We’ve all been there. That boss we just can’t beat, that puzzle that we just can’t solve, that last bit of the collection that we just can’t find. Frustrating, annoying, and yet somehow - if we can get past it - the rush of victory is like nothing else.

Finding the balance is hard. Especially for a designer, who, let’s face it, knows their game inside and out. You don’t want the game to be so easy it becomes unmemorable, with players zipping through in a few easy hours, but nor do you want them to give up in the first ten minutes.

Part of the problem is that veterans of a genre will find the controls far easier than a novice who has just picked up the game because they liked the cover art. In the former, make it too easy and you will immediately create boredom. For the latter, make it too hard, and you will instantly frustrate and discourage.
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I’ve always disliked fanatical retro gamers. You know the type. They think it’s cool to be old school. They haven’t bought a console since the N64 and Playstation era, and even those consoles were a little too modern. They don’t believe in any handheld except the Gameboy. They still argue that Duck Hunt was the best FPS. If you tell them how you played Halo last weekend, they snort and guffaw your lack of gamer prowess. “Halo isn’t a game,” they say, condescendingly. “They just don’t make them like they used to.”

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Gaze deep into the crystal ball, my child. The veil of time shall part before you, and the future will be revealed. The future of gaming, in fact, an industry that has, in a few short decades, exploded into an international, multibillion dollar lifestyle choice.

1. The Generation Gap

We are already seeing the people who were raised with games becoming parents themselves. The result is a new found understanding between parents and kids, as well as a new found degree of control. Parents understand that not all games equal satanic death cults, but equally, not all games equal happy kid-friendly playtime. Of course, there’s always going to be parents who let their kids run wild, and those who take censorship to an extreme, but on the whole parents and children will be able to compromise fairly well.

In addition to that, the children that were born and raised with games will find that they have an intuitive grasp of the ‘gaming language’. Until now, games have been restricted, because the creators of games have always been overly influenced by the language of films (and books). As the new generation starts to take over the roles of developer, creator and designer, we will see a far more fluid and inventive gaming scene.
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Out of the rumor mill and onto the internet, confirmation of Diablo 3 has finally been released! Just what will be awaiting gamers when they finally make a return trip to a world that has not been seen in seven years. So far, not much is known about the game, but it’s shaping up to be one of the biggest game releases in a while.

Witch doctors and barbarians have been confirmed for Diablo 3 as character classes. Undead, khazra, gnarld walkers, and dark cultists have been added to the online bestiary. New Tristram and Caldeum are the so far established environments. In addition to this there has also been a dungeon announced as well as lore added to the official website. As we get closer to the game’s release, Blizzard will continue updating the website to give gamers a better look at what they will be in for.

There is not much to say about the game just yet, but just looking at screenshots and videos shows amazing promise. Will Blizzard be bringing the goods and delivering a great continuation to the series? It sure looks like it!

If I was going to point to the technological advance that has had the biggest impact on gaming, I would say the internet.

Gaming has always been a social activity, contrary to popular stereotype. Visiting arcades was better as a group, two-player (or more) games have always sold well, and even single-player games have inspired plenty of discussion amongst friends.

The social aspect of gaming has always sold more units. Most of us will respect the opinion of a gamer friend more so than a glossy advert in a magazine. However, when networks were limited to a handful of real-life friends and perhaps the occasional convention once or twice a year, it did not have a significant impact. We bought and learned from gaming magazines, we were influenced by box art when we browsed the shelves at a retail outlet. Titles had limited real-space to sell themselves.

Then the internet came, and changed everything.
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Recently EA Sports has announced that they would be using new peripherals, which will be bundled together with their new games within the next year. More information on this can be found in gamester’s article on the subject (Paris GDC: McCarthy Teases EA Sports Peripherals). With this announcement, it is only a matter of time before other companies begin to jump on the bandwagon and exploit more motion sensitive functions with new and more specific peripheral devices. What can we expect for the future?

David McCarthy of EA Sports was quoted on saying “I think you’ll see games using that Rock Band peripheral strategy from EA Sports, even within the next 12 months.” The strategy he was referring to is the use of controllers other then the norm to become more accessible and user friendly for non-gamers to play. Does this mean that EA will be releasing baseball bats, footballs, and basketball type devices for their games? On one hand, it would create a true experience for players. On the other hand this could recreate the scenario when the Wii was first released with the less then reinforced Wiimote strap. So be on guard because your television may be at risk if this is what they are going for.
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In the last few years being creative in a video game has become more common. Of course with that came quite a few games that had the player creating their own character to go through the story. Customizable characters have been around for quite some time, however with today’s technology, it is a completely new ballgame.

With lesser-known titles such as Magic Pengel and Graffiti Kingdom sparking the trend way back in 2003/2004 things have come a long way. Having now established that home consoles had enough power to do some major character creations, games like the Soulcalibur series began including Character Creation Modes that are more sophisticated. After that, it was a while before something truly new came along. (more…)

Settings matter so much in video games. You could have the best character design and gameplay in the history of gaming, but if the setting wasn’t being sold correctly, it could all fail. Let’s face it; gamers love rich and original environments to play in. It doesn’t matter if it’s New York City or the Mushroom Kingdom, as long as it’s done right. (more…)

As more news has been announced and more videos have been shown it has become apparent that Sonic Team and Dimps (developing the Wii and PS2 versions) have decided to take the blue hedgehog back to his roots. Not only is the gameplay taking a hint from the past but so is almost everything else. Dr. Eggman/Robotnik returns as the main antagonist for the game and he can only be stopped by collecting the Chaos Emeralds. From the sound, and look of things, we will be getting a next-gen old-fashioned Sonic game! (more…)

Building a game isn’t easy. Once you’ve designed it, created art assets, coded it, tested it, fixed it and finally packaged it you have accomplished more than most. However, all of that work was for nothing - if nobody plays it.

Not all games are meant for the mass market. Indie games, created on a shoestring budget, can quite easily break even with just a few people willing to put down a handful of dollars on it. If you achieve a certain level of popularity (such as Darwinia, from Introversion) then you can even turn a profit.

Of course, your marketing budget is probably in the realm of the zeroes, which makes things more difficult. A triple-A game can saturate every gaming magazine and website with adverts, arrange promotional giveaways every other day, and ensure that all major review sites are in its pocket. You can’t. So you have to be a bit more imaginative - and exploit the fickle and viral nature of the internet.

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