Gamasutra Member Blogs: From Game Mechanics As A Storyteller To Pacifism

Author: by Staff

In our weekly Best of Member Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game community who maintain Member Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while invitation-only Expert Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- are written by selected development professionals. Our favorite blog post of the week will earn its author a lifetime subscription to Gamasutra's sister publication, Game Developer magazine. (All magazine recipients outside of the United States or Canada will receive lifetime electronic subscriptions.) We hope that our blog sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information, check out the official posting guidelines. This Week's Standout Member Blogs - Game Mechanics That Tell Stories (Francisco Souki) Often when discussing storytelling in video games, we focus on the scripted narrative, but Carnegie Mellon grad student Francisco Souki delivers a great piece that reflects on examples of game mechanics that convey stories. He uses Ico, Metal Gear Solid, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as prime examples. But can more game designers achieve effective game mechanics-story connections? For his effort, Francisco will receive a lifetime subscription to Gamasutra sister publication Game Developer magazine. - It's A Small World After All Filipe Teixeira offers his ideas on project management, stressing the importance of having the right team for the job, uninhibited brainstorming sessions, smart planning, and just having fun being creative. - Undue Aggression: The Conflict between the PC "Elite" and Console Fanboys (Warwick Gavaghan) Warwick Gavaghan writes about the "undue agression" between some PC fans and console fans. Some have been predicting the death of PC gaming for the last several years, but gaming on the platform continues to evolve, despite the success of the console market. Gavaghan argues that the PC platform is as necessary to gaming's growth as consoles. - No Murder - Mirror's Edge Martin Nerurkar) In trying to earn the "Pacifist" Achievement in EA DICE’s Mirror’s Edge by not shooting any enemies, Martin Nerukar discovered new kinds of emotions and a different feeling of immersion within the game. Maybe more game developers can make a non-violence path a central part of combat-centric games, in order to offer something different than run-and-gun... - It's A Small World After All (Josh Bycer) Grand Theft Auto III is the seminal 3D open world action game, and game developers today still look to that title when creating their own open world romps. But with that template comes a few problems that continue in many open world games, according to member Josh Bycer...