Another day, another head-turning rant from David Jaffe. This industry never ceases to amaze me.
News Blips:
Twisted Metal designer David Jaffe directs harsh criticism at the industry's praise of "arty" games. In a lengthy post on his official blog, Jaffe claimed that pouring attention upon non-traditional games discredits the appeal of so-called "pure" games. "Just because there's wind blowing and a minimal soundtrack and vast open spaces to explore and a slow pace doesn't mean that the game you are playing is art," he wrote. "And just because a game's story and presentation contains elements you've seen in the 'big boy movies' doesn't make a game adult or mean the medium is maturing. These are all surface elements that — while challenging as anything else in games to produce well — do not speak to the maturation of the medium one iota. I'm tired of seeing gamers — and game journalists especially — falling for this." Jaffe then implored journalists to call out developers on their "smoke and mirrors bullshit." I think Jaffe could've just said, "Art isn't supposed to have a formula," but this is way more fun to read.
Call of Duty series director Keith Arem describes his team's stance on the franchise's controversial content. Arem told GamesIndustry.biz that his crew was fully aware of including sensitive imagery within COD — including the infamous No Russian level — but they forged because they were "desensitized" to the content. "Going in on those decisions, everyone's going to be aware that there is going to be some sort of controversy behind that," he said. "And I think in the end what's creatively best for the project and what's going to tell the story and what's really going to give the team the satisfaction of enjoying what they're working on is really the primary focus." Arem further explained, "So when we decide to execute on an idea that's been approved both by the developer and the publisher we're pretty committed going in. So knowing that we're going to be dealing with that some times we sort of have to be very careful in announcing that. We knew that the No Russian level was going to be extremely controversial and obviously what happened in Russia and a lot of other areas was a sign of that."
Angry Birds creator Peter Vesterbacka thinks consoles are going the way of the dodo.
In a South by Southwest Interactive panel earlier this week, Vesterbacka postulated that gaming's creative spark has migrated into mobile and social developers because they're more "nimble" with producing content at a faster rate. Vesterbacka also expressed disdain for the console market's high-priced games and their apparent preclusion of an easy upgrade system. Can someone please tell me the point of Vesterbacka's statements beyond "I made a ton of money, nyah nyah consoles"? [VentureBeat]
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and the Entertainment Software Association open submissions for their Into the Pixel art exhibit. Entering into its eighth year, the exhibit represents a chance for budding artists to show their gaming-themed work to the industry. Chosen works will be featured at this year's E3 in Los Angeles, California. If you're one of the lucky few gamers who can actually draw a line or two, hit this link to head to the submission page. Good luck!
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