Game Lessons Learned from the Films of 2013

Poster for Short Term 12

My latest PopMatters article is now live: Game Lessons Learned from the Films of 2013.

As someone whose live is heavily dominated by games, I tend to think about them even when I don't plant to. Sometimes I'm sitting there in the movie theater thinking "Wow. Keanu could definitely take over for Nolan North in an Uncharted spin-off." Alright, maybe we can't take too many lessons from A Walk in the Clouds. Still, movies matter to games, and vice versa. We can learn a lot from storytelling across mediums, and every year I find a handful of movies that resonate with me not just as excellent cinematic works, but as spotlights on ways games can experiment and explore certain themes or styles. This piece is my exploration of five such films that came out this year, some of which are viewable right now, either in theater or online.

Since we are already on the subject of movies, why not talk about a few more of my favorites from this year. Of my list five films, only two make it into my personal list of Top 5 films I have seen so far this year. To this personal ranking, I would add the nearly perfect Blue Jasmine. Woody Allen's latest is amazing, a funny albeit deeply depressing and unrelenting story.

Nearly every character in the film is despicable in one way or another, particularly the men. Unfortunately the two sisters leading the film have their personal self-identities so entwined with the men in their lives that they are incapable of escaping their implosive destinies. Blue Jasmine is an excellent look at the perils of gender identity and compromised agency. Good times! I almost put it on my PopMatters list, but felt Frances Ha covered some of the same ground well enough.

I was also struck this year by Destin Cretton's Short Term 12, about a few staff members at a foster care home for trouble youth. Director and writer, Cretton based a lot of the script on his own experiences working at a foster care facility. The film itself is touching, intimate, and extremely hopeful. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Gone Home, which approaches its subject matter with the same level of care and affection. Both experiences feel personal, in both the drama and the warmth. Like Blue Jasmine, I also wanted to put it on my list. Ultimately, I thought both Frances Ha and The Stories We Tell covers the intimate approach to storytelling. There are also a growing number of games, Dys4ia to Gone Home, that have figured what many filmmakers already do: good storytelling comes in many forms.

EXP Podcast #253: Meet the PS4

Santa came early to the Experience Points household and he brought a shiny new PlayStation 4 with him! This week, we dip a toe into the next generation and report back with some early impressions of the new system's controller, operating system, and social features. I don't know if you heard, but this thing also plays games! With this in mind, we share some thoughts on a few of the early releases. As always, feel free to jump into the comments with your thoughts!

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes
- Find the show on Stitcher
- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.
- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 37 min 33 sec
- Music by: Brad Sucks

Fez: Owls, QR Codes, and Gimmicks

Jorge and Scott step back into the Fez's inter-dimensional mystery. Is Fez the Lost of video games? Will Fez's map finally push Jorge over the edge and into a murderous rage? Will Scott's notebook full of frantic scribbling pay off? The answers lie within.

Turkey Talk

Image from Giant Bomb

It's Thanksgiving here in the US, a holiday in which we try our darndest to ignore all the awkward historical baggage behind the occasion and focus on something more broadly agreeable: eating. More specifically, eating turkey. Since this is ostensibly a website about video games and not homespun recipes, I decided to keep things digitally focused and share some of my favorite results from searching "Turkey" in Giant Bomb's database.

Turkey Stuffin'

I can't do much better than the database summary: "Turkey Stuffin' is a mobile game where players are tasked with cramming ingredients into a live turkey's butt." Upon investigation, it seems like this is a completely accurate description. Have I been making turkey the wrong way all these years?

Farmville 2

I notice that the original Farmville isn't listed, so maybe "NOW WITH TURKEYS!" was a marquee feature for the sequel? When it comes to social games, I'm clearly out of the loop.

Farmerama

A turkey David to Farmville 2's turkey Goliath?

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Before pandas there were (apparently) turkeys. Proof that you should always check the patch notes.

South Park

The game that always comes to my mind when I think about video game turkeys. If I recall correctly, you had to fight hordes of mutant turkeys bent on your destruction. Given that real American Thanksgiving also involves mass slaughter of genetically-modified birds, this seems to be a fitting tribute.

If it sounds like I'm bitter towards all the attention turkeys get, it's because I am. For me, turkey is largely a hurdle standing in the way of pie. But that's a topic for another day.

Have a great holiday, everyone! Enjoy the break and see you next week.

EXP Podcast #252: Beyond: Two Souls Debrief

Film poster cover for Beyond: Two Souls

The infamous and controversial David Cage of Quantic Dream is at it again! This time, he's got Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe on his side. Is this a huge departure from Heavy Rain? Has Cage achieved his vision? Is Aiden the "Ghost Dad" we've always wanted? Join us this week as we explore the "Infraworld" and let us know your thoughts on the game below!

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes
- Find the show on Stitcher
- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.
- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 59 min 42 sec
- Music by: Brad Sucks

What is This: Jolly Rover

So when browsing our Steam library, Scott and I realized we each own a slew of weird games we have no recollection of buying. This week, we try out a strange new segment, "What is This?", in which we play these games with absolutely no foreknowledge of their contents. Join us on our first "ruff" encounter with Jolly Rover.

Asymmetry and Android Netrunner

Kate the Tinkerer

My latest PopMatters article is now live: Asymmetry and Android Netrunner.

I love asymmetric games. Natural Selection 2, Left 4 Dead, even, to some extent, the unfortunately named F.3.A.R. play around with asymmetry in rules systems in wonderful ways. Asymmetry is still a rarity, but when it does crop up, I find it endlessly fascinating. There is something wholly and wonderfully special about asymmetry in games. This week on PopMatters, I try to suss out exactly what makes these games so special.

Here's the problem: it's actually not that easy to do. See, plenty of multiplayer games, digital or analog, feature asymmetry, in a way, as a core mechanic. If you are a Pyro and I'm a Heavy in Team Fortress 2, we functionally play under a different set of rules. Hell, even chess could be considered asymmetric the moment one player loses his queen. When one player's affordances differ significantly from other, interesting dynamics emerse.

But still, games like Android Netrunner differ somehow from this casual definition of asymmetry. After thinking over a variety of asymmetric rules systems, I settle on the "safe practice of lopsided power struggles" as a defining feature in asymmetric games. There are certainly more design factors that set these games apart from their compatriots and I'll undoubtedly give the subject more thought. In fact, I would love to hear your theories. What do you think makes asymmetric games uniquely compelling?

Asymmetry aside, there are a lot of reasons to enjoy Android Netrunner. For one, the theme resonates beautifully with the game mechanics. The systems also work together so wonderfully, so tightly, that I find myself awed at new cards, my mind racing with all the ways it can be combined with others to make really cool decks. Since I rarely have the opportunity to actually play the game, I have spent more time in the deck construction process than in actual matches. I especially enjoy the limitations to corporation use that forces you to be judicious and adaptable when designing a deck. Building a customized system that suits your play style is a thrilling process in its own right.

In other words, you should seriously consider checking out Android Netrunner if you are given the chance. For admirers of well designed board game systems, Netrunner is one of the best.