Friday, July 17, 2015

News & Views
7/11/15-7/17/15

Hello everyone. It was a sad week in the gaming world, as we learned about the tragic passing of the brilliant, talented, passionate and impactful Satoru Iwada. He will be sorely missed. Check out the two spotlight articles this week, as they reflect on Iwada: his history, his accomplishments, and his legacy. Rest in peace.

I’ve also found a ton of great written pieces from around the world of gaming. From how hip hop can teach you to code, the horror of perception, and how video game foreplay strengthens romantic bonds, you’ll find a bit of everything this week. So sit down, open a few links, and give these articles some of your time! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

And, of course, please be sure to check out the brand new episode of The Impact Factor podcast that was posted today! You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or if you prefer other methods, check out our SoundCloud as well. We’re on YouTube too!

Spotlight
Dave Tach, Polygon

Christian Nutt, Gamasutra

Worth Reading
Luke Karmali, IGN

Alec Meer, Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Miellyn Fitzwater Barrows, Vice

Shareef Jackson, Offworld

Keith Stuart, The Guardian

With Comments
Fraser Brown, PCGamesN
Brown makes several good points about the current state of open world games. My recent experiences have often left me feeling overwhelmed. There’s just so damn much to do that I end up getting totally distracted. I get a little bit done on everything but no substantial progress made (except for the main story). A recent release, Batman Arkham Knight, does a great job mitigating some of these issues. Devs, take note.

Susana Polo, Polygon
Movie studios need to get with the times. Polo argues, as has been argued for the past several years, that con exclusive trailers do no one any good. Seriously. They always get leaked. I’m not even sure what gating off these trailers accomplishes. People will still attend comic con. I promise you. Movies could take some inspiration from video games and live stream these panels. Viewership would be huge.

Jody Macgregor, PC Gamer
If there’s one thing that irks me about people who write off Telltale games, it’s this. The decisions you make in game aren’t supposed to radically change the flow of the plot—that’s never been the point. The decisions you make help you gain a bond with the characters you control, allowing you to perceive and react to the story on a personal level. I love me some Telltale games—Game of Thrones episode 5 out next Tuesday! Whoo!

Reid McCarter, Kill Screen
As a huge fan of the horror genre, I really appreciate when games / movies / literature can create a terrifying world, not just terrifying monsters or jump scares. Imagination has always been the scariest thing out there. Hearing that SOMA taps into this primal fear, in which the game ‘undermin[es] the trust we place in our ability to accurately perceive the world around us’ sounds rad. The E3 demo already looked great, so I’m 100% on board.

Zach Budgor, Kill Screen
It Follows is probably the second best movie I’ve seen all year. I love horror (see above). But perhaps one of the most effective aspects of the movie was the chilling, mood-setting and thematic soundtrack. Disasterpiece killed it. I still listen to it while working in lab, haha. Budgor has a great interview with Disasterpiece over at Kill Screen.

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