Take a chance on your art

Every artist, musician, writer, creator was inspired as some point by someone else. Did you ever stop to think that sometimes the "pros" are inspired by the "amateurs"

When designing the new title logo for the new season of Doctor Who, the producers at the BBC came across a fan-made title sequence they like so much they based theirs on that one.

Here's the fan version that they adapted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXOBHnWiinY

Compare it to the one in use and you'll see very little was changed.

So if you've got a creative impulse, go online and show your work! People might hate it, they might ignore it, or they might love it!

You never know until you risk the critics in search of your own fans

Indie-ana Jones and the Crowdfunding of Projects

We've all heard the expression 'Vote with your Dollars'. We're told time and again that if you don't like the Movies/Music/Games that Hollywood/Nashville/Silicon Valley put out then either make your own or shut up.  Well, thanks to Crowdfunding consumers and fans can now help get projects that deserve support off the ground without having to rely on having broad enough appeal to get traditional production support

Here's a example of the power of people getting projects to go forward. 'Hullabaloo' is an animation project by a former Disney animator that blew well past it's funding goal in a very short period thanks to social media.

http://io9.com/hullabaloo-is-the-disney-steampunk-animated-movie-of-ou-1631222798

Take a peak around on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo and see some the awesome video game, movie, and artistic projects just waiting for a few dollars to get them off and running!

~Mutz

Eye Candy

As a child of the 70's and 80's I was around for the first generation of 'electronic' games that are laughably primitive and unappealing by the standards of today. So what was it that really inspired us buy and play them? 

I believe it wasn't just the novelty of the new experience (PacMan in our living rooms with no quarters- totally awesome!) but rather it was the artwork. Not the graphics of the game itself but rather the posters and box art that made us part with our allowance. Advertisements promised adventure beyond our imaginations for only $15.95!

Now you're probably thinking "Thanks Gramps, did you walk uphill to school both ways too?" but that point I'm trying to make here is that good games require good art! The visual design of a games is often central to games success. My generation watched year after year games became more and more awe-inspiring in their graphics.

Games can be almost photo-realistic to downright absurd in design but the single thread remains: if it's ugly, nobody wants to play it.

Think about it- what games to you enjoy playing that are just fun to look at too? The dreamy quality of 'Trine'? The cartoon fun of 'Psychonauts'? The gritty realism of 'Last of Us'?

PS- keep an eye on this blog and our FB page to see concept art of 'Of Mages and Pages'

~Mutz

Go outside/inside and play!

It's summer time and parents everywhere are directing their kids to turn off their consoles, drop the controllers, and head outside to get some fresh air, sunshine, sunburns, cuts/scrapes, and bug bites.

But what if you kid wants to stay indoors and play video games*? 

There's a lot of pressure on parents to treat video games a unhealthy pastimes that rot the brain and the body. As a viral post went around social media recently said "Kids need less Xboxes and more tackle boxes!". Public Service Announcements blame too much screen time for a host of social ills and medical journals now say  and sitting too long is almost as bad a smoking.

So what's a parent to do?

Simple- Get the kids up an moving! Help them learn that while the fantastical worlds that games transport us to are nice, we have to live in this one which can also be filled with wonder and excitement. Exercise and movement are essential for healthy development.

BUT... (there's always a but)

Don't forget that an healthy imagination, problem solving, and abstract thinking can all be improved when kids spend time with quality games. A healthy body needs a healthy brain too, and good quality video games that challenge the mind (puzzles, mysteries, stories, adventure) can promote that.

*I hear there's a new on coming for the Wii U that's quite fun

 

~Mutz

Cult Games (Part Deux)

So what makes a game a 'cult classic'?
 

One of the most basic of these elements is an ability to relate to the hero(ine). This can be as simple as the character you’re playing is funny and likable (an plumber in red overalls) or as complex as it becoming an extension of yourself (a silent scientist in a hazmat suit). You care about the character and what succeed along with them.

 

The second element is they have to do something and it has to matter enough to motivate your character, and you to keep playing. Hack up robots with a lasersword- yawn. Hack up robots with your lightsaber as you learn the ways of the Force and save the galaxy- now we’re talking! Action goes part of the way, but having to reason to act takes it further.

The third element in conflict or challenge; something or someone the hero has to overcome to achieve their goal. This often involves great risk to your character, up to and including ‘death’.  Sometimes the obstacle is a benign as naughty green pigs trying to steal your eggs or as dangerous an evil AI that promises you cake while trying inventing new more deadly traps for you to overcome. Anything worth doing is work taking a risk for; thankfully in video games you get multiple chances. ;)

Unlike other mediums of storytelling video games have the ability to make you an active, not passive, part of the experience.

Just like this guy:

 

~Mutz

Cult Games

It’s said that video games are going to surpass other methods of mass entertainment in the early 21^st century. So will video games ever become as common an experience as listening to the radio, watching TV, or going to the movies?  Chances are good as more designers understand that story-driven games are a prime motivator, not just an afterthought.

Think of some of best games you’ve ever played- did they have characters, places, and plots you could relate to?  More than likely that’s the case. Getting people to play a game is easy, make it accessible to them. Getting people to keep playing over and over and want more after they’re done takes the elements of storytelling that best-sellers and cult favorites are known for.

What are some of your favorite cult games, and what is it about them that keeps you coming back?

~Mutz