Why has Clark Ashton Smith had so little influence on gaming? Grognardia, to which I have recently become addicted, has some good thoughts on this.
(Interestingly enough, I took this photograph, along with some others of Smith’s sculptures that may be found on some CAS sites, while visiting the house of Smith’s old friend Bob Elder, in Auburn, California. I shared my shots with Ron Hilger and some of the other keepers of Smith’s legacy.)
My blog was disabled when this interview came out, so here is a belated link. It’s one of the more enjoyable ones I’ve done in a while. A little bit of everything is covered, from games to Lovecraft. That’s pretty much the gamut, right?
This is sad. Duke Nukem is Dead. I learned a lot from Duke 3D. When I joined Valve to work on Half-Life, there were many discussions of how well Duke had done things. There’s a seminal moment where Duke is about to be executed, and suddenly you (as Duke) discover that you can break free and bust out of the execution chamber and (you being Duke) go on a rampage. It’s safe to say this particular scene had a big impact on what I thought was possible in a first-person shooter. Although the interminable wait for Duke Nukem Forever was, well, interminable, and made a great target over the years, the fact is, many of us were eagerly waiting for it, and couldn’t wait to be blown away. Knowing people who worked on it over the years, and hearing them hint at how great it could be (if it would only ship), I have no doubt that over the course of its development, Duke was probably several dozen sorts of minor masterpiece at one time or another. We’ll miss ya, ya big lug.
Do yourself, and all of us, the whole game industry, a favor. Play Gravity Bone. This is why we’re here. Don’t read about it, although you will see links to plenty of people talking about why it is wonderful. Play it first. It’s short and sweet, and will pay you back handsomely for a minimal investment of your time. (Oh: Quicksave is F6, and at one point you may want it.)
Update: Here’s a good Tom Chick interview with the game’s creator.
The new J.K. Rowling book causes cognitive dissonance. Beedle already has deep and resonant associations for me:
Left 4 Dead is out. It was intensely fun when I first played it a couple years back, and it’s leagues better now. I didn’t work on it, other than a fair bit of playtesting, so I don’t mind telling you it’s awesome.
I also recommend the blog, where you can find the large original of this image for your wallpaper:
Snack or Die features a variety of game related desserts, including several awesome edible Half-Life homages:
And he came from the future to deliver his talk. I was there to watch the presentation at the Austin Game Developers Conference, and it was a captivating talk, replete with magic tricks, gags, and audience provocation (lighting a cigarette in a smoke-free zone).
In related news, Flurb #6, is out.
(Austin by Nightphone)
At last week’s Game Developers Conference, I was invited to join a panel with Richard Rouse, Ken Rolston and Steve Meretzky, to discuss the state of storytelling in games. Now, from my background in science fiction conventions, a typical panel simply requires you to show up with your ego. This one required homework, preparation, Powerpoint, teleconferences, and several rehearsals. In spite of that, it was fun. Richard has posted the slides at his website.
Just got news that David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have selected “An Evening’s Honest Peril” (from Flurb #3) for Year’s Best SF 13. It will appear with several very minor alterations. It’s gratifying to find this old story, originally written in 2001 after far too much playing of Asheron’s Call, finding a new place to roost. And it’s especially cool for Flurb, which continues to gather steam.
And Kathryn has just posted the full Table of Contents here.