A short video-type-thing about one of arguments that always get repeated when the “Are games art?” debate pops up again. I mainly did this to get it out of my head.
Writer, filmmaker, game designer
Archive for the 'Games' Category
Warning: don’t watch this if you haven’t played/finished Phenomenon 32!
Otherwise… enjoy! We certainly did.
I have purchased Multimedia Fusion Developer 2, and will be using that to create flash games. And hopefully I will make some money doing so, because a) we need it b) that would mean more games.
Right now I’m working on a remake of The Infinite Ocean to teach myself how to use my new tools. It’s about time, anyway: I still get regular comments about the game, and the current version doesn’t run on most systems. I’m not changing the graphics or the plot, by the way – though I’ll probably make some changes to the writing here and there. I am, however, working on improving the interface and the puzzles (such as they are), to make the game a bit more accessible.
So far MMF2 is proving… interesting. It’s like a slightly cruder version of Construct, but considerably more stable. Some aspects of its design are infuriatingly inelegant, but it works – and it makes flash games. So I can’t complain much.
And I’m still writing stuff for Nexus City (check out the screenshots!), which will be so awesome that even I can’t wait to play it. Hype much? Probably. But the test versions I’ve seen make me very happy.
Here’s a bit of news you might like: I’m collaborating on a flash game with Terry Cavanagh, creator of VVVVVV.
It’s an RPG, and its working title is Nexus City.
It’s set in Arizona.
It’s entirely unlike anything I’ve ever written.
You’re going to like it.
I’m still here. Working very hard on creative things and being entirely too obsessive. Will be able to reveal more soon, I hope. Financially everything is still shit, so any donations (even if only of a few dollars) are greatly appreciated. But creatively things are mostly good. Rejections for short stories suck and no book news yet, but the other projects might make up for that, at least psychologically.
Damn. Being too vague. More soon. I hope. Very much.
Please keep supporting Echoes and Awakening. Awakening in particular seems to have struck a chord with a lot of people, but it could really use more visibility. A “making of” will hopefully follow in the near future. And it should be about time for the Phenomenon 32 bloopers.
“Phenomenon 32 was genius, like Isaac Asimov and William Blake working for Atari.”
- Edward Hosking
When I read that particular sentence in a recent email, I couldn’t stop grinning for half an hour. If that’s a sign of ego, so be it. I think it’s the coolest thing anyone has ever said about Phenomenon 32, and it makes me ridiculously happy.
(Come to think of it, many years ago the same person described The Museum of Broken Memories as “like having a cocktail party with Nietzsche.” Which was also pretty awesome. Since I suck at writing descriptions of my own games, maybe I should hire this guy to write them for me.)
(Not that I can actually hire anyone, but, you know.)
(You don’t? Well, whatever.)
(I’ll go get a glass of water now. You better be gone when I get back.)
(Look, a dog!)
Gregory Weir’s new game, Looming, is finally out. I playtested this one, so I can tell you that it’s absolutely excellent: atmospheric, poetic, and thoughtful. If you enjoy my games, especially The Museum of Broken Memories, you should definitely play this. You’ll love it.
I’m only jealous I can’t also do this for a living. Damned Flash.
Now go. Play Looming.
Gnome’s Lair has published a really nice review of Phenomenon 32:
Phenomenon 32, being Kyratzes’ most ambitious project so far, is much more than the sum of its parts. Besides the beautiful black and white visuals, its atmospheric soundscape and a deeply depressing and simultaneously surreal game world, Phenomenon 32 is an incredibly immersive experience, designed to be savored slowly and carefully. It is after all a hard and demanding game, that simply cannot be completed in one sitting. It also is a game filled with surprises and little touches of excellence, that go far beyond what you might expect from a free game.
As for the plot, well, it’s one of the best I’ve ever encountered in a video game ever and a key part of Phenomenon 32. Set in an alternate version of the 70s the game is engrossing, deeply political, truly unique and thought-provoking, and is supported by some quality writing and impressive voice-work.
But I do have to complain about one thing in this review: it gets my first name wrong! Again! What is it with Greek people and my first name? It’s Jonas, not John, not Jannis, not Isaac, and not Abraham, either! (Yes, I’ve been called all of those. Some people don’t believe Jonas is a real name, others confuse it with every other Jewish name there is. GRARGH!) I’m smiling as I type this, of course, because after nineteen years of living in Greece, it only drives me up the wall in a humorous way.
But seriously. Grargh.
(Edit: It’s now been fixed. Thanks!)
Awesome review, though. More please. *g*
In other news, over at Commentarium Verena has written Another Look at the Predator Movies, which you should read.
Just as importantly, this photo of basement cat. And look at all its variations! Our cat makes for good lolcats.
And all of this reminds that I really ought to update my links, maybe sort them a bit, definitely add some descriptions.
Did you know there’s a cat staring at you?
I’m seeing/getting the first few complaints about Phenomenon 32 being socialist/atheist propaganda, and I already feel much better. I was wondering when that was going to happen. The atheist part is particularly silly, of course, given that the game very specifically uses quotes by Malcolm X (a devout Muslim) and Martin Luther King, Jr. (a devout Christian). Of course it also talks about the necessity for spiritual humility in the face of this vast universe we inhabit, and it does also prominently feature the thoughts of atheists like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov, but that’s the whole point: to represent a multiplicity of voices.
As for the socialist bit… well, you can see it that way. I didn’t set out to make a socialist game; I set out to make a game about humanity, and about the survival of humanity. Since I believe that our future is intimately connected to our ability to work together and put the common good above individual profit, you could say that the game represents a socialist point of view. How else can any kind of storytelling function? We tell the stories that are meaningful to us, that we believe in.
You don’t have to agree, after all. I don’t agree with everything I read or see. Nor do I expect to. One of my favourite books is and remains G. K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, a work of Christian philosophy/apologetics. I loved reading that book, just as I loved gathering all the quotes from various parts of humanity that are central to Phenomenon 32‘s storytelling. Why? Because the history of human thought is interesting. Because there can be great poetry in the thoughts of people who think differently than we do, and we should not ignore that.
That is not to say that we must agree with everyone, or hold that every position is equally valid. But we also don’t need to go all Christopher Hitchens and dismiss everyone who disagrees with us as an idiot. The beauty of human thought and philosophy is that there has always been a multiplicity of voices; personally, as long as those voices have something positive to say about humanity, I’m interested. I may think Ayn Rand was crazy and evil, but I’ll take ten Ayn Rands over one Harold Bloom.
The patch to version 1.5 of Phenomenon 32 is now available. It fixes some issues with the Reconstruction Workshop and adds a more accessible control scheme.
And I need sleep. More updates tomorrow.
