GreatBritishProducer

It's like being asked if you could come back for a SECOND punch in the face...

Where have I been? Its very un-British to leave my post ... really, I thought we pillaged the world over so I am within my right to ignore the many in favour of the few ... am I not?

I digress, and thanks to Katie for the comment ... I may be have found a muse.

The industry, its been... how can I say it? Whining! PS3 vs. Wii vs. Xbox360 - Can't we just all get along? E3 reduction ... its a good thing, trust me!? PREY, yes, it wasn't worth the wait. The Chinese Connection ... well, what did you expect? Sony HUB features revealed ... cool, hmm, defining, maybe? Driver sold. Indeed, only the French could re-invigorate such a lost cause. Lots of release info, something about Ubisoft, about Fifa, about Sonic, Call of Duty # and Gears of War ... *cough*. And the best thing was this:

http://www.indigopearl.com/ - okay so not the link but the 'about us' section ... poetry!

Historically speaking, it went something like this...

Nothing... Large bang... Fire... Mud soup... Fish... Reptiles... Reptiles with big teeth... Smaller bang... Bloody cold... People... Lots of wars... Oil... More wars... Electricity... Sony... Computers... Bill Gates... Games... and then came Indigo Pearl.

So you see, since the dawn of fun Indigo Pearl has been synonymous with the games, technology, and mobile entertainment industries. We'd like to say we had a choice, but frankly, we're so damn good at what we do it would've been madness to have done anything else. Here's a couple of examples...

The incident with Tony Blair...
It was a bright and sunny day down on the seafront in Bournemouth. Seagulls gently circled overhead accompanied by a squadron of Police helicopters. Prize flowerbeds bloomed with a magnificent collection of colours and aromas amongst the fluorescent bollards. The normally bustling pavements and pier were abnormally quiet that morning. No buckets and spades, only truncheons and handcuffs, which meant the Tory Conference was in town and a truly splendid opportunity to get a product into the papers with a Tony Blair look-alike antagonizing the attendees.

The dog incident
It's a well known fact that a dog is man's best friend. They're loyal, obedient, attentive, and perfect for advertising on. Of course, most dogs have a basic aversion to being shaved and spray painted with a game logo, but with the right mix of tasty treats and paint thinners you've got yourself a frisky, bouncing, barking billboard - much to the delight of the tabloids (and Radio Tokyo, which called for an interview).

Sony ad provokes race accusations from Guardian Unlimited: Gamesblog

Link: Sony ad provokes race accusations from Guardian Unlimited: Gamesblog.

It is important that you review the Kotaku comment(http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/racism/counterpoint-sony-ad-not-racist-185148.phpcomment) on the ad. I am surprised at the Guardian twisting the post to incite comment and debate. I have excluded images out of choice.

The only comment I wish to add is that many people will not view the campaign as a whole and without this the images are explicit in their provocation. Many will see the images in isolation, and if viewed in isolation the assertion toward racism in amplified.

As for TBWA - I do not concur with their use of disruptive advertising in this context; maybe any context. Their methodology is a disclaimer for their ideas, if and when their ideas create social disruption, whose consequences victimised individuals and groups alike, (such as teachers) have to deal with. 

The advertisements clearly lack the sophistication of those created with Benetton.

Red vs. Blue vs. GreatBritishProducer

Yes, Red vs. Blue is an American production but even as a stalwart Brit I do admire their execution. If you want more details then try the links.

Red vs. Blue is situated in the Halo universe. An understanding of the Universe can help but is not essential to understanding the commentary portrayed in their dialogue. The films are classed in the field of Machinima and are becoming available on the Xbox360. The wikipedia link will provide an extensive summary of this and Machinima.

Red vs. Blue is certain to become a milestone in social history. Make a conscious effort to view the 'Full Circle' download on Xbox Marketplace; it is classic Red vs. Blue humour.

The state of videogame writing. And meaning. from Guardian Unlimited.

I liked this reply ... nice to see the debate being picke up by the like of esquire.

Link: The state of videogame writing. And meaning. from Guardian Unlimited: Gamesblog.

The lack of quality criticism in the world of games is due to the usual hangups about appearing to over-intellectualise a new media in front of the old guard. Let's face it, writing a serious essay on the post modern themes of MGS, or the complex blend of fabula and syuzhet in a final fantasy, will draw you weapons grade criticism before your work is even read. Really ambitious writers dont want to touch a cultural ghetto like games while their peers, mentors, and potential employers, think the whole phenomena is just a noisome offshoot of the toy industry. If it's going to get any better, games writing must begin to transcend the review as consumer testing and advice model, and take on the big issues that all other art criticism embraces. But it won't be easy... just to show how far we have to go, look at the total column inches afforded games in the printed Guardian the last two weeks. Compare it with the space allocated to cinema alone. Or theatre. Or opera. Or contempory dance. Perhaps the Guardian of all british media should be the first to take it more seriously? Posted by M33nan on June 20, 2006 10:28 AM.

Game Matters Response

I'm not getting the time I want to be as active on the blog, but I still find time to browse forums and occasionally post; here is my latest in respone to Scott Miller on downloadable content and pre-owned games:

I don't know how US law stacks up, but this is a decent article for the European perspective.

I'm a developer and a gamer; my opinion is that resale should stay. I'm afraid your comments sound like the familar script, Scott. Its a script that doesn't quite stand up to scrutiny.

Take the pricepoint issue: Xbox360 games sell at £49.99 ... thats $92 dollars at current exchange rates. Consider than on average Xbox360 games are being developed for £5 million to £10 million; now consider that key titles for Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2 and Xbox were developed for between £2 million and £8 million but sold at £35.99. How can the industry justify costing £15.00 more for a 360 game created with the same team size and in the same development time? Something is awry.

What about the book anology? Well, books are a fixed format ... paper and ink. Videogames however have no such plateu in sight. The five year console cycle is what hurts the industry. The five year cycle is what stunts creativity as we attempt to grasp the technology and what it can offer; and when we do, it moves. Game Design has failed to mature becuase of the agressive attitude toward new hardware that a consumer neither demands or needs. While PC's delivered beautifully realised environments, the PS2, with its inferior graphics laid waste to the PC market. The PS2 was also one of the most innovative carriers of content.

Lost revenue: Look at the facts of the story and its the publishers who rallied the cry. Its their bottom line that is hurt. Developers already suffer at the hands of the publisher. The resell market is a scapegoat for a lack of strategic planning and greed. The publisher continues to establish ridiculous recoupment clauses in contract which sees them turn profit long before the developer. The publisher has consistently fails to do its homework and invests in market saturation, why? Greed. They want a slice and will invest in inferior product which fails to establish an IP. An IP they own, why? Greed. The publishers consent to release products in two key windows > November through December and March through to May. Products get lost; marketing spend gets contralised and tens of games fail to make a profit. What digital distribution allows is a developer to become a quasi publisher. You also lose brand presence with Digital Distribution is among one of the highest consumers of video games ... parents.

And to messsage to gamers that they are the 'real' losers is wh nothing more than patronising. Consumers are aware; they want quality product at a reasonable price. They want flexibility at retail; hence the download market co-existing with the retail market and hence the demand for pre-owned games.
As developers, our core responsibility is to deliver an experience a consumer would not want to relinquish ; like the books you move house with, the films you re-buy on DVD. We clearly need to make better games more consistently than we are now.

UK/Irish Charts: WE June 10th 2006

Thanks to ChartTrack

TOP 10 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE (ALL PRICES), WEEK ENDING 3 June 2006

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
2		1			HITMAN: BLOOD MONEY	IO INTERACTIVE	EIDOS	EIDOS
1		2			FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY 2006	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
3		3			PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 5	KONAMI CORPORATION	PLATINUM	KONAMI
4		4			TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND	CRYSTAL DYNAMICS	EIDOS	EIDOS
5		5			THE SIMS 2	MAXIS	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
-		6			HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE ONE	VALVE	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
7		7			FIFA STREET 2	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
8		8			X-MEN: THE OFFICIAL GAME	Z-AXIS	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION
10		9			LEGO STAR WARS	TRAVELLER'S TALES	PLATINUM	TT GAMES
6		10			BUZZ! THE BIG QUIZ	RELENTLESS STUDIOS	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.

TOP 10 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE (ALL PRICES), WEEK ENDING 10 June 2006

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
2		1			FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY 2006	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
1		2			HITMAN: BLOOD MONEY	IO INTERACTIVE	EIDOS	EIDOS
3		3			TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND	BUZZ MONKEY	EIDOS	EIDOS
-		4			MOTO GP 06	CLIMAX	THQ	THQ
4		5			PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 5	KONAMI CORPORATION	PLATINUM	KONAMI
-		6			DR KAWASHIMA'S BRAIN TRAINING	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
-		7			SENSIBLE SOCCER 2006	KUJU ENTERTAINMENT	CODEMASTERS	CODEMASTERS
8		8			HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE ONE	VALVE	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
6		9			ANIMAL CROSSING: WILD WORLD	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
5		10			X-MEN: THE OFFICIAL GAME	Z-AXIS	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION

The Bill of wrong's

Watching 'The Bill' on June 7^th, 2006, I was appalled to hear characters accusingly reference video games for the behaviour of a teenager who shot his friend with his friends, dad's gun.

From memory, the video game reference was spoken by a Police Officer and the boy who was shot. The context in which the reference was used was suggestive of his current behaviour – he had earlier shot his friend and presently he was holding a Police Officer hostage. The fictional game was called 'The Executioner'.

I'm not sure what I'm more surprised by; The Bill for being irresponsible for perpetuating what is no more than scaremongering of a new medium or OFCOM for not recognising this would offend those people who work in the video game business and highlight mere ignorance for the medium of video games. 

The bill is a show that reaches over 4 million viewers on a regular basis. There was no evidence in the episode of a balanced view of video games. Video games were represented as the trigger on the gun. The references were almost subliminal, suggestive, so placed within a sentence to be disguised by the surrounding words but clearly structured their to affect the populous. 

Look at the title of the game. As a gamer, I would expect a game with this title to be an 18 certificate. At no point in the storyline did any character attempt a counter argument.

It boils down to one fact; the game product continue to be targeted and blamed for some modern social ills. This is not unique, the gun or the knife is also blamed but there is minimal discussion on the distribution and control of these products. The complexity with games is that they are referenced as a catalyst for use of weapons and violence. This reference is aimed at game creators and not at publishers, distributors, retailers or guardians.

- Why is this not clear?
- Why is this obvious to industry insiders and no-one else?
- What is ELSPA and IGDA really doing about it?

For all the press GTA can receive for its negative traits I see very little but reactive comments from the bodies that are supposed to support us.

UK Charts: WE May 27th 2006

Below the Uk Charts, you will also discover the Irish Charts, this will become a regular addition to the site.

Thanks to ChartTrack

 TOP 10 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE (ALL PRICES) - UK

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
-		1			HITMAN: BLOOD MONEY	IO INTERACTIVE	EIDOS	EIDOS
1		2			FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY 2006	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
2		3			PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 5	KONAMI CORPORATION	PLATINUM	KONAMI
-		4			ROCKSTAR GAMES PRESENTS TABLE TENNIS	ROCKSTAR SAN DIEGO	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
3		5			TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND	CRYSTAL DYNAMICS	EIDOS	EIDOS
6		6			X-MEN: THE OFFICIAL GAME	Z-AXIS	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION
4		7			ANIMAL CROSSING: WILD WORLD	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
12		8			THE DA VINCI CODE	THE COLLECTIVE	2K GAMES	TAKE 2
5		9			CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER 2006	GUSTO GAMES	EIDOS	EIDOS
8		10			THE SIMS 2	MAXIS	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS

TOP 10 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE (ALL PRICES) - Irish

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
1		1			FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY 2006	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
-		2			HITMAN: BLOOD MONEY	IO INTERACTIVE	EIDOS	EIDOS
2		3			PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 5	KONAMI CORPORATION	PLATINUM	KONAMI
6		4			TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND	CRYSTAL DYNAMICS	EIDOS	EIDOS
7		5			THE SIMS 2	MAXIS	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
4		6			BUZZ! THE BIG QUIZ	RELENTLESS STUDIOS	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
3		7			FIFA STREET 2	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
-		8			X-MEN: THE OFFICIAL GAME	Z-AXIS	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION
5		9			THE GODFATHER	EA REDWOOD SHORES	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
-		10			LEGO STAR WARS	TRAVELLER'S TALES	PLATINUM	TT GAMES

Industry Warning

Occasionally, I bookmark a page, forget about it and by the time I link on it I discover its in the past. Non-the-less, with the current climate of news lacking inspiration, this blog entry lit the bulb.

The fact is, the enquirer does not know what its talking about, neither to the people commenting on the blog. Davidicus on the one hand, appears informed at some level.

The fact is, the industry in doing very well. The problem lies with the business model between publisher and developer; the relationship between publisher and  developer and the professionalism of development. When referring to professionalism, I'm basing the reference on 7 years experience within a publisher and within a development house.

The Business Model
Dated and inflexible. It can take between 3 and 9 months to court publishers; during this time a project is often self funded. When a contract is signed, it is commonly signed as a prototype only. This is regularly contracted at 6 months. Based on the demands and dependent on professionalism, this code produced is often a hack that will be re-written. This is something the publisher is unaware of. After six months of a publishers support, a project can be rejected. Lesser developers perceive his as an issue with the game concept and seek to re-develop ... not he most intelligent course of action!

The Relationship
It becomes clear that from the outset, based on the previous model, but not exclusive, the relationship is flawed. The developer promises delivery at the expense of quality, cost or time; the magic development triangle. What point chosen depends on the developers demands or more accurately, confidence. The developer will hide methods, protecting what is actually required to make the game. The publisher commonly remains ignorant to the reality, often because they are over committed to multiple projects. The process is often based on subversion and coercion,

Development Professionalism
Speaking of British developers, they lack professional aptitude on the whole, compared to American counterparts. In evidence is its lack of management and strategic planning. For a nation who combated several wars based on intelligence and foresight, this knowledge has failed to extend into business. Its been fashionable almost for several British developers to be absorbed by American publishers. Is this a co-incidence?

Clearly the industry is not about to crash, but internally there is crisis at various levels. Developers need to look beyond games to elevate their skill set across all areas. Developers need to reflect on the development model and force change. Developers need to recognise what they have and consider diversity in their own business model. Developers must expose development to publishers. Publishers ... they are in the envious position of of one who does not need to act unless there is no option. However, publishers must assess their resources to support development. Publishers should communicate to develop a level on standardisation for assessing and accepting products pitched by developers. Publishers need to recognise in-house marketing is no longer efficient or viable to capture a modern consumer.   

It has been six months since the original post; there is no sign of a crash, but a change is going to com; when I'd argue its up to the developers.

Raph’s Website � The journey is the reward is a f—–g lie

Link: Raph’s Website � The journey is the reward is a f—–g lie.

I've posted a comment on what could be an interesting discussion, specifically since the advent of Xbox 360 Achievements.