Lindsey Stirling is an American violinist, dancer, composer and performance artist. She was in America's Got Talent (I don't watch the show myself but found out through a pupil of mine) and got quite far. However she really hit the big time by posting her virtuoso performances online on Youtube. As of January she had over half a billion hits and 4 million subscribers. I went through a phase trying to learn the violin but man when you hit a wrong note it sounds REALLY wrong, so I soon quit. Lindsey has got me tempted to pick up my bow again... watch out world!
Icarus Proudbottom Teaches Typing
When you think of learning to type you think of Mavis Beacon, or that annoying goat on BBC's Dance Mat Typing, or if you're really cool you think of Typing of the the Dead. Well There's a new teaching typing guy in town and he goes by the name of Bottom, Proudbottom. As you can probably tell from the name it is a touch typing game that doesn't take itself seriously. It is a fun game (it is a game, it doesn't really teach you typing skills per se) and I would highly recommend it if you have a little time to kill!
Ohhh, it moves... what sorcery is this?
It's great lines like this that give the game a sense of character and humour!
Video Game Art Archive
This website is a gallery of pictures and paintings taken from the walls of computer games spaces. The number of pictures is still quite small as it is a work in progress. It's interesting to see the types of background images which the artists have placed, often the images are blurry and a pixelated mess due to the nature of 8 and 16 bit restrictions of 16x16 pixel canvas.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time features pictures of Poe's
The background mural from Street Fighter 2, taken from E.Honda's level.
The amazing Monkey Island, I love the pixel art quality of this!
Super Punch Out Blindfolded
Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) is a wonderful event which raises money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. It took a week of continuous streaming to raise $1,025,000, more than doubling the amount raised the previous year. The highlight of this years event was a blindfolded run of Super Punch Out!!, the muscle memory and timing required is incredibly impressive. It's nerve wracking stuff and I loved watching the crowds reaction in the background. Check it out, another AGDQ is Super Metroid done as a 4-way race, a must watch!
The Glorious Visions of Miwa Matreyek
Miwa Matreyek is a fascinating performance artist who uses animation, projections and her own moving shadow to perform gorgeous, meditative pieces about a multitude of themes. Fans of Lotte Reiniger and illustrator Jan Pienkowski will be enthralled by her mixed media approach.
Drop Dead 'Classics' Megadrive Clothing Collection
Drop Dead, the clothing label founded in 2005 by 'Bring Me The Horizon' singer Oliver Sykes, have released a collection of clothes celebrating iconic Sega games.
The collection contains three limited edition collectible t-shirts which feature artwork from the popular Sega retro games titles 'Ecco The Dolphin,' 'Golden Axe' and 'Streets Of Rage.' Whilst looking very cool the only one I feel that I'd be able to get away with wearing would be the 'Golden Axe' top, but if you are daring with your fashion go for it!
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role Playing Games Review
'Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-playing Games' is an exhaustive 450+ page review of computerised role-playing computer games (CRPGs) by Matt Barton. I first came across the author whilst youtube surfing and falling down the rabbit hole into his show, 'Matt chat'. I found the information and discussion about CRPGs interesting so thought I'd invest in a Kindle version of the book. I wasn't disappointed as this is a comprehensive study of the CRPG genre, looking at the 30 or so years of games.
The book starts with the origins of the genre, tracing it's roots back to the classic 'Dungeons and Dragons' etc. It also discusses the criteria by which Barton considers games CRPGs- as a gamer you'd know all this but for research purposes its great.
Barton then breaks down the 30 year history of CRPGs into six ages: Dark Age, Bronze Age, Silver Age, Golden Age, Platinum Age, and Modern Age.
The Dark Age (1975-76) discusses University Mainframes and the PLATO system. The section mostly covers text-based games, which were freely traded among mainframe and timesharing systems. It explains how many games were lost as administrators of these systems saw such frivolities as time wasters and taking up valuable resource space. This section covers games such as 'Rogue', 'Zork' and 'Colossal Cave Adventure' as well as early MUDs (Multi-user Dungeons).
The Bronze Age (1977- 1980) discusses the Apple II and Commodore. These computers were popular and many classic games came out in this period including 'Akalabeth' and 'Wizards Castle'. This is an interesting chapter as it discusses how the games were cross-pollinating and influencing each other.
The Silver Age (1981-1983) is a meaty chapter as it is here that many of the CRPG conventions were laid. It is during this era that we see 'Ultima 1-3', 'Wizardry 1-4' and 'Tales of Doom'. The chapter pays particular attention to 'Wizardry' as it was this series that really helped influence the JRPG (Japanese Role-playing Game) scene. The fact that many sequals were made that improved and enhanced the previous game meant that CRPGs were quickly evolving. This is an interesting chapter and one that most people into CRPGs would be really interested in as before then the games are a lot more obscure.
Richard Garriot, creator of Ultima.
The Golden Age is split into two eras, one that runs from 1985-1986 and from 1987-1993. The reason is that it is during the first Golden Age that we see the formation of companies, CRPGs had become a viable genre in the games industry. The venerable SSI company is born and games such as 'Bards Tale', 'Ultima 4' and 'Realms of Darkness' are discussed. This is a packed chapter and it was nice to read about the software house, I would have liked more information about the other companies as I am sure there is a lot of information available.
The Golden Age also discusses the JRPG scene with mentions of 'Zelda', 'Chrono Trigger', 'Secret of Mana', 'Final Fantasy 1-3' and 'Phantasy Star 1-4'. I found this section to be too short as it is these games that I am really familiar with but Barton mentions that a lot of the JRPGs are Action RPGs and goes into detail explaining the difference between those and conventions CRPGs. A good chapter but too short for my liking.
The amazing Final Fantasy... whilst it required A LOT of grinding it was a great game.
Barton then has a chapter discussing the fall of SSI and discusses their good and mediocre games, providing information on 'Ravenloft' and 'Ultima 8-9'.
The Platinum Age (1996-2001) represents a high-point in the CRPG genre. As technology advanced the development of CRPGs was undertaken larger development teams and art departments. Games that came out in this era include 'Ultima Underworld 1-2', 'Daggerfall', 'Diablo 1-2', 'Fallout', 'Baldur's Gate' and 'Dungeon Keeper'. This chapter is short and bitty as there are a lot of games to cover in this era. I would have liked a more in-depth discussion of each game, especially the rise of studios such as Bethesda and Bioware.
The Modern Age (2001 - present) continues to see the publication of quality games including 'Neverwinter Nights', 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' and 'Fable'. However the traditional CRPG genre finds itself i eclipsed by Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG). Barton discusses the rise of game consoles and a growing focus on action encourage the development of games like 'Diablo', which borrow some elements of CRPGs but replace careful tactics with a clickfest. Barton ends the book discussing the demise of the CRPG due to the encrouachment and rise in popularity of consoles, saying that the CRPGs would be for a niche gaming group. Considering that this book was written and published in 2008 I can see where he is coming from. Looking back at an era before Steam was such a powerhouse PC's seemed to be on the way out. Little could he have known about their rise in popularity.
After reading the book from cover to cover over a couple of weeks I have to say that the amount of passion put into the book by Barton is obvious. The amount of hours he must have poured into playing the games is mind boggling. He is a passionate CRPG man and it shows in his writing. However this book is not meant to be read like a conventional book. Rather I feel it is a reference book, useful for picking up bits and pieces. The book reads well and whilst there are a few grammatical and spelling errors it doesn't detract from the overall work. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the evolution of CRPGs. The fact that I found myself tracking down several of the games to check out as I read through the book is testament to the interest the book created in me.
Twin Peaks in Lego
To celebrate the release of the Lego Movie I want to share one of my favorite fan made Lego skits, and boy are there plenty to choose from. This is an old one but being a HUGE fan of the cult classic TV series Twin Peaks this Lego version wins out for me!
R-type: the Making of a Computer Game
The ZX Spectrum is an iconic machine, it hung around for over 10 years and over 9000 games were made for it. R-Type is a legendary game on the machine because it was such a remarkable achievement on 48k! To someone unfamiliar with the Spectrum it won't look like much, but you have to remember that the Spectrum had no hardware-sprites, no hardware scrolling, only fifteen colours and only allowed two colours per 8x8 pixel square.
That classic cover, the first level boss is iconic!
The smooth scrolling and colour were amazing for their time!
Bob Pape, the programmer of the amazing R-Type conversion on the ZX Spectrum has written a free e-book about the game making process. The book is self-published and available to download online. I haven't read it all the way through yet but what I have read is very interesting. The retro UK shooter fans will know how legendary this conversion was back in the day, I being an Amstrad man had that version but retrospectively played the Spectrum version and man is it good. So read the book people!
Build Your Own Handheld Console
I want to share an amazing website which has a wide variety of projects. One of the ones that intrigues me was the one to build a handheld console, which is fully programmable in Arduino.
According to the website at technologywillsaveusall.org;
With the DIY Gamer Kit you will build your own handheld games console then learn how to program your own video games using Arduino and our custom software library.
The DIY Gamer kit is a great-looking, well-engineered object that would most importantly inspire people to learn. It has the classic gaming controls you would expect but has the bonus added features of a buzzer to allow you to add music to your projects and wireless infrared links to allow you to link up with other Gamers for multiplayer gaming. Yes that right you can battle your friends and enemies.
From a programming perspective we wanted to make is as accessible as possible so we created a custom software library to help people use the Gamer’s most common features and get people programming straight away. They can literally plug in, code and create from a very low entry level and slowly build up to higher levels of learning and exploration.
Sounds like a great project for those of you who like getting your hands dirty...
3 Hour + NES Title Screen Mashup
Avid gamer NicksplosionFX has had a lot of time, creating a mashup of all the NES title screens... whilst not 100% complete it is something to behold, having that wave of 'I remember that'. Check it out and spread the nostalgia love. Props to wired.com to bringing it to my attention!
Chiptune Rockers Anamanaguchi Touring in UK
It is with extreme excitement that I am writing to inform you, our lovely readers, that the amazing chiptune rockers Anamanaguchi are touring in the UK. For details of dates and cost of tickets go to their official site. I have purchased two tickets and Simon and I will be going to the gig in Heaven, London.
For those who don't know Anamanaguchi are a 4 piece band from New York who play music with hacked hardware from the 80's and 90's, namely the Gameboy and NES. This chiptune band have been around for a while but rose to prominence for producing the soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim vs The World Game. They have slowly gained in popularity and broke into the mainstream mid-last year with a performance on the Jimmy Fallon Show (not quite the Ed Sullivan Show and the Beatles but pretty impressive I assure you).
I leave you with their favourite tune of mine and with a promise to upload pics from the gig. For those who are interested in getting tickets there were still plenty at the time of writing. Good luck!
Old Man Gameboy
My cousin forwarded me this picture and I thought I'd share it with you lovely people!
Hayao Miyazaki Tribute Paid in The Simpsons
Hayao Miyazaki is without a doubt one of the greatest animators to exist and recently he announced his retirement with his final film 'The Wind Rises'.
Watch The Simpsons clip below and see if you can spot all the Studio Ghibli references... I think I got most of them, what about you?
Pulp Fiction 8-Bit
Ever wonder what Pulp Fiction would look like as an 8-Bit (and a little 16-bit) computer game? Well wonder no more in this glorious video created by the folks at CineFix.
The Game Theorist
The Game Theorist is a collection of informative and interesting video on youtube addressing such pressing issues as 'Is Mario Mental?', 'Does Chrono Trigger retells the Bible' and 'How much is Minecraft Diamond Armour Worth?' The videos are informative and use real world mathematics and detailed explanations to present their arguyment. Anyways, check it out and see what you think!
The video I've linked below is to one of my favourite Game Theorist videos; 'Is Link's Quest in Majora's Mask Pointless?'
NES Title Screens
A brilliant website showing the title screens of NES games. It's very interesting as some title screens are awesome and some suck... like really suck. Have a look by clicking on the links below!
See the NES title screens in all their glory!
Adventure Time Christmas Tags
'Tis the season to be jolly and Adventure Time and Cartoon Network have teamed up to celebrate this most wonderful of times with free downloadable gift tags. Click on the link below to start printing off the tags and make your gifts stand out. Mathematical!
Who wouldn't want to receive a gift with these tags on?
Playstation Over The Years
I recently saw this short film and it perfectly encapsulates gaming over the years for me, not just in terms of Sony but also Nintendo and Microsoft. As well as showing the passing of fashion and music trends it also offers a meta-critique on the London housing market and the difficulty of getting on the property ladder. Have a look and tell me what you think!
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Medley by Superfast piano player
I wish I'd learnt to play an instrument, even a recorder eluded me :( Check out the guy in the video though, he has, as the kids say 'mad skills'.
