Twenty-five Years at the Heart of Gaming 468
Andrew Leonard writes "Salon has a loooong interview with Eugene Jarvis, the creator of legendary arcade video games Defender and Robotron, up today. Jarvis talks about why he is pro-emulators, anti-Grand Theft Auto, still focused on arcade games, and deeply worried about terrorism. It's a good read, even if you have to watch a ten second ad to get access."
Bring on the old games (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bring on the old games (Score:2, Funny)
Ah, such modern games.
Give me Hadron, Odyssey, Space Eggs, Turmoil, Impossible Mission, M.U.L.E., ...
Re:Bring on the old games (Score:3, Funny)
In my day, we only had Space War and Zork.
Re:Bring on the old games (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Bring on the old games (Score:5, Insightful)
Always was and still is addictive as crack.
MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:4, Insightful)
The relation, take a look at the comment about MAME and emulation:
people have done it just for the love of the old games, so, in a sense, they've done a tremendous public service in preserving the old games to be played and enjoyed today
It's nice to see an artist (video-game artist) who understands what this is about. Old movies, old music, old games... it's not about theft in many cases, it's about preservation. It's about the game you can't play anywhere, or the movie that you won't find in any Blockbuster nearby.
I wonder about 10 years from now though. Will people bother swapping around copies of GTA: VC, or will it fade into oblivion as the next dismember-head-in-a-baggie game comes around. Games like Defender etc had lasting appeal... even ones like Keen and DN3D did (humour in DN3D). I wonder how today's games will measure up.
Re:MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:3, Insightful)
Except that most people are stealing games that you can play anywhere and movies that you can find in Blockbuster. And I notice you didn't include music in that statement.
The preservation argument only gets you so far, and it doesn't address the concept that the game's owners might and should have control over how their stuff is "preserved." Nintendo certainly speaks loudly on this issue, since they
Re:MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:5, Insightful)
Two responses:
1) I don't know what most poeple are doing, as I'm not involved in the modern game warez community. I do know that sometimes I want to revive games that I loved as a kid and want to play again. I downloaded Super Dodge Ball, River City Ransom, and Bubble Bobble because I didn't know where else to get 'em. Admittedly, I played them for about 15 minutes, but it was great to play them again.
2) We're not talking about music. That's why it wasn't mentioned.
The preservation argument only gets you so far, and it doesn't address the concept that the game's owners might and should have control over how their stuff is "preserved." Nintendo certainly speaks loudly on this issue, since they "preserve" all their old games by continually re-releasing them. If a game company declares that Game X is public domain, then by all means, preserve away. Until that time, it's still stealing.
So we have to sit here and *hope* that some company will release an old game? I know people that have been waiting for either a re-release or a faithful update of Kid Icarus for many years now, but there are no signs of that happening. Your theory ONLY works if the publishers will work with the community, which they haven't done so far. They don't decide which games they think they can re-release in a collection and make money, then release the rest as freeware. Instead, they hold onto everything they've ever created, even if there are a grand total of 5 fans out there on the intarweb, and only release the ones that are the most popular. The tyranny of the majority and all that.
I don't think this would be a question if the smaller games were released as freeware. If Nintendo would go through their rom library, identify all those that they think they can make money off of, then designate the others are freely distributable as roms, there would be no discussion. In the current situtation, there's nothing that makes this any more than a few fans who would like to relive an old memory vs. a company that doesn't stand to make any money. It's a no-win situation, one that could easily be rectified by releasing the game, a win-win situation in which the old fans get to relive their memories, and they, in turn, now like and will support the publisher.
Re:MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:4, Insightful)
So we have to sit here and *hope* that some company will release an old game?
Yes, you do. Because it's their property. As long as they continue to hold the rights, they get to decide what happens to it. If they never make a new version of Mappy, that's too damn bad for us Mappy fans.
If Nintendo would go through their rom library, identify all those that they think they can make money off of
And how exactly do they do that? Who knows what game or franchise could be suddenly re-released, remixed or redone to acclaim? It's far easier for companies to hold on to their property, than to let go of something that could be potential profit. Unfortunately, that's business. If you were to tell the Desilu people that they should drop their claims to the I Love Lucy TV series because it's old and only a small portion of people like it, they'd call you crazy, because there's plenty of potential dough there. And once you give up on something, it's next to impossible to ever get it back. So it's a huge business decision, even if the product in question is something as un-remembered as an obscure arcade game. If Nintendo had released Balloon Fight into public domain, they couldn't make $5 per eCard set.
This whole thing is a lot more complicated that the FREE ROMZ types make it out to be. What about the people who originally created these games? Suppose the guy who wrote the music still needs to be paid a couple bucks because of his contract? There's legal hoops to jump through, and it's often just not worth it.
Pick any TV show you liked that is no longer on the air. If you're lucky, there's a DVD or VHS available somewhere. If not, too bad. You can't just claim My Right! and demand that it be released for free by whatever company still owns the physical tapes or film. Most times, you can't even demand it be released for purchase... for the same legal reasons I described above. Actors and writers and musicians and producers all can have any number of claims against the show... wages, royalties, fees. I don't see why video games are any different, except that we have this creeping disrespect for "intangible" works, and a digitally transmitted ROM file comes close enough to that.
a win-win situation in which the old fans get to relive their memories, and they, in turn, now like and will support the publisher.
This is very admirable and dreamy, but I don't see any business buying into it. There's no indication that fans will later support a company that gave away everything for free. Most times, they just get pissy when the company starts timidly asking for money. Go see all the furor when IGN (and dozens of other formerly free websites) started up a pay premium service. Sure, some people will make the connection between "These guys gave me River City Ransom for free, so I'm going to go buy their new GBA version" but most consumers will not.
Re:MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:3, Informative)
You misspelled "copyright infringement". Can't blame you really, it's a hard phrase to spell. Still, accuracy is a useful skill in this particular controversial topic.
Re:MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:3, Interesting)
Compare that with the BBC wiping early episodes of Dr. Who so that they could reuse the tape, and having to hope some people around the world had "copies" of it lying around.
Re:MAME, Kazaa, and internet preservation (Score:5, Insightful)
Does anyone actually pay [yahoo.com] $20 freaking dollars for Commander Keen these days? There are so many good games out [the-underdogs.org] there [oldgames.nu] that stupidly can't [the-underdogs.org] be distributed as abandonware because of paranoid companies. They're not making money on these old games any more, so why the fuss?!
I just don't understand why more companies can't realize that by demanding hard cash for >15-year-old games, they're only shunning the people who love them the most. That, and they'll probably go elsewhere & find a warez copy for free.
Re:DOSemu (Score:4, Informative)
25 years? (Score:5, Funny)
Terrorism (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Terrorism (Score:3, Funny)
Al-Qaida probably went nuts after tirelessly fighting through each level only to realize the princess was in another castle.
MAME... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MAME... (Score:5, Funny)
KFG
Re:MAME... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MAME... (Score:3, Funny)
Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:3, Insightful)
Blasting invaders from space is one thing; a game that lets you steal a car and run over the owner or murder prostitutes is over the line. It increases the allure of immoral behavior and blurs the line between right and wrong to an unacceptable degree in a society that is already plagued with people who cannot accept responsibility for themselves.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:2, Insightful)
note, i didn't actually watch the super bowl, its a violent game!
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Funny)
That's great for you. I grew up with D&D, quake, duke nukem, and tons of war games.
My parents never had to tell me not to go around shooting rocket launchers. I knew this was wrong.
I think G.I. Joe may have informed me. Although I distinctly remember that them telling me was only half of what I needed to accomplish.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Interesting)
Everyone? Painting with a rather broad brush there, aren't you?
I grew up in the Pac-Man era. (I was a Tempest and Robotron junkie myself.) I love Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City! GTA:3 is like watching a really good 1970s mobster movie, except you get to play the part of the low-level thug, working your way up the ladder by doing ugly jobs for ugly people. GTA:VC is more like the 1980s drug-dealing mafia movie, and is equally entertaining. Performances from actors like Joey "Pants" Pantaliano and Ray Liota, along with the differences of handling characteristics of different cars, make both games extremely fun and entertaining for me.
I'm an X-Box owner, so I will have to wait a couple years for GTA:SA to get ported over, but the first two are plenty enough to keep me amused until then while my PS2-owning friends are playing the new one.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm sure pinball enthusiasts were saying all the same things about Death Race [klov.com] 25 years ago...
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
My parents told me stories when their parents were concerned about the music that they were listening to.
I'm not a fan of GTA, nor any of the games that are similar. I'm not tring to defend GTA. I just think that we are too quick to say that it is because of the video games in our childrens lives that cause them to became so desensitized to the world.
Just my thoughts. Flame suit is on.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:3, Insightful)
Probably. Who is to say they weren't right? Is out society better/safer than it was 30 years ago? 60 years ago? 90 years ago? Were kids getting killed in schools, or on the way to and from school 90 years ago? There were big societal advancements, such as the legal desegregation of schools, and a higher availability of basic education. But the amount of violence is scarey, i'd hate to be in highschool these days. Teenagers can be dangerous,
no, they were dying in mills 90 years ago.. (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not certain that people were better - they may have been but that had fewer choices and less say in what choices they had. Bad magazines could easily be noted by other people. Lack of attendance at church or other events would be known. You couldn't go online to see anything unusual - you would have to journey far (if you could afford it) or order through the mail which would be seen.
I can't argue that what society holds as good is so, but the choices people had were restrained. Knowing what they would have done in the presence of choices we have now isn't possible, and prevents me from understanding how we've improved or worsened over time.
Another point. Objectification of women might not be good now, but it existed then - just not as blatantly sexual. Women were wives, mothers, or schoolteachers. They could not be trusted with power or choice (what jobs to hold, where to live, etc.) They couldn't hold property or vote. They could sporadically express their will, but their acts were constrained by the expectations of others, for the desires of others. They may not have been exclusively sex objects, but they were likely objects just the same - vacuum cleaners, or money counters, or social ornaments. In a sense, women have more choices and fewer are likely to be objectified now than previously because they can choose their paths and do not have to conform so strongly to the wills and desires of others. There will always be objectification - people want what they want, and sometimes can't see others as anything other than a means to those ends.
Re:no, they were dying in mills 90 years ago.. (Score:3, Insightful)
I feel that way as a man though. society tells men how to behave as well, but hardly anyone fits that mold. There might be less pressure on men though, having not been repressed in a way similar to women. I would be less happy though, if society explicitly told me I could only be a schoolteacher, house-husband or nurse.
Re:no, they were dying in mills 90 years ago.. (Score:5, Insightful)
That is actually a falacy. The people that lived a hundred years ago would not understand a lot of the issues we are faced with simply becuase they were not issues. It was a matter of common sense. The classic examples are sexuality and violence. If you asked Horace (around 10 BC or so) or Ovid (around the same), they would not have understood the differences in sexuality that we now classify as being different. The same with violence. The average ancient greek did things on a daily basis taht would shock and horrify even the most hardened inner city gang member today. The ancients greeks had a festival were women had tgo throw a dead pig in a well and three days later climb down there and fish it back up. The ancients greeks when they went back to nature, really went back to nature. They would go out in the woods and literally rip apart small animals with their bare hands and eat them raw. In fact there is actually a greek word for the science of eating raw flesh and several manuscripts were supposedly written on the subject. The ancient greeks had a connection with nature and the animals we have long since lost. The same with people 100 years ago, they had conections and attitudes that we don't have. If we ahd grown up then we would have the same asttitudes but we wouldn't be like we are now - we wouldn't be us. So you are partly correct - if any person lived and grew in any era, they woudl grow to fit into that era. But if we were to take say an adult ancient greek out of the past and transport him here, no matter how much education or social interaction he had he would never ever fit in cause he is not the same as us.
As to the attitudes towards women, you are somewhat correct and somewhat wrong. men of the times often kept women out of politics, not becuase they thought women were inferior (though some if not many obviously did) but to a large extent becuase they wanted to protect women. Politics is a messy business and it wasn't something most men wanted women to dirty their hands with. It was one of the side effects of the victorian era - before it, women were as much a part of everyday siociety as men were. They worked at the home and in the fields, helped to support the family, etc. But as they were no longer needed becuase the husband could support the family alone, a lot of guys thought their wives should be above dirtying their hands with work. Women were thought to be above that. On the other hand, there was no reason to hold back women that did want to dirty their hands. If a woman wanted to vote, she should have been allowed to. Its the pedestal problem - once you put something on top of a pedestal it harms that things interaction with everything else. That was what happened with the victorian era - if women were above it then they were restricted from it as well. A similiar thing occured in France during the early middle ages with the Marovingians. They were set on such a high pedestal (of holiness this time) that they became useless to reality becuase they were so restricted in their interactions with it. In the end the price of freedom is that you have to get your hands dirty. Women eventually fought their way off the pedestal and are now a part of our culture in a real way again. Unfortunately some feminists are so sexist that they are trying to fight their way back up onto the pedestal.
Re:no, they were dying in mills 90 years ago.. (Score:3, Insightful)
You'd be surprised what Horace and Ovid would understand. If you actually read letters from ancient Greece or from Rome, you will recognise much of the problems of today. Overcrowthing, noisy neighbours, lawlessnes and foreigners with strange ideas were as common back then as they are now.
The most famous of these "s
no GTA doesn't solve anything (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, yes, and yes.
No matter what Jon Katz and Michael Moore would like you to believe, your chance of getting brutally killed in or around an American school is far lower today than any of those three periods you just mentioned.
If nothing else, it's a radically safer time to be a minority in America now compared to back when lynchings were commonplace.
Seeing violence every day in the games they play can't possibly be good, can it? Seeing women objectified without realizing the consquences and effects it has on the women can't be good, can it?
Good point. Those dime novels of the 1910s, B movies of the 1940s, and exploitation movies of the 1970s were... oh, you were talking about entertainment of today? Yes, shocking. Very shocking. Almost, but not quite, as violent and sexest as entertainment from previous generations.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:4, Informative)
I think you have large misconception about Moore. In Bowling For Columbine he looks at the issues of youth/school violence and gun violence in general. He doesn't come to a conclusion about the cause of this, but he does conclude that:
a) It isn't caused by the prevalence of guns; and
b) It isn't caused by violent movies, games, or "evil" music.
However, he does suggest that if anything, the over-reporting and sensationalism of violence by the media in the U.S. (which is the very thing you accused Moore of doing), actually contributes to such violence by causing people to be overly fearful.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm one of those "never ascribe to malice..." types who rejects conspiracy theories unless presented with solid evidence to convict Those Who Have Conspired. It's more likely that those who object to violent media are concerned for society, but their concern is a misinformed one, and their outcry is based on the emotional impact of the issue, rather than
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
Mass hysteria!
Yeah, we've been here and done this before. Strauss's waltzes, now virtually the epitome of staid music for old people, was once considered the ultimate in youthful depravity. The violin and the pennywhistle were banned by the church at one time as being depraved instruments because women were unable to resist their allure and might be prone to wiggle to their tunes.
On the other hand beating up a temple whore would have been considered a holy act in the right time and place. Thou shalt not suffer the witch to live.
Depravity depends a good deal on the mind viewing the act. In the words of Tom Lehrer, "When correctly viewed, everything is lewd."
Worrying about virtual depravity is silly. If anything it acts, on the whole, as an outlet and thus prevents more meatspace depravity then it could ever cause.
But you can't point to events that didn't happen so the one nutcase who does something becomes a big deal.
KFG
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:2)
But for some reason she was happy as larry blasting the shit out of a huge number of centipedes.
Personally - I used to love Road Rash because I could whip another biker with a big chain and pull him (or her) off their bike. MUCH more fun than pitstop!
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
But it's NOT a young audience. The audience has grown up. [clickz.com]
Links even a year or two old, I saw more recent demographics from neilson that had even more in the 18-25 category.
Anyhow, fact is, the big money is in that 18-25 year old male demographic. That's where the money is.
GTA has an M rating. Parents know what this means.
The old-school plots and family-friendly characters are still around in droves. Sonic, Mario, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, etc, etc..
But the simple fact is, that now there is a very large adult audience for video games. Those of us who grew up playing Adventure and Pitfall are still around, just older.
GTAs appeal was its immersive environment and sense of humor, btw, not simply over-the-top violence, titles of which are a dime a dozen.
Custar's Last Stand (Score:2)
Current-day graphics and sound etc may have brought more realism to today's games, thus making them more disturbing, but the poor content has been there for a long time.
Don't let your kids play GTA then stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
I grew up playing video games, hey, news flash, there were some pretty gorey games out there even back in the day if you knew where to look. I remember one I used to play called Speed Racer? Or somesuch, you ran over little old ladies. *splock*
Haha. It's a game, stupid. You filled in the violent details in your head back then. I'm a responsible member of society, I fully accept responsibility for my actions, I vote, I have a University degree, and I love playing GTA. For that matter, I drink beer to excess too!
Keep your ghoulier-than-thou hands off my video games and monitor what your children do. Teach your children to have minds of their own and to think critically rather than worrying about a video game. Maybe the reason there are so many irresponsible people out there is nobody explains the whole concequences-for-your-own-actions thing? Because it's the state's fault for LETTING me get these evil drugs and noodie-pics and video games. It's not my fault!
I like violent fiction and horror movies, too. There are some pretty offensive "holy" books out there too, at least to my sensibilities. Censorship is EVIL. You get to control your kids until they're 16 or so. Have fun.
I don't even bother playing the game in GTA. I laugh my ass off driving around running over people. I know I'm not the only one out there either! *haha* It's ENTERTAINMENT.
Don't you have a people-against-funny-cartoons meeting to attend, or something?
What's "Parental Accountability?" (Score:5, Insightful)
<TONGUE-IN-CHEEK>
Nonsense! This is the 21st century, for crying out loud. We have government programs, daycare, surrogacy, artificial insemination, adoption, gene therapy, genetic counseling, selective fetal termination,
When I think back of how my family had to give up caviar and luxury cars and only live off one salary so my Mom could stay home and raise me, I'm filled with sadness. Think of all the fun times with shallow fellow corporate slaves that she missed out on to sit around and watch me grow up. If only we'd had MTV and Nintendo when I were young.
Parents today shouldn't have to trade in their Mercedes SUV and GSM cellphone and downsize from their 4-bedroom mansion and live off of one salary! BOTH parents can continue working as long as they want, and need only interact with their kids for a couple hours a day! I mean, after a long day at work, who has the energy to quiz a kid over the basic algebra they're studying for tomorrow's test? Can't someone else do it?
Can't someone else raise our kids? In this day and age - yes!
<TONGUE-IN-CHEEK>
Re:Don't let your kids play GTA then stupid (Score:3, Funny)
Gory? I'm not worried about my kids seeing gore, I'm worried about them emulating me ;)
My best friend and I beat Lesiure Suit Larry 1 in one night, and we were only in 7th grade. To win the game, you had to get laid.
I now have 4 kids, and I just turned 30.
B
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah, I hate Dance Dance Revolution also!
-m
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:4, Insightful)
Besides, books have had this level of detail for far longer than video games have had, and you never hear parents tell their kids to "put that book down and go play GTA" (although there is the whole "Catcher in the Rye" debate, but that's probably past the memory of most readers here).
If anything, we're guilty of relying on these games to provide the experience for us rather than use our own imagination to create it for ourselves.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
This logic is kind of disappointing. The parent and the article take issue with violence in games; however, Pitfall Harry being eaten by an alligator in low resolution or the mass shootings taking place on the "show" 'Smash TV' somehow make it an acceptable form of violence?
Is not a killing or "murder" always violent and a death someone's "life" regardless of the quality level of the image?
I find it a tad hypocritical to suggest the violence in NARC was acceptable because your character was "justified"; while the violence in GTA is an affront to society because the lead character is a "villain".
Violence is violence regardless of the level or the one perpetrating the act. The real point is to remember that you are playing a game.
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:3, Insightful)
No, I can't, but I also can't say that my "mental state" is uneffected by other forms of media as well: movies, television, books, etc. The difference is that I am mature enough to handle the difference between fantasy and reality. Parenting is about knowing what your child has access to and help
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:5, Insightful)
Does it stike anyone else what a hypocritical fuck this guy is? He's not against advocating massive, cruel forms of violence in his video games--he just wants a hollow, conservative, Reganesque (his words) justification for doing it, which apparently "Grand Theft Auto" doesn't neatly provide.
This is whitewashing morals to a disgusting degree--the games he's making aren't any less violent or graphic than Grand Theft Auto--it's just more ok if you say "you're defending your country!" at the beginning of the game before you start the slaughter. What bullshit.
I'm sorry, but I disagree (Score:3, Interesting)
If you pull a trigger and somebody dies, one of several outcomes will occur: you can be decorated, exonerated, or go to the gas chamber... it's totally dependent on motive and circumstance.
If you're a Navy SEAL and you wax some terrorist, you get a medal, and rightfully so. I'm an individual, so I can't issue
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not the only person against Grand Theft Auto (Score:2)
That's such crap. As someone who did grow up playing video games, I think your over generalization of the current industry is almost completely wrong. Grand Theft Auto is the exception to the rule, and it also has a mature rating.
I know what you're thinking... "wow, big deal, an M rated video game" But the truth is that, of
Re:Troll troll troll! (Score:4, Insightful)
If there is no right and wrong, then your statement cannot be right. You have stated a paradox that is at odds with human sentience. In a world where there is no cognizance, your statement is correct since it is null.
However, in a world in which a sentient mind evaluates, there must be right and wrong, or there is no way to evaluate.
It's a nice theory, as it justifies anything, but it fails if you bother to think about it.
Re:Troll troll troll! (Score:3, Interesting)
And you wonder why people criticize GTA3? Your moral compass is broken.
Defender was (Score:5, Interesting)
So intense.
Even the best players could only stave off an inevitable death for a little while. Towards the end, finding a machine that didn't have the up/down lever worn out was almost impossible.
If only there was a decent MAME controller for it withh all the buttons and lever in the rigth place....
Re:Defender was (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Defender was (Score:4, Informative)
www.slikstik.com
Be financially prepared. Their best stick is $700, but it doesnt get any better then this for MAME.
Unless you want to build it yourelf.
Re:Defender was (Score:4, Informative)
ad time is good enough for post (Score:4, Funny)
Who RTFAs before posting anyway.
Re:ad time is good enough for post (Score:5, Funny)
It's .... (Score:2, Interesting)
article text (Score:2, Informative)
Sure to be among the first class of inductees at the Pong-shaped Video Game Hall of Fame when and if it is built, Eugene Jarvis is a legend in gaming circles -- not
The Crux: (Score:4, Insightful)
So, YOU pioneered graphic killing in video games, but because there was a good message "Don't do Drugs!" its okay? And GTA3 (which ACTUALLY has a pretty good anti-drug message in it!) is bad?
Yeah. Right.
Well put... (Score:5, Funny)
From the article:
DOS was boring and you had to kind of type and shit.
I can't wait until I have kids and they ask me, "Daddy, what was DOS like?"
Re:Well put... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Well put... (Score:3, Funny)
And now for my next trick, I will display the file tree using only a command prompt...
Re:Well put... (Score:2)
When your children ask, you can say "using DOS meant using the most creative visual and auditory environment available: your imagination! In minutes you could be swept up into a world of adventure. Some days I was a pirate, other days I was an astronaut, and even sometimes I was a treasure hunter!" Then you could use that pitch to get them started on books, and when they get old enough, text adventure games.
but of course (Score:5, Funny)
Re:but of course (Score:2)
Use the same username for everything I prefer my first and last name. Then for the password usually something like my social security number. Hope this helps!
--Joey
Who cares what they like (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't ever remember pacman and robotron giving me 8hrs of nonstop fun. At least GTA has. Stop labeling today's games like they are garbage. I can program a game like pacman using 1 joystick and no buttons. Those aren't even games, they are like light show demos.
Re:Who cares what they like (Score:3, Insightful)
What level of pacman can you make it to?
Those were the days... (Score:5, Interesting)
I remember the days when I was young, dumb(er) and had way too much time on my hands.
When I was bored I used to go to a local bar and kill 2-3 hours playing Pac-Man... on a single quarter.
It was great, because I could hustle beers from other patrons by betting whether I could get 100,000 or 200,000 (or whatever) points, all because I had the Holy Grail of Pac-mania: The Ninth-Key Pattern.
I guess I can understand why my wife won't let me get one of those oldie-but-goodie machines for our place.
But I still have some of those memories.
Re:Those were the days... (Score:5, Informative)
(posted with no bonus on purpose -- not whoring)
S
A game about terrorism? (Score:5, Funny)
Speaking of Emulators (Score:2, Informative)
Next step is to undertake building a cabinet. If you're interested in emulators defintely check out freemame. I got mine for 9 bucks.
check out a list of the people who do it [freemameroms.com]
Re:Speaking of Emulators (Score:2, Informative)
Robby Roto is the only PD rom. A few others are available though certain channels (a handful of Capcom titles with a Hot Rod stick, etc). Most, however, are just warez.
Unless, of course, you own all 5000 or so original cabinets.
Re:Speaking of Emulators (Score:4, Interesting)
Whatever you're smoking, pass it around!
Add problems... (Score:3, Funny)
You watch the ad. I'll post a comment about how I let it run in the background while I posted this comment.
Oh wait...darnit. It's a click-through. Oh well, still didn't read it though. Don't I feel like the consumers' hero.
FBI (Score:5, Interesting)
I guess someone thought they looked suspicious and turned in their license plate number. But still... You'd think that if you wanted to scope out the bridge you could, ya know, just drive over it and take pictures out the back window with a digital camera or something. Or play like a tourist. Does the FBI call all those people, too?
I'm not so much outraged or anything as I am amazed that they can have enough resources to even bother with it. I mean, what if they weren't able to get ahold of them with a simple phone call? Would they have dispatched a team to go check up on these guys? What if it was a rental car or something? How far will they go based on one phoned in tip? There's a lot of bored and paranoid people in the world. Does the FBI respond to EVERYTHING that gets called in--no matter how small?
Ok, I know it has nothing to do with the interview (which is awesome). Oh well.
GTA? (Score:4, Interesting)
"Your cause should be just -- why amoral games like "Grand Theft Auto" are wrong"
But nowhere in the 3rd page, or in the entire interview do they talk about GTA infact the Eugene Jarvis talks about how we need to stop blaming games for our problems.
Old Skool violence (Score:2, Funny)
Joking about NARC? (Score:5, Insightful)
He's kidding here, right? He's just joking? He's not actually saying "gosh, the best way to defend America in the 80's was to randomly shoot drug dealers?" I loved NARC. It was an amazing game. But how can he criticize GTA for violence and depravity? Even if you think drugs should be illegal, what you did to them in NARC wasn't exactly "due process."
I'm mis-reading this somehow, right?
Re:Joking about NARC? (Score:3, Insightful)
Amen. How the creator of NARC and Smash TV (a personal favorite of mine) can bitch about the violence in other video games is beyond me. In Smash TV, you wo
getting around the AD (Score:4, Interesting)
For every article they have you can just change the filename from index_rp.html to index.html and bypass the advertising or registration.
Re:getting around the AD (Score:3, Informative)
This might work... (Score:5, Interesting)
I used to be an avid arcade fan. 'Bout six years ago in my high-school prime, I'd always frequent the arcade. Stopped going for a couple reasons:
1) Pay per play was the shits...that was right around the time where they were coming out with the bloody "snowboarding" and "surfing" games that involved you standing on a board and moving it with your feet. Only cost $1.50 a play, and for a beginner to get 15 seconds of play on it not knowing how to get to the first checkpoint fast enough was enough to say bye-bye to those games. So many of them became 15 seconds of failure for too much freakin' money.
2) Games were no longer inventive. I'm sorry, but you can only make too many Street Fighters (I believe Capcom's cranked out 24 to date in the US alone) before it's no longer has flare. Speaking of which...
3) No more flare. There's no game now where you just have people surrounding the thing just begging for a glimpse of the wizard at play, wanting a glimpse at the levels which no human has ever touched before. When I was a kid, my gosh, there'd be 20 people crowded around the TMNT arcade machine just wanting a glimpse of what happened after you defeated Shreddar. There's none of that flare now.
The last game I remember that I loved playing and really got into was Area 51. I could get five minutes minimum of play for 33 cents (3 plays for a buck at my local arcade). I mean, the type of play was simple...but I really felt the desire to get further and further into it...that's what so many games are missing. Everybody thinks its about the big-fat graphics. It's not. You can get graphics now on a home console. It's about gameplay. Why did so many people throw gobs of quarters into Smash T.V. (a game that to this day refuses to let me get past the fifth arena)...it's because there's that inner desire to push deeper into the game, because the gameplay starts you off simple and then just becomes more and more and more challenging, so the point where your nerves themselves actually pulse with the game.
That's why I think his ideas might work. You want a game to be successful, the players want and need to get into it, and I'm sure there's plenty of Americans who would love to defend their country against terrorist badasses, just like before when everybody wanted to defend the world against alien badasses!
Need more flare (Score:3, Funny)
Area 51!!! Playing as the ALIENS!!! (Score:3, Informative)
Defender and Robotron are great (Score:5, Funny)
There's a few things that send both of those games over the top. First of all they have some of the best sounds of any game. You can hear the "lander picks up a colonist" sound in like 100+ hip-hop songs these days.
Then there was the, literally, non-stop action of these games. When you are playing Robotron, the longest break in the action is approximately one second, and that's between levels. It's not even long enough to take a sip of your drink! Defender is pretty much the same but you might be able to sneak a quick chug in at the end of a wave if you don't mind spilling beer down the front of your shirt.
Where I play there's that "Big Buck Hunter" game right next to Robotron. That game not only costs twice as much, it's mostly waiting around and pretty scenery. I prefer the immersive experience of Robotron over the eye candy of those games any day. And Robotron has some pretty good eye candy, it's just the eye candy of 23 years ago.
For those of you that think Robotron is too hard, it's not. Sure, when it came out, I couldn't handle the two joysticks. But I went back to it and I've gotten pretty good. Defender had the same "controls are too hard" problem for lots of people.
You know what's really hot? Chicks who play Robotron. I've met one or two. But I've never seen a woman on Defender. Hmmm maybe it's time for an OSDN peronals ad:
Classic 80's Games (Score:5, Informative)
I'm sorry, but... (Score:4, Insightful)
... I don't get this. Okay, let's accept the fact that this person once made a few popular arcade games. Check. That was before my time so I'll just have to trust Salon.com on this and whoever else on here thinks the same. Fair enough, so 25 years later he's still running around and respected as the technological father of some of the most ancient yet best arcade games. Okay then!
Then we end up in the present. While his previous work is worthy of respect, for sure, I think all that respect has been completely shattered by this interview. Read the paragraphs about his latest game called "Target: Terror". First of all, it just screams out that he just plans to ride along the wave and hype created by 9/11. I can imagine someone wanting to make a game about the US kicking some terrorist ass. I suppose that's being patriotic and that's what you US people supposedly revel in. Fine with me so far. However, slapping a "KILL TERRORISTS FOR 9/11!" sticking on a game and adding a turban to all in-game badguys with plenty of 9/11 referrences so it can ride the hype to kill anything terrorist is just... Wrong. What's wrong with making a game without terrorist referrences, hmm? Why not a sect trying to bomb the GG Bridge? Or maybe some nice juicy conspiracy? Hell, maybe the Canadians would like to see San Franciso bridgeless for some obscure reason but for the love of Eris, keep the terrorist hype out of it. Please.
Second, he berates games like GTA for being amoral. This coming from the same guy who manages to quote himself to the press saying "You know what? Do you have a problem defending your country? Maybe you need a new country." and who also scores another hype point for mentioning Columbine. Damn. So, let me get this straight, it is bad for games to be violent, it is bad for games to contain anything indecent like drug abuse, prostitution, gambling and all that. But as soon as it involves killing terrorists and defending the US, it is okay. Uh huh. Turns out one of his previous games used to ride along with the current US public enemy number one. At least he's consistent about poor subject choice.
Seriously, what is wrong with this person? Right now I do not care wether he's to be respected for what he did in the past. What he said in the present reeks of overhyping, bad decisions, double standards and overzealous patriotism and to me, the present matters more then the past.
Re:I'm sorry, but... (Score:4, Insightful)
Disagree with him all you want -- I do -- but next time actually look at the facts instead of making a knee-jerk emotional response.
ah the sounds of defender... (Score:4, Interesting)
new video game ideas (Score:5, Funny)
* SUV Gauntlet - Negotiate your Honda/Toyota through city streets crowded with sun-blocking SUVs to get to the gas station before all the fuel is gone. (Think Spy Hunter with the Zepplin music that Cadillac has now stolen)
* Airport Confiscation - Monitor a moving X-Ray belt scoring points for removing any useful object that could be used as a weapon. (Think Tapper)
* Neo-Conservative Invasion - Hoards of self-righteous republicans try to stop you from getting to the voting booth. (Think Robotron with patriotic music, the "brain wave" would be little Ashcrofts using Patriot missles)
* Legend of Ronco - Navigate through an old Chinese warehouse assembling the missing pieces to put together the next big infomercial product.
* Hurrydating Man - Avoid rejection as you move through a maze inhabited by bitter 30-something women. Watch out for the pet cats! (Think Bezerk with music by Kenny G)
* Grand Theft Cable - Avoid police as you wire the neighborhood with free cable TV.
* Store Wars - Score big points for invading rural towns and driving small shopowners out of business.
* Pedestrian - An update to the classic Frogger game where you try to cross an American street without getting run over.
* THC Scavenger Hunt - Frantically search an apartment for your pot after you forgot where you stashed it the previous night.
My arcade days (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyway thanks to MAME I can still play those old games once in a while. For the younger crowd they'll never understand why we rant on about them. Playing robotron via MAME at your Home PC with unlimited quarters at your disposal just doesn't come close to what it was really like. Maybe I'll put a few half smoked cigars near my PC and put a quarter slot where my floppy drive used to be...
Re:Article (Score:2)
Re:Article (Score:3, Insightful)
Slashdot is not the manifestation of your personal ideological beliefs. It is a site that people of a like demographic submit links to stories on the internet that they think that others in their demographic may be interested in reading.
Slashdot does not ban "signing away your life" to get to stories because Slashdot is not a political rights action committee, bent
Re:Don't forget... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's a good read, even if you have to watch a ten second ad to get access.
I use lynx, you insensitive clod!
Seriously, I do. There doesn't seem to be a way to get to the advert. Is there a way around? (Aside from waiting for someone to post TFA.)
Re:Don't forget... (Score:3, Informative)
Well, the FAQ [salon.com] for the free pass has this foreboding entry:
Check if your browser accepts animation. In IE go to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Multimedia > check box "Play animations in web pages."
Even worse, the URL for the first ad includes the chilling string "RealMedia". However, the images you are required to click through for this particular day pass (or at least the ones I got, for powells.com) are simply animated gifs with image map links, so Lynx should display them just fin