It's Not a Game

With the 2009 Game Developer's Conference in full swing, I've been doing a little looking into, you guessed it, game development. The gaming industry is incredibly interesting, and for years I've loved pontificating about it, without any real knowledge of its inner-workings. I'd call myself an armchair general, but I don't know what the video game equivalent of that is, though I imagine both could have the word "armchair in them". In any case, an industry so reliant on technology is constantly evolving, and players like Nintendo have proved that hardware isn't necessarily the key to to success. But where, oh where, might a relative newcomer to the cold hard facts of the industry go to educate myself on how things really work? There are any number of places, but I am particularly fond of Gamasutra. As their tagline says, they are devoted to the "art & business of making games". Perfect! Even a cursory glance at the articles they feature is a great resource to breaking intelligently into the conversation of video games. And there are things to talk about. The upcoming OnLive service is sure to impact the gaming community. If you don't need to buy a console or even a fancy pc to play next gen games, I think you may potentially gain new players, but there may also be a negative effect on publishers and developers. How can they make money in a state of perpetual renting? Also, the idea of virtual ownership of a game without a physical copy is definitely an avenue that will be explored in the future, and OnLive is perhaps just the first major step towards it.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Gaming isn't all about video games! What about all the fun games we play that don't require an outlet or $400? Well, fear not! David Sirlin website, the aptly named Sirlin.net, is full of awesome design articles on all types of gaming. Admittedly, he's worked alot on some video game projects, but he doesn't limit his insights to that style of gaming alone. All of it is insightful and an interesting read. At the very least, it gives you some food for thought. I'm particularly interested in his book "Playing to Win". Winning as a lifestyle for self-improvement? That's something I can get behind!

There's a Cat in the Couch

In fact, this post has almost nothing to do with a cat in the couch, though when I began writing, there was a cat in my couch, which led to this corresponding story. Take a look for yourself, just click on the picture.
Have you ever heard of M.U.L.E? Probably not. It was a game developed for the Atari 400/800, and ported to a variety of systems, including the NES. M.U.L.E. is heralded as one of the first great efforts at a multiplayer experience on a single console. Though it didn't make huge waves at the time, it has maintained a strong fan following, including noted game designer Will Wright, who dedicated The Sims to Dani Bunten, creator of M.U.L.E.
So, what makes M.U.L.E. so great? Basically, it's just a lot of fun! It plays alot like a boardgame, where up to four players attempt to harvest the most resources on a space colony. In order to collect your resources, you have to install M.U.L.E.s (Multiple Use Labor Elements) to gather your resources. From then, it's a mad dash to the finish as you deal with space pirates, storms, M.U.L.E.s running away, and everything else under the sun! It's a great time, and if you get the chance to play it on an emulator or through one of the other versions out there, I highly recommend it.
Curiously, despite its strong resemblance to traditional board games, I don't actually know if it could be replicated. There are a few game mechanics, such as the way land is claimed, that are problematic to replicate on a table top. Hopefully I can work out some of the issues, but in any case, there may be a new version of the game coming out this summer. Hooray! It just goes to show that a good game is a good game, despite time, or hardware limitations. Design is what's important, and too often these days that's what developers miss.