The “Level Up” Illusion
It’s a staple mechanic of so many games, a simple metric for measuring advancement, a point of comparison to where you were compared to where you are, and where other people are around you. Levelling up unlocks new skills and powers, grants access to new gear, and ultimately makes the whole process of murder-hoboing through life a far flashier affair.
But here’s the thing… (more…)
Back To Playing Computer Games
I’m sure I’m not alone on this one.
Life gets in the way. Work, family, demands on your time and responsibilities to uphold, it all burdens us and eats into time that we used to use playing games. Life is important, sure. As much as we’d love to believe that we can all play games and live functioning lives at the same time is optimistic under current socio-economic conditions, maybe one day, one generation, but it won’t be any time soon. I write a lot about games, but over and over again I find I’m returning to the same old examples that I’ve used repeatedly over various articles. (more…)
Fathom Bristol – Live Immersive Room Escape Experience
Immersive live experiences are a form of entertainment where you get to be part of the action. Whether it’s paint balling, laser quest or something more extreme like zombie hunting, this is a lucrative market with much to do. I’ve actually been on a zombie experience and found it to be an exhilarating rush. Whilst it was a lot of fun to take part in that, a small bit of me has wanted to work through a series of puzzles in a live, interactive environment.
Lo and behold, a venue called Fathom Escape has appeared to solve this problem! I was lucky enough to be able to reach out to the owner of Fathom Escape, where I asked him some questions about the event, what players can expect and how it compares to other live experiences. Be prepared to use your intellect, rather than your reflexes, as you try to escape the room.
Becoming a… Level Designer
Building your own world in a 3D environment is what hundreds of youngsters wish they could do, yet few make that step from dreamer to practitioner. Why in this day and age do they not make the first step towards fulfilling their dreams which isn’t so hard to fulfil really confuses me. Alas, I am not them and they are not me.
When I was a child, I took a major interest in games development as a whole. It’s not hard to get into and as a child I made my own variants of Tetris, Pong, Space Invaders – You name it! However now-a-days, it’s even easier still. When I was growing up, the internet was inevitably around but was nowhere near as accessible as it is now. So the burning question is: How do I get started with making my own games… Professionally?
If you’ve read my articles on Game Development on a Budget over at 1001-Up, we will be covering a lot of lost ground. This is going to be a supplementary series to that one. If you’ve not checked them out, please do. Your comments would be appreciated.
Becoming a… 3D Modeller
Building your own world in a 3D environment is what hundreds of youngsters wish they could do, yet few make that step from dreamer to practitioner. Why in this day and age do they not make the first step towards fulfilling their dreams which isn’t so hard to fulfil really confuses me. Alas, I am not them and they are not me.
When I was a child, I took a major interest in games development as a whole. It’s not hard to get into and as a child I made my own variants of Tetris, Pong, Space Invaders – You name it! However now-a-days, it’s easier still. When I was growing up, the internet was inevitably around but was nowhere near as accessible as it is now. So, the burning question is: How do I get started with making my own games?
If you’ve read my articles on Game Development on a Budget over at 1001-Up, we will be covering a lot of lost ground. This is going to be a supplementary series to that one. If you’ve not checked them out, please do. Your comments would be appreciated.
catharsisjelly
Timlah
GeekOut Media Team
terraphi