any day. Season 3 has been pretty great aside from what I thought was a lackluster halloween episode especially after the first two. But you should know that Community is awesome, and if you don’t now you do. So don’t let them cancel it. The second half of the season is going to be airing sometime this year(people are predicting summer) so tune in. Go Human Beings!

The site

Yes, the music swells and we all get teary eyed…but seriously this.THIS right here has been one of the best consistently fun things this year. The relationships that I’ve acquired(You know who you are, and yes you can say you were on a best of 2011 list now) from doing this here thing have been great, and I have more faith in the internet because of it.  I’ve done a lot of crap over the year and shared a lot of the crap up here, and…here’s to another year of crap!