Kill Screen Magazine's Blog, page 453

New PBS Game/Show asks if virtual worlds like Los Santos should count as real places

If Grand Theft Auto 5 says one thing about games, it’s that guns and cars still rule. But if it says something else, it’s that virtual worlds are beautiful, lifelike, and huge. Take a scenic cruise past the Vinewood sign through the hills and into the countryside and the immensity will soon dawn on you. 

The common belief is that the experiences we have in games aren’t real; that these virtual freeways and winding county roads exist in an imaginary domain that we are magically whisked away to with the push of a button. But what if how we think about digital worlds is wrong? Sure, Los Santos isn’t a physical location, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not real, right? After all, numerous studies have shown that virtual tourism has measurable benefits, and the experiences we have in them linger on, occasionally having profound effects on us. 

Enjoy the episode and comment if you feel so inclined!

Europa Universalis IV’s new DLC makes one of last year’s biggest, best games even bigger and better

The sublime, human beauty of maps and systems.

Boss Monster conjures all the joys of homeownership, including homicidal fury

Domestic as hell.

Every NES game title screen from one obsessive guy on YouTube

I’m having trouble looking away from this YouTube video of every single NES start screen (and Famicom game?) played back-to-back from The 3D Battles of World Runner to Zombie Nation. Why am I still watching it, twenty minutes in? I don’t know, but it has the same strange appeal as watching the movie credits roll, which is something I also do. My takeaway thus far is that the music is surprisingly not as good as I remember it, and that there were a shit-ton of NES games. At nearly 3 hours, I'll have my yearly fix for nostalgia by noon.

For the gamer who has everything, a coffee table that works like a Rubik's Cube

This interchangeable piece puts a more interactive spin on contemporary style.

EMA straps on an Oculus Rift for "Satellites," sadness ensues

There are multiple reasons to pay attention to musical artist EMA. She writes intense, noisy, industrial ballads. Her previous album Past Life Martyred Saints was one of the best albums of 2011. And in the video for Satellites, the first single on her upcoming album, she travels to a desensitized and lonely cyber-realm via an Oculus Rift.

Watch it and be confronted by the disconnectedness of your shattered virtual life!

Pope Francis calls the Internet a gift from God. No word on videogames

We all believe the Internet is great. But according to Pope Francis, it may be divine. In a statement released today, the outspoken Pope called the internet a "gift from God," continuing to prove his mettle as a progressive thinker. 

The pontiff has previously expressed openminded views towards homosexuality and atheism, but he is also savvy to yet another aspect of the modern world: computer networks. This is something you wouldn’t expect from a 77-year-old religious leader. He seems to take an existential view of technology, with an emphasis on the global computer network’s ability to connect people for good. “The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity … A network not of wires but of people,” he said. 

While Pope Francis did acknowledge that there are some drawbacks, such as the possibility for the web to create echo chambers, and people without access to it being left behind, he continued, saying the drawbacks “do not justify rejecting social media,” adding that he hopes they become calmer, tenderer places.

Pretty sure he was talking about Twitter with that one. 

What is Jason Rohrer, Scarface?

It’s been pretty widely covered that, between now and the 27th, Jason Rohrer is giving away free money, $3000 to be exact, to players of The Castle Doctrine, his MMO about stealing from others while protecting your own home from burglary. This is a lot of money for Rohrer, who once practiced simple living and grew his own food.

But he is also giving away a club for clubbing vicious dogs, which he acquired while living in a bad neighborhood in New Mexico, because the pay for creating critically lauded games like Passage isn’t great, apparently. Defenders of bad dogs everywhere can rest a little at ease, as Rohrer promises that the club “was never actually used to club a dog.” Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, you must be over 18 to win it, and the club cannot be shipped to California, New York, Massachusetts, or DC, because it’s illegal.

Things get weirder from there. Second through fifth place winners will receive a Door Devil, the security device that reinforces your doors so bad guys can’t kick through them with ease, as Rohrer’s 85-year-old neighbor’s was, he claims. Sixth through eighth place prizes are a $50 dollar gift certificate to Custom Cartridge Company in Las Cruces, New Mexico, which specializes in guns, ammo, and gunsmithing. They don't do online shopping, but there is a $10 coupon on their website.

While this is most definitely a publicity stunt, and a publicity stunt that involves cruel weapons against cruel dogs, it’s a Jason Rohrer publicity stunt, the guy who last year fabricated a titanium boardgame and buried it in the desert for aliens to one day find and play. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. 

Capcom is hiring a 100 developers a year, so there's hope for Resident Evil 7 yet

The ongoing saga of Capcom’s fickle business model continues, as the giant Japanese publisher plans to bulk its in-house talent by hiring a staggering extra 100 people in software development a year, at least until they come up with a likely far-worse idea. 

This should give them a sizable army to make next-gen games, or overthrow the government if they so choose, says CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto in a letter to investors, which seems to be the source of all relevant Capcom news of late. 

This is a swing in strategy from the company’s massive outsourcing initiative of years past, when they were headstrong about partnering with smaller studios from around the globe to make new games with their properties. Apparently, they weren’t happy with the results, as that path yielding subpar games like the deplorable Dark Void, the much maligned emo-goth Dante of DMC, and the stupid humor of the Dead Rising sequels, which you either love or hate. 

Meanwhile Capcom’s recent in-house undertakings haven’t been a disaster. Although Resident Evil 6 is universally agreed-upon as meh, the sleeper Dragon's Dogma has quietly built a strong reputation in the West. Also, their upcoming homespun Darksoulslike Deep Down looks ace. Let’s hope the added manpower helps Capcom get back on the rails they slipped off of when Japan was pronounced dead as far as game development goes.

Go behind the scenes of Scale, Steve Swink’s maybe-masterpiece

A game of proportions gets big.