Free Video Games News

Archive for December, 2009

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features a holiday extravaganza of Gamers Confab goodness: a 4-volume confection featuring a gaggle of bloggers, journalists, and designers all discussing our favorite games of 2009.

Part 1 includes Steve Gaynor of 2K Marin and the Fullbright blog; Kirk Battle (aka L.B. Jeffries) of Banana Pepper Martinis and PopMatters; and Chris Dahlen of the Onion A.V. Club and Edge Online. (Guests pictured on right)

Segments 2-4 will arrive in the coming days. I hope you enjoy!

• Download the podcast directly here.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow"Listen Now" button on the right.

Show links:

Go to Source

Whenever I write about tabletop sports sims, I envision a mob of potential readers marching toward my house, led by an angry pitchfork-wielding villager shouting "For god's sake, somebody tell him NOBODY CARES about tabletop sports sims!! GAAAAHH!!!"

I get the message. Just bear with me for a few minutes. A video game connection is on the way. Lay down that pitchfork, take a few breaths. … And hey, maybe if you just tried Strat-O…"GAAAAHH!!" … Okay, Sorry. Forget I said anything. Moving right along.

I received the new Strat-O-Matic Negro League All-Star cards for Christmas. Ten years of research and stat gathering went into building these cards, which accurately reflect the hitting, fielding, and
pitching characteristics of 103 players that Major League Baseball excluded from the 1910s until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.

As I noted when the set was announced last October, these cards open the door to fans like me, curious about the impact players like Josh Gibson and Cool Papa
Bell might have had on Major League Baseball. Was Johnny Bench a better
catcher than Gibson? Sim a few seasons and let's see what we learn.

But these cards possess an even greater value. They afford a father like me the opportunity to teach my son about an illustrious chapter of baseball history (and a shameful part of our nation's past) by engaging him with individual players. Gifted men with names. Forgotten men resurrected through statistics hailing their individual feats. Each card full of numbers tells a story. The trick is deciphering those numbers and coming to understand the full measure of that man as a baseball player.

When you devote yourself to this effort, there's a very good chance you will come to love, in a way, the men behind those numbers. If you're like me, you will hold in your memory every member of the 1978 championship team you assembled from flimsy two-color perforated cards. You learned all their strengths and weaknesses; you protected them from injuries; and you knew Vida Blue would be true when he threw. These were your guys, and they won for you. So you loved them.

Revisiting Strat-O Baseball with my son (we've played the game together for 10 years now) helped rekindle my appreciation for a fundamental aspect of playing other kinds of games, including video games. Much of the fun we derive comes not from playing, but from preparing to play.

The affinity I described above grew mostly from studying, evaluating, assembling and otherwise getting ready to play a simulated version of baseball. The game itself – 9 innings of rolling dice, employing strategies, and determining outcomes – is terrific fun, to be sure. It's the vital test of one's preparation. But, ultimately, the deep fun and real brainpower required to succeed emerge in the moments when you ask yourself, "Should Musial hit 3rd or 4th?" or "How much money should I spend on a 35-year-old pitcher?"

Reflecting on it, I realize that similar deliberations have always driven my interest in games, including recent video games like Demon's Souls, Dragon Age, and Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. I loved the incredibly evocative environments and deep combat elements of Demon's Souls, but I also derived fulfillment from deciding which stats to level-up and fiddling with equipment upgrades, souls, and spells. Creating a character in Dragon Age occupied me for an entire evening. Spirit Tracks had me mentally grinding on environmental puzzles in the shower.

Conceptualizing play; weighing alternatives; visualizing possibilities. Getting ready to play is, of course, play itself. But I think the preparations a player makes in advance of formal 'gameplay' can sometimes bind that player to a game more deeply than anything occurring elsewhere 'in the game.' That's certainly the case for me and my son with a tabletop baseball sim, and I suspect it's true for many of us with video games too.

Incidental fun fact #1: 27 million people play fantasy football every week,
devoting countless hours to preparing their teams for games over which
they have no control or input mechanism. Incidental fun fact #2: Madden '09 sold
4.5 million copies. Apples and oranges? Certainly. But still
interesting.

Go to Source

Go to Source

Go to Source

Game websites and blogs are awash in end-of-the-year reflection stuff, and I probably shouldn't let myself get dragged into the undertow. But I just can't help it. Something about a pending new year always makes me stop and take a look at where I've been and what it all means. Well, where I've been anyway.

In the spirit of year-end reflection, here's a thought. The platform that produced some of the most solid games in 2009 is the one we often forget to include in our GOTY roundups: The Nintendo DS. Five years and 115 million systems into its lifespan, the dual-screen wonder is showing few signs of slowing down, at least when it comes to delivering new games. Whatever we might say about PS3 momentum or the sustained appeal of the Xbox 360, neither system can match the DS library of high-quality games, many of which appeared this year. Of course, neither can match it for bad games either, but I won't pursue that point.

Looking back over this past year, several DS games impressed me and sustained my interest far longer than most of their PC or console brethren. In fact, if I add up the total number of hours I spent playing games this year, I'm fairly certain I spent more time with my DS than any other system. Portability is a big factor here because I traveled more than usual in '09. My schedule also lends itself to playing games whenever short bursts of time open up, and the DS is uniquely able to deliver that experience. Ironically, the game system that many adults feel self-conscious playing in public is the system best adapted to our active lives. 

I know what you're thinking. What about the iPhone? 15,000 games in the app store – surely some good ones in there, right? Of course, and Spider is one of my favorites of the year. But I have to say I'm still not a true believer in iPhone gaming, for many of the reasons I noted back in March. Ergonomics go a long way with me, and most games on that device still require my index finger as a primary input device, obscuring the screen and forcing me to hold the iPhone in a way that's uncomfortable to me. I know millions of people play games on their iPhones and apparently love it. I prefer the DS.

Sort of got off the subject there, didn't I? Sorry.

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite DS games of '09. The list includes a couple of recent releases I'm playing now, as well as others I've mentioned or written about here previously. They represent an impressive array of genres and gameplay styles, and all are worth a look, especially if your DS has been sitting on a shelf feeling lonely and forgotten lately. 

GTA: Chinatown Wars – The incongruity of Rockstar software on a Nintendo handheld may have confused consumers, but Chinatown Wars is one of the best GTA games ever made. CW returns the franchise to its core design philosophy: plunging the player into an amped-up world of depravity, mayhem and speed and wringing as much giddy gameplay out of it as possible. I played this GTA through to the end, which is something I hadn't done since Vice City. Hats off to the designers who managed to smartly integrate the stylus and touchscreen into gameplay and avoid gimmicky foolishness.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor - A Dragon Age fan will surely throw a shoe at me for saying so, but Devil Survivor is the most successful RPG released this year – if success is measured by making big promises and delivering on them. Devil Survivor succeeds because it does three things remarkably well: 1) it cannily combines the best features from other genres; 2) it streamlines gameplay without oversimplifying; 3) it presents an adult story in which player choice feels genuinely meaningful. Longtime RPG players will appreciate the way Devil Survivor honors the genre by insisting on a thoughtful and strategic approach to resource management and tactics. But in keeping with Atlus' balanced design, newcomers will find many of the traditional RPG corners rounded, with less grind, micromanagement, and repetition. Devil Survivor also has the best battle system I've ever seen in an RPG…and I've played a few RPGs. 
 

Clash of Heroes – I never saw this one coming. A ridiculously addictive strategy-puzzle-RPG tucked, for no apparent reason, in a Might & Magic wrapper. Clash of Heroes is a deep, challenging, and enormously rewarding game that will have you tapping away at your DS screen till the wee hours. If you've had your fill of formulaic turn-based combat, or you're simply looking for a game that breathes life into several stale genres at once, you've got to get your hands on Clash of Heroes. Few games these days actively reward patience and imagination from the player. This one does. Clear your calendar.
 

Retro Game Challenge – One of the most pleasant surprises of '09 and a wonderful gift to old-school gamers. RGC is an inspired homage/parody of 8-bit and 16-bit classics cleverly tied together by a sublimely wacky story in which you are transported back in time to the 1980s and forced to play video games by the vengeful Game Master Arino. Your only way back to the present is to overcome challenges Arino throws at you from an array of retro games, including 2D shooter, sidescroller, racing, and even a surprisingly deep RPG. The games are terrific (in some cases better than the originals), and RGC's cheeky self-awareness is a big part of its appeal.

Korg DS-10 Plus – This one's the wildcard of the bunch. It's not a game, nor has it even been released yet here in the states. Korg DS-10 Plus is a full-fledged powerhouse musical instrument and mixer in the pocket of your jeans. This update to the original Korg DS-10 adds twice as many analog synthesizers (now up to four) and drum synthesizers (now up to eight), plus the ability to lay down twelve tracks with real-time editing and two extra effects layers. If you don't know what you're doing, this astonishingly complex program won't help you release your inner Brian Eno. But if you can harness it, there's no end to the creative possibilities this tiny cartridge can unleash. An truly amazing piece of kit.
 

Rhythm Heaven – Possibly the most underrated and under-appreciated game of year. Yes, Rhythm Heaven is hard. At times, brutally so. It expects perfection, and anything short of that means fail. Yes, Rhythm Heaven is 'just' a collection of mini-games. And yes, it's full of activities that really don't qualify as games at all. This is a game you both play and play with. It's a toy in the richest and most delightful sense of the word. What sets this game apart from others, including the WarioWare games that inspired it, is a beautifully unified sense of design. Despite its disparate elements, everything in Rhythm Heaven fits together and creates an experience that feels organic. Wacky and maddening, but coherent. So many games play it safe. This one doesn't. The haters missed the point.
 

Big Bang Mini – This little gem combines elements of Space Invaders, Meteos, and Geometry Wars to create a terrific genre-combo shoot-em-up game that thoroughly seduced me. You launch fireworks to fend off enemies, all the while dodging debris falling from the upper screen. Each level contains its own art style, music, and special abilities…and, of course, a boss battle that unlocks the next level. The gameplay is frenetic, but fair, and it induces the kind of in-the-zone feel that few games seem to get right anymore. Big Bang Mini got roughed up by some reviewers who criticized its basic gameplay mechanics. Shooting and moving your ship are designed as two separate activities that must be coordinated by the player. Suggesting that the game is flawed because you can't move and shoot at the same time seems wrongheaded to me because it insists on a gameplay design the developers clearly rejected in favor of a different kind of challenge.
 

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - the latest Mario & Luigi game suggests its predecessors have essentially been rehearsals for this culminating masterpiece. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is the finest and most fully realized Mario RPG ever made, and that's saying something for a highly regarded franchise that includes the original Super Mario RPG, the Paper Mario series, and two previous Mario & Luigi games. Aside from its top-to-bottom graphical polish and colorful interface, (aesthetically, this game sets a new standard for sprite design and animation on the DS), the game distinguishes itself through its sharp canny dialogue and self-aware conceit that establish a playful link between game and player. Plus, it's really fun.
 

Legend of  Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Yes, the Zelda series has grown increasingly conservative over the years, but the magic still works wonders. Spirit Tracks delivers such a blissful combination of whimsy and rock-solid gameplay that once you've crossed the threshold and learned your first song on the Spirit Flute, there's no turning back. This is what a highly refined and expertly-crafted game looks like. I have a strong suspicion that if Spirit Tracks appeared in another skin from a different developer, we'd all be singing the praises of a handheld Zelda that does Zelda one better. But arriving as it does and looking like a Phantom Hourglass carryover…well, ho hum. 
 

Scribblenauts - Mired in pre-release hype and hyperbole courtesy of the E3 games press, Scribblenauts was bound to disappoint, and so it did. Control issues and design dead ends snuffed the excitement out of a title that promised to redefine how we interact with games. But I included Scribblenauts on my list because the marvelous things it did manage to deliver felt so fresh and imaginative. I can't think of a game that so quickly and easily raises the eyebrows of non-gamers who see it for the first time. Imagine a solution, scribble a word, and watch what happens. Maybe Scribblenauts was little more than a proof of concept, but it's a really cool concept that deserves praise.

Happy portable gaming!

Go to Source

Game websites and blogs are awash in end-of-the-year reflection stuff, and I probably shouldn't let myself get dragged into the undertow. But I just can't help it. Something about a pending new year always makes me stop and take a look at where I've been and what it all means. Well, where I've been anyway.

In the spirit of year-end reflection, here's a thought. The platform that produced some of the most solid games in 2009 is the one we often forget to include in our GOTY roundups: The Nintendo DS. Five years and 115 million systems into its lifespan, the dual-screen wonder is showing few signs of slowing down, at least when it comes to delivering new games. Whatever we might say about PS3 momentum or the sustained appeal of the Xbox 360, neither system can match the DS library of high-quality games, many of which appeared this year. Of course, neither can match it for bad games either, but I won't pursue that point.

Looking back over this past year, several DS games impressed me and sustained my interest far longer than most of their PC or console brethren. In fact, if I add up the total number of hours I spent playing games this year, I'm fairly certain I spent more time with my DS than any other system. Portability is a big factor here because I traveled more than usual in '09. My schedule also lends itself to playing games whenever short bursts of time open up, and the DS is uniquely able to deliver that experience. Ironically, the game system that many adults feel self-conscious playing in public is the system best adapted to our active lives. 

I know what you're thinking. What about the iPhone? 15,000 games in the app store – surely some good ones in there, right? Of course, and Spider is one of my favorites of the year. But I have to say I'm still not a true believer in iPhone gaming, for many of the reasons I noted back in March. Ergonomics go a long way with me, and most games on that device still require my index finger as a primary input device, obscuring the screen and forcing me to hold the iPhone in a way that's uncomfortable to me. I know millions of people play games on their iPhones and apparently love it. I prefer the DS.

Sort of got off the subject there, didn't I? Sorry.

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite DS games of '09. The list includes a couple of recent releases I'm playing now, as well as others I've mentioned or written about here previously. They represent an impressive array of genres and gameplay styles, and all are worth a look, especially if your DS has been sitting on a shelf feeling lonely and forgotten lately. 

GTA: Chinatown Wars – The incongruity of Rockstar software on a Nintendo handheld may have confused consumers, but Chinatown Wars is one of the best GTA games ever made. CW returns the franchise to its core design philosophy: plunging the player into an amped-up world of depravity, mayhem and speed and wringing as much giddy gameplay out of it as possible. I played this GTA through to the end, which is something I hadn't done since Vice City. Hats off to the designers who managed to smartly integrate the stylus and touchscreen into gameplay and avoid gimmicky foolishness.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor - A Dragon Age fan will surely throw a shoe at me for saying so, but Devil Survivor is the most successful RPG released this year – if success is measured by making big promises and delivering on them. Devil Survivor succeeds because it does three things remarkably well: 1) it cannily combines the best features from other genres; 2) it streamlines gameplay without oversimplifying; 3) it presents an adult story in which player choice feels genuinely meaningful. Longtime RPG players will appreciate the way Devil Survivor honors the genre by insisting on a thoughtful and strategic approach to resource management and tactics. But in keeping with Atlus' balanced design, newcomers will find many of the traditional RPG corners rounded, with less grind, micromanagement, and repetition. Devil Survivor also has the best battle system I've ever seen in an RPG…and I've played a few RPGs. 
 

Clash of Heroes – I never saw this one coming. A ridiculously addictive strategy-puzzle-RPG tucked, for no apparent reason, in a Might & Magic wrapper. Clash of Heroes is a deep, challenging, and enormously rewarding game that will have you tapping away at your DS screen till the wee hours. If you've had your fill of formulaic turn-based combat, or you're simply looking for a game that breathes life into several stale genres at once, you've got to get your hands on Clash of Heroes. Few games these days actively reward patience and imagination from the player. This one does. Clear your calendar.
 

Retro Game Challenge – One of the most pleasant surprises of '09 and a wonderful gift to old-school gamers. RGC is an inspired homage/parody of 8-bit and 16-bit classics cleverly tied together by a sublimely wacky story in which you are transported back in time to the 1980s and forced to play video games by the vengeful Game Master Arino. Your only way back to the present is to overcome challenges Arino throws at you from an array of retro games, including 2D shooter, sidescroller, racing, and even a surprisingly deep RPG. The games are terrific (in some cases better than the originals), and RGC's cheeky self-awareness is a big part of its appeal.

Korg DS-10 Plus – This one's the wildcard of the bunch. It's not a game, nor has it even been released yet here in the states. Korg DS-10 Plus is a full-fledged powerhouse musical instrument and mixer in the pocket of your jeans. This update to the original Korg DS-10 adds twice as many analog synthesizers (now up to four) and drum synthesizers (now up to eight), plus the ability to lay down twelve tracks with real-time editing and two extra effects layers. If you don't know what you're doing, this astonishingly complex program won't help you release your inner Brian Eno. But if you can harness it, there's no end to the creative possibilities this tiny cartridge can unleash. An truly amazing piece of kit.
 

Rhythm Heaven – Possibly the most underrated and under-appreciated game of year. Yes, Rhythm Heaven is hard. At times, brutally so. It expects perfection, and anything short of that means fail. Yes, Rhythm Heaven is 'just' a collection of mini-games. And yes, it's full of activities that really don't qualify as games at all. This is a game you both play and play with. It's a toy in the richest and most delightful sense of the word. What sets this game apart from others, including the WarioWare games that inspired it, is a beautifully unified sense of design. Despite its disparate elements, everything in Rhythm Heaven fits together and creates an experience that feels organic. Wacky and maddening, but coherent. So many games play it safe. This one doesn't. The haters missed the point.
 

Big Bang Mini – This little gem combines elements of Space Invaders, Meteos, and Geometry Wars to create a terrific genre-combo shoot-em-up game that thoroughly seduced me. You launch fireworks to fend off enemies, all the while dodging debris falling from the upper screen. Each level contains its own art style, music, and special abilities…and, of course, a boss battle that unlocks the next level. The gameplay is frenetic, but fair, and it induces the kind of in-the-zone feel that few games seem to get right anymore. Big Bang Mini got roughed up by some reviewers who criticized its basic gameplay mechanics. Shooting and moving your ship are designed as two separate activities that must be coordinated by the player. Suggesting that the game is flawed because you can't move and shoot at the same time seems wrongheaded to me because it insists on a gameplay design the developers clearly rejected in favor of a different kind of challenge.
 

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - the latest Mario & Luigi game suggests its predecessors have essentially been rehearsals for this culminating masterpiece. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is the finest and most fully realized Mario RPG ever made, and that's saying something for a highly regarded franchise that includes the original Super Mario RPG, the Paper Mario series, and two previous Mario & Luigi games. Aside from its top-to-bottom graphical polish and colorful interface, (aesthetically, this game sets a new standard for sprite design and animation on the DS), the game distinguishes itself through its sharp canny dialogue and self-aware conceit that establish a playful link between game and player. Plus, it's really fun.
 

Legend of  Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Yes, the Zelda series has grown increasingly conservative over the years, but the magic still works wonders. Spirit Tracks delivers such a blissful combination of whimsy and rock-solid gameplay that once you've crossed the threshold and learned your first song on the Spirit Flute, there's no turning back. This is what a highly refined and expertly-crafted game looks like. I have a strong suspicion that if Spirit Tracks appeared in another skin from a different developer, we'd all be singing the praises of a handheld Zelda that does Zelda one better. But arriving as it does and looking like a Phantom Hourglass carryover…well, ho hum. 
 

Scribblenauts - Mired in pre-release hype and hyperbole courtesy of the E3 games press, Scribblenauts was bound to disappoint, and so it did. Control issues and design dead ends snuffed the excitement out of a title that promised to redefine how we interact with games. But I included Scribblenauts on my list because the marvelous things it did manage to deliver felt so fresh and imaginative. I can't think of a game that so quickly and easily raises the eyebrows of non-gamers who see it for the first time. Imagine a solution, scribble a word, and watch what happens. Maybe Scribblenauts was little more than a proof of concept, but it's a really cool concept that deserves praise.

Happy portable gaming!

Go to Source

In my last post I asked you name your favorite game of '09, and you responded in a big way. I appreciate all your replies, and I'm especially pleased so many of you took the time to explain why your favorite appealed to you this year. You can catch up on that conversation here and contribute to it if you like.

I've gathered all your favorites and listed them below in alphabetical order. Several games were listed by more than one person, and, to maintain consistency, the list doesn't include games not released in '09, even though some of you suggested older games you enjoyed this year.

A few things worth noting emerge from this list. First, it contains 41 different games. I suppose this wide range and variety could be explained by several possibilities: 2009 was a year with no obvious consensus favorite (has there ever actually been such a year?); 2009 was a year with a large assortment of quality games appealing to a wide range of gamers; readers took me up on my suggestion to name overlooked or forgotten games released in '09 – and plenty of other explanations. 

I flatter myself to assume people who read my blog are discriminating gamers, but it does seem to me your favorites suggest a curiosity and appetite for excellent games, regardless of their genre or pedigree. Many of you championed simple, imaginative games with tiny or non-existant ad budgets, like Blueberry Garden. Others were clearly awestruck by the narrative and role-playing scope of a game like Dragon Age. 

Regardless of the reasons or the impulses that drove them, your favorites suggest plenty of options for anyone searching for a new game worth playing. Here they are:

Go to Source

For many years, I’ve been thinking about game design as a form of governance.

• Game mechanics, rules and systems are comparable to laws
• Players are comparable to citizens
• The code and moderators that enforce game mechanics are comparable to executive activities.
• The act of game design is the equivalent of drafting new laws, legislative activities.
• Issue escalation and customer service are comparable to judicial activities.

Each of these topics provides years of future discussion. However, for the sake of brevity, I’ll limit this essay to some thoughts on how a game government differs from a traditional government. Game governments have the following unique attributes:

• Games are voluntary
• Games allow for rapid iteration
• Games excel at targeting individuals

Games are voluntary
The current crop of games are voluntary activities. In a traditional government, you are a citizen of the geographic region or nation in which you live. Membership for those who are born there is automatic. Renouncing or acquiring citizenship is a difficult activity with numerous costs. In most games players choose to operate within the magic circle defined by the rules of the game. Playing a game is seen as an explicitly voluntary activity.

There are several prerequisites for the voluntary nature of game to be realized.

• Freedom to leave: Player should be able to stop playing the game when they wish. At the very least, they can step outside the magic circle and return to the rules of the real world. However, they might also leave one game and switch to another. The voluntary nature of games is threatened when the player can no longer leave. If you are part of a school program in which Wii Fit is a required activity, it rapidly becomes something other than a game.
• Freedom to participate: Equally important, players should feel that their actions within the game are voluntary. Free will, or at least the illusion of free will, is necessary for there to be meaningful choices, deep experiential learning and mastery. Remove the players ability to explore the space defined by the rules of the game and at best you have rote mechanical work. At worst, you’ve created a crushing regime that teaches and enforces mindless obedience to a machine made of code.

Neither participating in a game nor leaving a game is without cost. All games create a self contained system of value where players are taught that algorithmic constructs are meaningful to their lives. There is always an opportunity cost involved in forming these values. There is also a cost to leaving the whirling blinking, pinging systems behind. The sword you worked for so hard in WoW has little meaning outside the game.

Games enable rapid iteration
Most modern networked electronic games involve code executing on servers. The code can be updated and pushed out to millions of players in minutes. Unhappy with the current laws? A few keystrokes later and your populace is now bound by a fresh, crisply defined reality. Traditional governments lack this speed. Laws are deliberated for months and years. They are slowly rolled out piecemeal by people and enforced piecemeal by people. People are fallible and each interpets the laws according to their biases. Some laws don’t work. Some laws have inexplicable consequences that play out over many years.

There are several consequences

• Metrics: First, metrics concerning large swatches of player behavior are readily available. In many cases, developers can set up tests that let them know if the rules they’ve created are generated the behavioral result they desire.
• Scientific iteration: The player population is easily segmented. We witness this currently with A/B testing or with the rollout of Facebook changes according to geographic regions. It is possible to launch rules in a population subset, measure the results and then either kill the experiment or spread the rules more broadly if they are a success. At one point Valve had a saying that went something like “If this is a design decision that is a matter of opinion, don’t waste time arguing about it. Instead play test it.” What are the ramifications of using the scientific method on the generation of laws for humans?
• Democracy of behavior: This leads to a fascinating reinterpretation of the 2500 year old formulation of democracy. You no longer vote by taking time out of your schedule and filling out a piece of paper. Instead, you vote by doing. The player’s actions determine the tale the metrics tell. There is always 100% voter turnout because by choosing to play, you automatically participate in the legislative process.

Game excel at targeting individuals
Games are laser focused on the individual’s activities. They deal with individual choice and individual rewards. A game knows exactly what a single person has done and adapts accordingly. Traditional governments create broad swathes of rules that affect entities or populations. Their hold on any one individual is powerful, but is very much a blunt instrument. Specifically, traditional governments lack the detailed knowledge of individual behavior, the frequency of feedback and precision of the reward structure. Wherein taxes are a feedback loop that occurs once a year, Pacman adapts to your actions 30 times a second.

• Game designs are laws targeted at the mundane activities of free will. With Bejeweled we influence how your spend your free time. With Wii Fit, we reward or punish how you exercise. With Nike Plus we reward and punish how you move your feet. With Facebook games, we mediate how you socialize. In time, each of these will improve. In time games will target more and more activities. Travel, sleep, energy usage, medicine, love, sex, eating. If we can measure it, we can make a game out of it.
• Pervasive law: These quotidian activities are the meat of life. As games spread throughout our everyday moments, we are suddenly in the hitherto unheard of situation where law affects 80% of our lives.

Go to Source

I'll soon record my annual Gamers Confab holiday podcast, and I'm looking forward to it. If you happened to catch last year's edition, you know that I ask my guests to name their favorite game of the year and briefly discuss why they chose it. 

Sometimes the game that makes the biggest impact on us isn't necessarily the game we consider "best" of the year, and I enjoy hearing people talk about why certain games appeal to them personally. Last year, for example, I thought Fallout 3 was GOTY, but my favorite games of '08 were Little Big Planet and No More Heroes.

This year, I'd like to add more voices to the mix, so I'm asking you to post a comment and tell me your favorite game of '09. If you can, please offer a few thoughts on why you chose it too. I'll periodically update this post to list the games you cite, so folks can quickly see a compilation of all our favorites. Maybe we'll jog each others' memories of titles we overlooked or identify games that simply didn't receive enough love this year.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for pitching in, and happy gaming!

Update: Many thanks for all your thoughtful responses. I'm startled, in the best possible way, by the wide range of games you've mentioned as your favorites. Rather than update this post with a long list, I'll write a new post this weekend that accounts for all the games recommended in your comments. The variety and general lack of consensus suggests something important about the current state of the games community, broadly defined, that I'd like to explore. 

Thanks again for your comments, and please feel free to keep them coming!

Go to Source

I'll soon record my annual Gamers Confab holiday podcast, and I'm looking forward to it. If you happened to catch last year's edition, you know that I ask my guests to name their favorite game of the year and briefly discuss why they chose it. 

Sometimes the game that makes the biggest impact on us isn't necessarily the game we consider "best" of the year, and I enjoy hearing people talk about why certain games appeal to them personally. Last year, for example, I thought Fallout 3 was GOTY, but my favorite games of '08 were Little Big Planet and No More Heroes.

This year, I'd like to add more voices to the mix, so I'm asking you post a comment and tell me your favorite game of '09. If you can, please offer a few thoughts on why you chose it too. I'll periodically update this post to list the games you cite, so folks can quickly see a compilation of all our favorites. Maybe we'll jog each others' memories of titles we overlooked or identify games that simply didn't receive enough love this year.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for pitching in, and happy gaming!

Go to Source