"Not everything is made for you"

That's John Davison, former 1up editor, currently writing at whattheyplay.com. John was on Rebel FM podcast episode 6. The group which also included MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek.

John was talking about how gaming now has to cater to two separate audiences. The argument was that the two main groups in gaming, casuals and the hardcore, have to understand that not all games are going to be made for them. John likened his idea to how not all movies are made for one group, books and music as well. I think this is a natural progression of video gaming as a real, viable, mainstream media. Why is it so difficult to accept? Gaming has been such a niche area of social media that when something is developed that isn't hardcore, it's a little hard to swallow.

Suddenly the oft-alienated core-gamer crowd are struggling with the fact that gaming is no longer only theirs. I should hope that gaming and the projects developers work on become more and more varied, filling more niche interests. Let's not stop at fitness games. What other areas can be used to reach an even larger audience? Wouldn't the hardcore accept a publisher putting out a few titles that were easy (and cheap) to develop in order to finance their large "hardcore" masterpiece? Not only do those more casual oriented titles help to budget the "hardcore" games, but they also keep developers employed.

I know I would much rather that business model, but I don't want those hardcore games so few and far between.

Changing the game...

Certainly video games have gone through many different forms. The rise and fall of gaming platforms and gaming's many cultural milestones have been documented countless times coinciding with the ever-present nostalgia in many a gamer's heart.

In fact, I believe nostalgia and history play a huge part in the love gaming receives from it's many fans. Without the memories that make up the collective gaming culture, there is really no basis for staples of the gaming community, like fanboyism.

As such, all of these new gamers, or "casuals" as they've been labeled in marketing, press release, and the inner hardcore circle of gaming, have created a paradigm shift.

Suddenly, developers are throwing more effort into much simpler outings than the more nuianced hardcore fair video games used to be about. But are they putting more "effort" into these new-gamer oriented projects, or are they simply reallocating resources to crank out more Wii games?

What is the crossing point? When are video games: platform holders, developers, publishers, the entire creative community surrounding video games, going to find the bridge? When are games going to fulfill both the needs of the hardcore and the casual?

Developers are already trying new things, although maybe not all at once. In example, Atari's Alone In the Dark allowed players to continue through the game, even if they could not clear a challenge. This option made many liken the game to an interactive DVD, although the game was still very much present to those who wanted to play.The real problem in this situation is the pressure being applied to the game makers.

The hardcore are the most vocal of all consumers in the industry. And the current state of things does not really lend itself to a quieted crowd. Unfortunately, the core gamer is prone to feeling alienated and cast aside (as society is often wont to do). Thus, when core gamers see truckloads of shovelware being put out, none of it clearly of any interest to them, they cry out. Unfortunately, it'll be a vicious cycle, at least until the two largest groups can sort out their differences and understand that gaming is now about catering to more than one audience....

Keeping up with promises...

This is first of my e-mails to preeminent members of the enthusiast press. This first message is to Mr. Michael McWhertor of Kotaku

Mr. McWhertor does great work at Kotaku, consistently bringing great writing and reporting to the table. He also makes cool shirts.

The text of the message is as follows...

Hello Mr. McWhertor,
I'm currently a college student in San Jose, CA and I'm hoping to become a member of the enthusiast press, much like yourself. I read Kotaku on a daily basis, as well as other blogs and publications, but I still feel a little lost. I've read about how Mr. Crecente was a writer at his newspaper, but how did you find yourself in the position you have now? I'd love to hear more about exactly what road you followed to becoming a staffed member of Kotaku.
What made you want to get into games press specifically, as opposed to something more on the creative side of the industry?

Did you go to college? If so, where and what did you graduate with?

What was your first paying games-journo gig?

Do you have any sage experience to pass on to someone who's just starting out?

Obviously I'm still very green in the writing department, mostly because this is my first time reaching out to a professional for advice. If you're wondering why I could possibly be asking you as opposed to Mr. Crecente, it is primarily due to Luke Smith's glowing comment on the final 1Up Yours podcast:
"Michael McWhertor is a damn fine gentleman."
Hopefully this proves true and I'll hear back from you, but if I don't I understand, you're a busy guy. I hope the Meatbun business is going well, and thanks in advance for you time!

-Daniel Bischoff
danielrbischoff@gmail.com
http://wellspringgames.blogspot.com/

P.S. If you could also find the time to hop on over to my blog (http://wellspringgames.blogspot.com) I would love to hear anyfeedback on anything I've written there. Like I said, I'm pretty green at this so there isn't much. Hopefully there will be more soon. Thanks in advance again!

Oh no! I have typos in my message! Frankly, my thought right now is that I hope I kissed enough ass that those will be overlooked. Do you think Mr. McWhertor will reply to my message? Could he even possibly make a comment on this post?

The times...

This winter break has been hectic to say the least. There have been a lot of changes in my life and well as with the world at large.

One thing that has been causing its own brand of chaos has been the economy. Of course with a new president the American people should be getting a new outlook on the financial front, as well as the rest of the world, but we'll be feeling the economic downturn for quite a while still.

The layoffs have hit industries big and small, with even Microsoft making large cuts to their work force in anticipation of losses.

Listening to the "Final" 1UP Yours podcast today while I was at work, I realized just how deep the downturn can reach. Of course, I've already written about the loss of EGM and a lot of the writers over at 1UP in brief, but even I couldn't help but mourn.

I've been listening to the 1UP Yours podcast for approximately 2 months. Every weekend, I would download the latest episode on Friday night, have it loaded onto my phone, and listen to it while I was working on Saturday or Sunday. Unfortunately, that's gone now. Luckily the Joystiq podcast and Rebel FM from some of the guys from 1UP FM are still there.

What I'm coming around to is that, I can't wait for a job to come find me.

If I'm serious about becoming part of the enthusiast press, and I am, I have to write. While this semester will see a renewed focus on my academics, that focus should be just as easily attainable in my writing and on this blog.

Here are a couple of things I would like will to accomplish on this blog and personally in my own practice by May of this year:

• One post a week in the first two full months (February, March).
• One post a day Monday through Friday after that until Finals week (April, first two weeks of May).
• One comment (even if I have to get it from a friend of mine, I would just like one comment).
• Get advice or at least ask about experience from three editors of blogs I read on a regular basis (one editor February, March, and April).
• [This space is reserved for anything I think of.]

To be clear, these are not limits. These points are benchmarks.

Wish me luck!

The end of 1up

I've been up all night and morning reading about the horridly
ignorant layoffs being made at 1up in the transition to newer (read:
even crappier) management and ownership. Starting over at Kotaku and
reading the list of names and the letter to employees, then following
links to Kelpeks post over at the Multiplayer blog, and 1up's own
announcement and finally some of the comments on that post (naturally
all of which lamenting the event).

Good luck to everyone. More later.

Playing CoD 4 again a year later

Playing Call of Duty 4 (or Call of Booty as my hot girlfriend calls it) again a year later in order to get the Veteran achievements and I'm constantly reminded of things that were just maddeningly difficult the first time around.

I'm making my way up a hill checking houses as I go, I'm being chased and tackled by dogs again, I'm adjusting my shot to hit a target, and I'm setting charges and defending my position on a ferris wheel all over again, and over again and over again.

Playing GTA IV and having to repeat missions wasn't so bad because there was usually new dialogue to listen to, until finally the characters just shut up.  I didn't need to hear the orders again and again, I just needed overcome the challenge in front of me.  The problem with CoD 4 is that there are no changing dialogue tracks.  There's only one, and usually I'm trying again immediately after the check point.  So as soon as the commander finishes giving me my objectives, he's shouting them at me again because I've run right into an enemy.

Hopefully the rest of my play through won't include the trouble I had in the missile silos further toward the end of the game.

What I played yesterday

I managed to squeeze about an hour of gaming out of my busy schedule
yesterday.

I had been thinking about Call of Duty 4 all weekend for one reason or
another and popped that in yesterday. Without access to XBOX Live, I
played the campaign. It successfully drew me in again. I had
forgotten how much I liked the different gameplay elements, like the
AC-130 scenario.

One thing that never left my mind was the stellar sequence after the
detonation of the nuclear bomb. Every time I see it my jaw hangs
open. The images are just so well crafted.

I think I might even return to the game again tonight. What would be
ideal is if I could make it through veteran difficulty, but the last
stage in the missile sylos is maddening (the amount of times I played
that sequence over and over again also sticks out in my mind).

Sent from my iPhone.

The challenges of multitasking...

Over the past weekend I played the copy of Mirror's Edge EA sent me for participating in one of their focus groups. I also played a little bit of Fallout 3 and had my second or third "Woah, cool" moment.

Mirror's Edge is moving very quickly, and that pace is constantly making want to return to that as opposed to Fallout 3 where I'm moving a lot slower, I'm constantly having to drop things because I'm caring too much equipment.

Despite the game play that I'm really entertained by in Mirror's Edge, I'm just not moving smoothly enough. I'm not traversing levels quickly enough. I suppose that's what the time trials are for. If I'm going to get all of those speedrun achievements, I'm going to need some practice.

That inability has left a lot of the awe I've been feeling between these two games on the Fallout side. Here's the story:

I was heading through one of the subway systems, one I thought I had already wandered through. I heard the ghouls milling about on one of the platform overpasses. I crouched down, and suddenly my display read "[Danger]" as opposed to the more friendly "[Hidden]." The ghouls were rushing me. I quickly entered VATS and selected a few shots on the head of the first ghoul and the body of the second. As soon as the animation started to play, the ghoul had already rushed up to me. As it stood over my crouched character, the head exploded with my first shot. His body fell on top of me.

As the shattered pieces of the ghouls head fell around me, I could barely appreciate the action before I had another ghoul to deal with.

That alone is what will keep me going back to Fallout 3. I'm not one for RPGs, but this set piece really impressed me. I'm hoping to head back to it tonight, despite a paper due tomorrow at 9, as well as numerous other responsibilities I have at school.

I can't wait for winter break.

The Inaugural

Hello!

My name is Daniel and I'm a college student at San Jose State University.  I'm looking at entering games journalism.  I have a real passion about games and with the population of games writing swelling, I've decided to entire the gaming blog wellspring, if you will.

I'm calling this blog "Wellspring of Games" because that's what I'll be about.  I won't be limiting myself to anyone specific hardware platform, but obviously my finances make it very difficult for me to review every game out there on every system.

What I'm currently working with is an XBOX 360, a Nintendo Wii, a Nintendo DS, and a dual booting MacBook Pro.  Of course I'd love to have a Playstation 3 as well, but I'm going to have to rely on the 360 version of games for now.  Of course if anyone would like to donate one to me that would be greatly appreciated.

If you happen to stumble upon this blog and have any suggestions, comments, criticisms, please I will happily accept any and all.  I would greatly appreciate any feedback because that's what writing this is all about for me.  "Honing the craft."

Welcome to the Wellspring of Games.