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[ravuya]

Oh, that just gave me the best idea for Wii Dune.

[TeeGee]

Yeah! Rock the world! Fuck the people!

*gets back to reading through 30 pages of debug log and to drawing cutesy creatures*

 

So you've been to the concert and now you wanna be a rockstar too. Well, when I was a kid and I watched Superman, I wanted to have superpowers too. And guess what - I don't and I don't feel too bad about that.

I don't think that we need to be any more "punk" than we are already (not that we are even able to). We're indie game designers, not rockstars - we don't scream, bleed break our instruments - we just express our creativity with games. And quite frankly - we're more independent than all those contract/manager/image enslaved super rockstars. No need to get further than this. No way to get further than this.

We're really doing our best.

[Anthony Flack]

Oh, I saw Guitar Wolf play a while back; it must have been just before the bass player died. I never knew that. Aww.

I didn't think their music was much cop; kinda forgettable, Ramonesey rock'n'roll - but they put on a great show and they had that real Japanese quality of being intense and agressive, but also really harmless and friendly at the same time. The thing that really stood out to me, apart from their constantly pulling out combs to redo their greasy rock'n'roll hairstyles, was an incident when they pulled out a young fella from the crowd. He was all decked out like a memeber of the band, with the hair and the leathers and everything, and he can't have been older than 14. He looked pretty scared when he was hauled up on stage, like the guy was about to deck him or something. But nope, he put his guitar on the lad and told him to go for it.

Well, the kid couldn't play guitar at all, but he knew all the right moves, and the band just kept playing while this kid rocked out and squalled away on the guitar; probably the highlight of his life to date. And the best part was, they really let him go for it - he must have been up there for at least 20 minutes doing his thing. It was like the band had no agenda whatsoever except to want everyone to have a good time.

Before that, I probably would have gone away thinking they were a not-particularly-interesting retro-rock outfit, but they won me over with their unique combination of total anarchy and touching kindness.

ANYWAY

I've been a rock musician for a long time myself, and making games is really nothing like it at all. I wish it was, because being in a rock band is the most fun thing in the whole world. But I don't think there is any way we can capture the spontaneity, the energy, the performance of live music in such a slow and meticulous medium as videogames. We can perhaps evoke that kind of spirit in our work, but we won't ever experience that adrenaline surge of pouring every ounce of yourself out in 40 wonderful minutes in front of a cheering crowd. It's just not a performance medium.

Heck, we don't even get to experience a public screening like film-makers do.

[Alec]

In some ways you're trying to create a rock band type experience for the player. They become a more active participant in controlling the final work than as a member of the audience for a film or a fan at a music concert.

Every time someone plays your game its like they're "performing" it in their own way. I think games still have a profound effect on people even if the creators aren't always around to witness it.

[Jimbob]

My band doesn't play punk rock, so last time we played a gig I went and hugged everyone in the audience... 

[GP Lackey]

Make games to be played with finesse and passion?

[xix]

My band doesn't play punk rock, so last time we played a gig I went and hugged everyone in the audience... 

Look up Fugazi.

[ZombiePixel]

I would settle for a little more ego from game developers.  I'd love to see more people throw down the gauntlet and say "beat this!", both daring the players to meet the challenge and daring other developers to top his "mad skillz".  Few of us are dick-ish enough to do that but even in a tongue-in-cheek way it would be fun to see.

I'm reminded of John Romero's "about to make you his bitch" ads.  Unfortunately he wasn't able to deliver.  You really should make sure you have mad skillz before talking shit about them.

My skillz?  Yeah - they're mad, baby!

[Dan MacDonald]

those digital art fags.... man.. why did I get a CS degree? Art looks so much more fun.

[Derek]

those digital art fags.... man.. why did I get a CS degree? Art looks so much more fun.

I'm telling you, DMac, we could totally throw a party like that for game nerds!  Let's start planning it immediately!

[Anthony Flack]

Kind of like Quadrophenia, but with artists and programmers?

[fish]

those digital art fags.... man.. why did I get a CS degree? Art looks so much more fun.

I'm telling you, DMac, we could totally throw a party like that for game nerds!  Let's start planning it immediately!

look up GAMMA 01.

[Dan MacDonald]

I'm telling you, DMac, we could totally throw a party like that for game nerds!  Let's start planning it immediately!

Something like that would rock, I have to admit, looking at it I couldn't help dreaming of what the indie game community woudl be like with that kind of critical mass where you could have a bunch of really talented people up there making games, or prototyping, or whatever. Sort of a very informal, more culturally infused version of the indie game summit at GDC this year.  That would, quite frankly, rock.

[fish]

lets all agree to move to the same city.

i nominate reykjavik, iceland.

[Alec]

Lets just start our own nation.

Populated entirely by men.

 

[vitaminNewB]

I prefer one pat on the back with my man hugs.