I am a big CSI fan. I watch all the shows. I don’t believe in their pseudo science, but I do find the shows very entertaining.

However a few days ago I watched an episode of CSI: Miami that just made me go “WHAT WHAT WHAT??!!”.

The plot was that a group of young people try to rob a bank. While they do it, they kill a security guard, an innocent bystander, and try to rape a girl. Their efforts get thwarted by a heroic CSI agent.

When examining the robbery the CSI team suddenly realise that these people are participating in a game… a game which they have taken to the next level. They are acting out the game and keeping score of who has the most points.

One of the CSI agents now needs to play through the game so they can figure out the player’s next move.

It all ends with the gamers being caught, killed, and the big final revelation is that the player with the most points, is a girl…..

So…to sum up what that episode of CSI: Miami just told us:

CSI Fact 1
The game they played looked as an almost identical copy of GTA: San Andreas. While playing through it the CSI officer says things like “This is turning my mind in a wrong direction.” And “This part of the game is why I almost immediately stopped playing it when I got it at home”.

Conclusion:

GTA is a bad game, and it messes with your mind.

CSI Fact 2
Playing videogames leads to criminal and psychotic behaviour. During the show they quote several sources for saying that, and off course the CSI leader hates computer games, because they make people commit crimes.

Conclusion:

Games = Criminal/psychotic behaviour.

CSI Fact 3
During the show a person is found dead in front of his game console (which looks a lot like an Xbox). He has died from dehydration after having played the game for 70 hours. He didn’t go to the bathroom but peed in the energy drink bottles he emptied out – and in the end, his kidneys gave in due to dehydration and lack of sleep. Also the CSI agents say that it’s normal behaviour for serious gamers, and they have seen several other cases…

Conclusion:

Playing games will make you a fanatic, and make you put aside your own wellbeing until you die!

And then….finally….

CSI fact 4
Women playing computer games are doing this NOT because they enjoy it. They are doing it because guys will only notice them, if they participate in the games. And only when becoming the best at the game (killing and being criminal) will the guys notice the girls.

Conclusion:

Girls don’t like computer games; they only play to get guys….

Sadly I didn’t manage to see who had produced/directed/written this episode. But I can’t help to think that if the series really want to set up computer games as being evil….then why is there 5 CSI games out there on the market?

Conclusion

CSI marketing apparently isnt on the same page as the CSI writers. Perhaps this episode got developed during the writers strike, or perhaps, it got influenced by some lobbyist - i dont really know. However there is ONE thing i DO know…. and that was…. this show made me laugh my @.. off. The claims where just so stupid that i couldn´t help it… so… alas… even though the show should have offended me deeply (being one of those hardcore gamers who is apparently just about to snap and kill everything…) it still managed to entertain me.

I just read the summary of your talk at the Develop conference in Brighton, England. And it seems that you have a lot of experience in the games industry. However I noted one of your lessons as being a bit odd:

Lesson 4: Teach Old Tricks to New Dogs

For some reason I fail to see why you would let a beginning game designer do tasks that you already know won´t be used for anything? You mention several times that you don´t care for game design diplomas, but putting a person who has (at least) some rudimentary knowledge about game design, to do a task you know in advance will be thrown away - that just sounds like bad project management. Why not just get them to do a minor task, you know they will be able to handle? That way you wouldn´t waste their time and they wouldn´t waste yours ….

In my mind a game designer has always been a person specifically hired to design games, and help implement his or hers ideas into the game through the entire development process. Meaning that they had a hand in all branches of the production from brainstorming, to marketing ideas, to helping programmers decide what to do. Of course I realise that the professional game designer would be a person more focused on game theory than on programming, and would of course only be able to advice on obtaining the game goal, not on how the specific code should look.

However the last few months have changed my views on what it means to be a game designer. First I got involved with a student game design group in Aalborg after I went there and gave a talk about the psychological issues behind gaming. Here I suddenly realised that EACH AND EVERY ONE of those people there – artists, programmers, musicians, and team leaders – where actually acting as game designers. They were all part of the brainstorming process, they all had equal say in how the game should look and feel and in truth all ended up playing a large part in the game they were developing.

Jump to the present..

I started work at Nykredit a month ago. Nykredit is the second largest bank corporation in Denmark, with branches all around the world. They finance the real estate market, and help people get funds for homes, offices, and building of these…. but they also do so much more.

I am working in their Human Ressource department, more specifically in the employee education department. I got hired to do videos that are to be used for educational and promotional purposes. In truth I have not done a single video yet, why? Because they also create games. Games that teach employees about obscure laws, interest systems, and finance software. And at the moment they are trying to expand A LOT in this field. When they found out I know loads about game design, I quickly got pulled in on the wagon. And now I am (besides all the video stuff) involved in a major ARG game (I will post a link as soon as It’s out of “beta”), and tons of small flash games. Actually these last four weeks I have done 4 games in flash with ActionScript 2.0. The standards aren’t AAA games – and the games needs to be playable by anyone. So at the moment we are doing quizshow games, “point’N’click” games, and other types of puzzle games. At first I found the very low level of the games to be a bit silly, but after I have done a few and gotten some user response on them, I clearly see that there is a need for the games to be so low-key. If you can, please imagine the following. The games need to be played by people who have played games before, but also people who have never played ANY game (computer or tabletop) before. They need to be so simple that they don’t require you to use more than your mouse, or two keys on the keyboard. And they can´t have a too steep time challenge either since people need to not feel stressed by the games…..when you combine that with the overall need of the game to actually be FUN for players between the ages 18-65, you´ve got a real challenge on your hands!

Hopefully the work we are doing will be enjoyed by the 15.000 employees, and the entire flock of users visiting Nykredits website.

But my point here is this. In Aalborg everyone was a game designer. In Nykredit everyone in my department gets a say in the designs, and in the end it is the programmer and animators that get to take the REAL decisions on how the game will look and feel.

So perhaps we are heading away from the AAA game designer role I once coveted so much, and regressing back into the good old garage days – where everyone who could code, animate, or draw, was a game-designer?

I´m not sure which one I would prefer – but I am loving my new job!

If you want to see some more info on how people tend to categorize game designers, take a look at Applied Game Design, Brenda has a nice long post about it.

Today during my ActionScript 2.0 research for work (they insist on using version 2.0 instead of the advanced 3.0, or Silverlight…*sigh*) I stumbled upon this amazing game called “WTF?!”. As you can see it is a World of Warcraft clone, but the guys who have made it must have put an insane amount of work into it. It is a bit difficult to describe the game, but in short - it is their own version of WoW…running in Flash.

Apparently they have been having some issues with their host, so if you want to play the game you will need to download it (its about 9 MB), but it is well worth it!

The game has it all - WoW levelling, sexy blood elves, funny gnomes, and lots and lots of jokes about WoW. And it is actually very fun to play….perhaps I might actually get a character to max level this time around.

You can find the game at http://www.aoedipus.net/

So earlier this week I had the chance to playtest the newest version of Dungeons & Dragons.

The game session took place with 2 other guys I already knew, and 2 guys I have never played RPG’s with before.

We started out by making out own characters, instead of using the premade ones suggested by the introduction rules. It took us nearly 3 hours of number crunching, discussion, and planning, before we had a fairly standard group with a Cleric, a Fighter, a Wizard, and a Warlock. I´m not sure if the reason why character creation took so long was because the new rules are more advanced, or because we were all new to them. I am hoping that it was because we were all noobs, and that it will change when we get a bit more used to the rules.

The system has several new classes, and a completely revamped skill and power system. Gone are the days when gaining a level really didn’t do much, and the days when a wizard had hundreds of spells to choose from. The system has been cut down to a bare minimum, but by doing so have ensured that EVERYTIME you level, you actually gain something. Also the classes seem to be very well balanced. The days when a high level wizard could kill everything, and the days when a low level fighter could kill all same level wizards, are now gone.

We started playing the game and quickly got involved in a battle. It didn’t take more than two rounds for it to become apparent that we had to work as a team. The game is no longer a “do what you want each round”-game, but is now a very advanced strategically oriented board game. We learned this the hard way, and my Wizard character and our Cleric, nearly died in the first few rounds.

The one new thing I want to applaud about the combat system is that it really does convey the feeling of being a hero. EVERY round you can do something amazing, throw off spells, or use special powers. You are no longer limited to spending 95% of the combat rounds, just doing standard melee attacks. Each class now has special powers and abilities to throw at their enemies – and it really helps to differentiate the different classes! Some are good at melee, some at ranged, and some at dealing out massive amounts of damage in no time.

Our adventure then carried on, and we got to try out the new skill system. The amount of skills have gone from 30+ to 17. This makes the skill system a lot more abstract, and it takes a bit getting used to (compared to the old D&D systems). You need to be very creative with your skills, and work with your DM to get the system to work. A special part of the skill system is the use of skill challenges. A skill challenge is when the group has to work together, to accomplish X successful skill checks on several skills, across several rounds, to succeed at something. I think this system is one of the few problems that the new D&D has. It felt very motorized, and pulled away some of the game immersion. But then again – it might be because I am used to NEVER rolling skill checks…. my usual RP group tends to play with as few rules as possible…

And that’s the end of the post….

Final verdict?

I actually think that Wizards of the Coast managed to improve Dungeons & Dragons – but I am dreading what these new rules will mean to the future of Computer RPG’s – since the new combat system is more like Civilization, than NeverWinter Nights….but hopefully someone will come up with something amazing eventually.

Lately I have had a sudden interest in alternate reality game design. Mainly because I got introduced to it at my new work where the department I am in was just finishing up one the first week I was there. However I would definitely classify the game there as a “light” version of an ARG – but still it is very good. Sadly I can´t point you to it, since it’s an internal company game (meaning about 7k players being “FORCED” into participating – so it’s still pretty cool to be part of)

However this has gotten me to do some research into what other ARG games are out there, and on that note I just wanted to point you in the direction of the Avant Game blog by Jane Mcgonigal. She is definitely one of the coolest ARG designers out there (as well as an excellent blogger), and currently she is doing a lot of posts about the game “The Lost Ring”.

When I first read about the story for this game I had no idea that it was an ARG – silly me. I actually believed that someone had found an ancient Olympic sport and was trying to get it recognized and spread to the world. Now, a few months later, I have gotten a lot wiser. BUT the idea for the Olympic game, the websites, the wikis, the movies, and the people actually running around in a labyrinth blindfolded are just blowing me away! It looks like an incredible fun “sport”, but also I regret that I didn´t participate in the ARG.

However I would like to extent this invitation to anyone in the Copenhagen (Denmark) area – if you want to get a team together, I´m in! We are probably too late to participate in anything, but we can still have lots of fun.

Also, you should all check out some of the amazing sites for “The Lost Ring” – I think we will be seeing a lot more games like these in the future!

A good place to start is here: http://www.findthelostring.com/

I´m a huge fan of the “Dungeons & Dragons” game. Not because I find the rules to be particularly good, or that I find it very innovative. The reason why I like “Dungeons & Dragons” is actually simpler than that. It was the first game that REALLY got to me.

I was 9 years old when I first got introduced to it, and after that my life turned into a blur of elves, knights, and wizards until I suddenly realised I had completed high school and needed to “choose a path for my life”…. so what did I do? I began studying to make video games about elves, knights, and wizards….

But, along the way I have encountered lots of games that I find far superior to the “Dungeon & Dragons” game – however, when the newest version was released, I HAD to get it.

I have finished reading through it now, and there are some very interesting game mechanic changes in it. First of all most of the game is now focused on combat. All skills, all level increases, and all items make you better in combat – there is no pseudo system for RP’ing (like the good old illusion wizard spells). Either you fight, or you make up some sort of RP that leads you into a fight…

There has been a lot of discussion about if this is a good thing or not, but personally, at the moment, without actually having played the game yet, I find that the system looks like it has been improved. Combat seems to be more streamlined because of the singular focus on it, and the classes and races also seem to be very well balanced. For the first time in any “Dungeon & Dragons” version, the paladin and ranger class are actually a class of their own, and not just a weakened version of the Fighter class.

So now that I have read through the rules the next logical step would be to actually play the game. However age (aka “A life”) is catching up to me and my usual RP group, so we simply haven´t been able to find time to get together and play (Damn you girlfriends, work, and children – where did the days when we could meet up every weeknight go?!). So I have done something drastic, I have found an RP group seeking players, and on Monday I will be going to their Den of RP to play.

This means that on Monday I will actually get to play “Dungeons & Dragons” in its newest edition – and I am very psyched about it.

I am hoping to once again end up in a world of elves, knights and wizards – because it really is the best place I know…..and yes, of course I will be blogging about my hands on experience with the new rules.

It didn´t take more than a few days after Age of Conan launched for me to get together with a couple of other players and make a guild in the game. We wanted to make a guild where roleplaying was in high regard, where people could play their own “mature” stories, but still be a place where you could talk to each other out of character, relax, and get help with the game…. and so far we have succeeded. Currently the guild is about to hit 100 individual members, and is probably one of the largest guilds on the server. So we´ve had plenty of success.

Being an game academic, and former psychology student I can´t help noticing some of the social interactions going on in our guild. It seems that not only do people very swiftly figure out the pretty unique way of chatting to each other on our guildchat, they also very quickly become accustomed to knowing what sort of help they can ask for, and what sort they can´t.

More interestingly though is the complete acceptance that most players exhibit that guildleaders are extraordinary people who should have respect and be treated like they are high and mighty…… of course I´ve been trying to completely obliterate this rumor in our guild, since both me and the other guildleaders are very down to earthy people.

Another funny thing about this acceptance of authority is that people also very swiftly accept that the guild isn’t a real democracy. When one of the guild leaders makes a ruling, everyone follows it. Of course the system is set up so that the only other alternative is to leave the guild, but still, the acceptance often scares me a bit.

The whole experience has gotten me to thinking – are humans really so easy to “get in line”, or are we just hungering for authority figures? And is it only in MMO´s, or also in real life?

If you want to check out my guild you can find the website at http://www.domus-serpentis.com – and if you play Age of Conan on the Hyrkania server, you should definitely give me a yell

These last few weeks (or has it actually been two months?!) I´ve been spending a significant amount of time within the Age of Conan game. To those of you who don´t know what Age of Conan is – it’s a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.

Before its launch it was heralded as something that might beat World of Warcraft from its world leading position as the most played MMO – of course the heralding was mostly done by Funcom employees.

A lot of players started playing the game when it launched, and a lot of those people quickly left it again. The game has many faults, and bugs, and should probably have spent at least another year in development before being launched, but still, the game has gotten hold of some of us.

And the game, even though it has many faults, has ONE redeeming feature. A feature that makes me forget all the faults of the game, and laugh at World of Warcraft. What is the feature? It’s the user interface – more specifically, the combat system.

In most MMO’s the combat system consists either of you targeting your enemy, and then pressing your attack button once, or several times, until the enemy is dead. This sort of interface doesn´t provide much room for tactics, or game immersion, at least not compared to what Age of Conan is doing.

In Age of Conan you have several ways of doing “normal” attacks. You can swing your weapon to attack from the left, right, or top. You need to coordinate these so they fit with the defences of your enemies – and change your own defences according to the attacks being launched at you. This alone provides for a combat experience that´s a lot more engaging than just pressing one attack button and sitting around waiting….

On top of that you can then do “special moves”. These attacks do more damage, heal you, or help out your friends. To perform them you need to first activate them, and then do a series of “normal” attacks in the right order, to launch into your special move. The special moves can require you to do between 2 and 8 “right” attacks. It provides a lot more fun than just clicking one special move button…

But besides the blatant endorsement of Age of Conan, what is the point of my post here? (Oh, and by the way – unless you are a very patient person, you should wait with playing Age of Conan until a year or so has passed…it’s just to buggy at the moment). Well I want to point out the importance of Interface versus Immersion in games.

I can think of several interfaces that has completely ruined my “suspension of disbelief” in computer games. It was the prime reason why I didn´t play Deus Ex all the way through, it was the main reason why I hated Commander Keen, and the prime reason why I loved the Street Fighter games.

Having an engaging user interface is simply alpha and omega when designing a game. If it doesn’t engage your players and make them feel like they are actually IN the game – all your fancy artwork, voice acting, and music won´t matter.

So my point is this. Games are an INTERACTIVE media – if the player isn´t engaged, they might as well go watch a movie (which will probably have a better storyline than the game…)

I´m one of those people who preordered Age of Conan, and yesterday I was let into the MMO.

Of course there was a bunch of connectivity problems, and problems downloading the patch, but in the end I hooked up to the world.

I must say that this game really intrigues me! Besides from the obvious blood, gore, and naked people (yes you can take of your clothes in the game….), it also has a very nice feel to it.

You can play a variety of classes and “races”, but that isn´t really all that exciting.

What is exciting is the combat system!

Usually I play a mage type of character in RPG games – but not with this combat system!

Basically whenever you are in combat you need to decide from which side to swing your weapon, and need to change your strategy constantly depending on the defense of your opponent. Combine that with special combo-moves that make you push the buttons in a certain way to accomplish them, and you have a very engaging combat system!

My current verdict is….

If you played WoW and found the game a bit too cartoonish – play Age of Conan.

If you played MMO’s and found the combat to be very dull because you just needed to activate the “attack” function and then sit and wait – try out Age of Conan, it´s completely different.

So far I´m very impressed by the game!