Think Tank R&D
by Shayne Guiliano · in General Discussion · 07/08/2002 (2:31 pm) · 0 replies
I was wondering if anyone was interested in joining a R&D group to explore artistic video game possibilities without having to commit to a specific project. I feel like this community might be shooting themselves in the foot by being so project oriented rather than looking for and researching new ways to think about game design. I studied chemistry in college where I learned a lot of research methods and skills that I know translate well into video game research and design.
You can join even if you are already working on a project. It will also be a great opportunity to work with and get to know other passionate developers.
The Think Tank will inevitably lead to the development of games as we start to understand the possibilites of what we can do. I think this is a much more viable way for making games in an indie community because it will give us a realistic perspective on the design process. It will also shorten actual game development times since the R&D will be done before the game is started.
Video games (I hesitate to even use that word) are simply a media form that can communicate through audio, visual, and tactile means(vibration) that also possess something no media form in history has... interactivity. Though the audio and visual have been well understood for a long time (though not typically by game industry designers) the interactive elements and tactile elements are in relative infancy. I want to understand all the elements of video games and want to work with people that wish to also.
The great designers, Miyamoto especially, spend lots of time understanding the technology and exploring design possibilities before they even begin designing actual games. They realize that R&D is not unlike learning how to use a pencil to draw. If you don't know how the pencil works, you'll never be able to draw with it.
I think the first level goals of the Think Tank would be to research and document methods for doing all the things that we know can be done with video games, in 2-D and 3-D, by breaking down and reverse engineering games that have been made in the past. I've been doing this for six months and have begun to discover some really cool qualities of games that I think other people should be aware of. We would gain a working knowledge of what is possible and then be able to push the boundaries of what a video game is. I also believe that cross-media study, meaning studying TV and writing, and even philosophy and science, can only help to open our minds as video game developers.
I have worked out several formulas for breaking down a video game so don't worry if you don't know exactly what I'm talking about. Any great discussion takes about a lifetime.
So drop me a line at autonomy4@hotmail.com if you're interested at all.
Thanks,
Shayne Guiliano
Autonomy4@hotmail.com
You can join even if you are already working on a project. It will also be a great opportunity to work with and get to know other passionate developers.
The Think Tank will inevitably lead to the development of games as we start to understand the possibilites of what we can do. I think this is a much more viable way for making games in an indie community because it will give us a realistic perspective on the design process. It will also shorten actual game development times since the R&D will be done before the game is started.
Video games (I hesitate to even use that word) are simply a media form that can communicate through audio, visual, and tactile means(vibration) that also possess something no media form in history has... interactivity. Though the audio and visual have been well understood for a long time (though not typically by game industry designers) the interactive elements and tactile elements are in relative infancy. I want to understand all the elements of video games and want to work with people that wish to also.
The great designers, Miyamoto especially, spend lots of time understanding the technology and exploring design possibilities before they even begin designing actual games. They realize that R&D is not unlike learning how to use a pencil to draw. If you don't know how the pencil works, you'll never be able to draw with it.
I think the first level goals of the Think Tank would be to research and document methods for doing all the things that we know can be done with video games, in 2-D and 3-D, by breaking down and reverse engineering games that have been made in the past. I've been doing this for six months and have begun to discover some really cool qualities of games that I think other people should be aware of. We would gain a working knowledge of what is possible and then be able to push the boundaries of what a video game is. I also believe that cross-media study, meaning studying TV and writing, and even philosophy and science, can only help to open our minds as video game developers.
I have worked out several formulas for breaking down a video game so don't worry if you don't know exactly what I'm talking about. Any great discussion takes about a lifetime.
So drop me a line at autonomy4@hotmail.com if you're interested at all.
Thanks,
Shayne Guiliano
Autonomy4@hotmail.com
