#video game conference

[agentravensong]

so toby fox apparently did some tv voice acting recently [source]

(based on the wiki for this show i think this is from the episode "Polly's New Crew" from Season 2, which just came out a couple of days ago)

[deedala]

Brian David Gilbert | Unraveled, (2019) +

[machetelanding]

[wormdramafever]

KO_OP's studio director Saleem Dabbous recently shared his presentation about game making cooperatives for the Game Developers Conference (GDC).

Here's my GDC presentation on how @KOOPMode is structured and operated as a ~20 person cooperative! Please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions [x]

if you check this out and think "wow that seems insanely risky fuck that" let me introduce you to every company ever. nothing about the coop structure is more risky than a normal company but a lot of it is more equitable. [x]

coops don't inherently solve any of the risk or privilege required to survive in capitalism. They are another tool to empower workers to own their labour and be more directly in control of their work and to share in the profits of that✌️ [x]

[whompthatsucker1981]

newpipe with watch history turned off wrapped

[bellshazes]

one great thing about being paid professionally to support & consult on implementing the science of hope is that if i get depressed it sure still does suck. and it is super surreal to have convos with coworkers like "wow i sure can diagnose exactly the cause of my despair rn because i know how hope works".

HOWEVER it does mean that when i get a tiny little foothold against my anxiety it is like okay well hope is a) the belief the future will be better and you can make it better and b) a social gift. therefore, 1. what do i want to stop happening (usually easier to answer when depressed than active desire) 2. what would have to change for me to get that, and if what i want isn't possible what are the next best pathways & the next best after that and 3. do i need to talk to a friend to help me answer 1 or 2 or possibly give me the cheerleading i need to chip away at whatever i need to do. it surely won't fix my episode but it DOES make life imminently more hopeful and therefore survivable and will help with the bigger picture stuff. as well as guess who has pickled onions now on account of gaining momentum.

[falllpoutboy]

https://x.com/fatfabfeminist/status/1704831795798155630?s=46

when teachers complain about students being passed on to the next grade when they’re obviously behind on grade level by two+ years/grades, why do parents automatically point their fingers at their teachers lmao?? yes students missed up to 1.5-2 years in face-to-face learning due to the pandemic and the remote learning policies depending on their location so now that they’re back for in-person learning like we’re just doing our job and teaching them to the best of our abilities, but due to the curriculum and the policies in place (depending on where you live obvs), we have no choice but to pass them on. teachers make attempts to bring attention to a student’s attendance and grades to their parents but if the parents can’t follow up on the emails we send, the phone calls we make, the voicemails we leave and the parent-teacher conferences requests we send, then that sends a clear message that you don’t care about your kids education beyond the bare fucking minimum.

we get it, parents are busy and have jobs and other priorities and every parent and student has a different story. but if your kid is 12 y/o and is in the 7th grade and is reading/writing at a 4th grade level, is incapable of reading a 200 page novel and goes straight to tiktok or to their ps5 immediately after school, then we are not the problem!!!

[hopeymchope]

On this Nintendo Direct day, I'm pondering how Sony's PlayStation division went from "amazing press conference events" to "sucky State of Plays"

I know Tumblr - and indeed, even myself - tend to be pretty radically anti-capitalism these days, and for good fucking reason. But right now I'm going to write about being an unapologetic consumer of marketing hype like a fucking shill, so I just wanna warn you in advance of that.

*AHEM* Today is September 14, 2023. Nintendo Direct time let's GOOOOO!!!!

Nothing will ever again be as HYPE as E3 conference presentations were at their peak, but Nintendo Direct is the closest we get these days, and today brings us another one. I feel confident there will be causes for most of the userbase to get excited during that show. But oddly, today ALSO is bringing a State of Play that is... almost sure to disappoint.

About E3: You see, in the days of E3's peak press conferences, it's hard to argue that Sony wasn't the best at that particular style of presentation. Obviously, they had famous fumbles like 2006's meme-inducing show — but it was usually Nintendo who had the most sleep-inducing E3 shows in those days. Sony managed to pivot most successfully when E3 transitioned from "industry trade show" to "mass-marketing event," whereas Nintendo was by far the least successful at ditching that "trade show" vibe.

My point is: You look at how Sony did their thing in the mid-2010s, and like... DAMN. People STILL talk in reverent tones about those 2015 and 2016 shows, but even 2013 and 2017 were powerful presentations to sit through. PlayStation even ran their own convention where they'd do utterly kickass stage showcases of their upcoming games A SECOND TIME each year - the sadly defunct "PSX," which happened towards the end of each year during its too-brief lifespan. Those presentations were ALSO fucking fire, albeit slightly toned down from their E3 shows. Sony's PlayStation division had this game on lock, not only in how the stage itself gave a grand feeling of scale but most especially in perfectly pacing out the reveals of mass-appeal titles, hardcore-geek titles, and more niche games that still managed to hold intrigue. They knew how to slooooowly reveal a game everyone would lose their minds over. They knew how to give people a buffer space after the cheering died down and let them take in something that would somewhat intrigue, maybe, but probably be more of an obligation before the next heavy-hitter smashed down.

But let's talk about where PlayStation's presentations are *today*.

I really, really want State of Play to offer the Nintendo Direct-level hype, but... Sony just utterly fucking sucks at this game. And maybe it's because they started the "digital presentation" trend, but somehow Nintendo has gone from "probably/possibly the worst at E3 showcases" to "EASILY the BEST at digital video showcases." Nintendo knows how to do the hype-ass editing where you go from a vague introductory statement to a black screen that slowly lights up to reveal some game that most of the hardcore userbase is gonna freak out over. Yet Sony can't seem to imitate that to save their lives.

PlayStation doesn't even seem to know (or more likely, doesn't care) what their hardcore users want — usually Sony shows us just one or, extremely rarely, two games that get the geeks talking. And a number of "Uh?" vagaries that are too early to really explain/understand. And some games very, very few people will care about.

Yes, of course Nintendo ALSO tends to include games that are extremely limited in their audience, but they know how to buffer and surround those titles with things that will appeal to certain significant demographics. PlayStation? Not so much. Which is particularly strange given how EXCELLENT they were are doing precisely that on live stages during the late PS3/early PS4 era.

In fairness, Sony usually at least knows what their biggest gun is. They knew that Resident Evil 4 remake was a big reveal. They still revealed it at the wrong time in their presentation and with a lack of buildup that felt pretty amateurish, but at least they knew it was a big deal and put it in an important slot.

But do I expect great things from Sony today? Not really, no. I suppose I should be grateful that they've progressively lowered my expectations to a reasonable level; I mean, I remember some people being disappointed by their E3 2017 show because 2015 and 2016 were so incredible. At least now, they've set me up to where, if they do a decent State of Play, I really *will* be blown away.

Here's hoping they surprise me. And I hope whatever your dream for the Nintendo Direct and/or State of Play is, it comes true for you.

[master-gatherer]

Ngl I see "bioware magic" and my blood pressure shoots up like ten points

[regallibellbright]

So I didn’t know/internalize that Hello Kitty Island Adventure is up for Best Mobile Game tonight.

No offense to Terra Nil but I am now pulling for Hello Kitty Island Adventure for Best Mobile Game tonight.

[l-1-z-a]

Will's Seminar on Failure + Learning + Games [17 February 2010]

Will Wright's "Why Games are (Good) for Learning", [2010]

Original description @ the NYU's website...

"Video game pioneer, Will Wright, the creator of "SimCity" and "Spore" will lead a discussion on how digital games encourage learning.

Wright has been called one of the most important people in gaming, technology, and entertainment. In 2009, he left Electronic Arts to form his own think tank, the Stupid Fun Club.

Sponsored by Games for Learning Institute and the NYU Game Center

About the Games for Learning Institute

The G4LI is a joint research endeavor of Microsoft Research and a consortium of universities. The partners include: Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY), Dartmouth College, Parsons, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Teachers College, and Pontifical Catholic University of Chile as well as NYU. The Institute’s aim is to identify which qualities of computer games engage students and develop relevant, personalized teaching strategies that can be applied to the learning process.

Price: This event is free, but a ticket is required. To obtain tickets, e-mail tickets@g4li.org"

The media published here are exclusively dedicated to educational purposes. If one, for any reason, deems that they violate the copyright, please inform us, and it will be our care to remove immediately the posts accordingly.

Notes from Will Wright’s “What Makes Games (Good) for Learning?”

Earlier this week, legendary game designer Will Wright delivered his keynote speech at the Engage! Expo in New York City. In addition to talking about the potential of games as “toys,” he apparently blew up a Barbie doll and kept the lid (mostly) sealed on his Stupid Fun Club. While this event made a few headlines, he also made a less-publicized visit to NYU last night. Wright’s speech, sponsored by the Games for Learning Institute, undoubtedly covered similar material, but here are a few tidbits that I found interesting…

There were a few technical hiccups prior to the speech, so Wright offered to answer a few audience questions. When asked about why educational and serious games are typically lame, he replied that this is primarily tied to craftsmanship. Serious game developers are going for the most obvious depictions of real-world crises, but those are rarely the most fun. For example, he suggested that rather than controlling a Peace Corps member trying to prevent the spread of a deadly disease, it might be more fun to put the player in the “shoes” of the virus.

Wright talked a bit about allowing more opportunities for failure. While classrooms emphasize testing and theoretical understanding, games allow for more practical applications. He suggested that this requires trusting the minds of young people, but that games haven’t been around long enough for this to take hold in classrooms.

Another interesting comparison: Robert Louis Stevenson plotted out “Treasure Island” by looking at a map and playing everything out in his mind before ever setting a pen to paper. Wright followed this up by talking about his crazier experiences in Grand Theft Auto IV. Even looking at box art, the player creates rough adventures in his mind before making a purchase.

As for where Stupid Fun Club is heading, he was again tight-lipped, but he does believe that emphasis on immersion will be superseded, at least for now, by games like Wii Sports and Rock Band. Here, it’s as much fun to watch someone play as it is to play yourself. Also, more of the usual talk of turning players into creators. (Spore)

Unfortunately, Wright was then rushed off stage because he had exceeded his time limit. The guy speaks pretty damn quickly, but a lot of slides still had to be cut off. Oh well. If you’ve read any interviews with the guy, much of this is stuff he’s said before, but it was still exciting to hear this nerd hero.

Source of notes:

[magratpudifoot]

I just finished watching The Batman--the 2022 film, not the actually excellent 2004 series--on the recommendation of four professional-and-reasonably-well-respected film/comics critics.

If four people can be that wrong about something and still have jobs doing that thing the next day, I think people can probably deal with my more controversial opinions on widely-read texts. So thanks for giving me that push I need to finally just write what I want to say in this damn Dracula paper, people who confidently said The Batman (2022) was worth watching.

[nfinitefreetime]

Just busy, I promise

Parent-teacher conferences at my kid’s school today, which ate up most of my evening, and then I had two tests and an assignment to write for tomorrow, and I’m contemplating how long I’m going to wait until I take this big bastard out of its box: … so, I have spent money unwisely, but fuck it, I get to give the original PS5 to my son and get some good dad points, and fuck it, the world’s ending…

[lizardsfromspace]

Watching AI types say we need generative AI-written dialogue to create a game where NPCs can remember and react to things and thinking of when the Call of Duty devs declared that they had finally pioneered the tech to have fish move away from the player, only for someone to post a video of fish moving away in Super Mario 64 a few minutes after the press conference ended

[a2zsportsnews]

Luka Doncic game winner on Rudy Gobert, video, three-pointer, Dallas Mavericks win over Minnesota Timberwolves, West Conference Finals, scores, results, highlights, box score, latest news

A Luka Doncic game-winning three-pointer has lifted the Dallas Mavericks past the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-108 in epic scenes to see the Mavericks improve to 2-0 as they return to home court. With Rudy Gobert guarding him and Dallas trailing 106-108, Doncic nailed the massive step back triple to give Dallas the lead with three seconds left before cursing at the French big man, leaving the…