I have the utmost respect for game developers. They work so hard to craft the fantastic experiences that we all enjoy. The art of making games, to use some of Queen’s lyrics, “It’s a kind of magic.” According to Gearbox Software co-founder Randy Pitchford (Borderlands), game making and magic have a lot in common. The former professional magician (as opposed to the amateurs that cast spells in the Olympics) told Gamasutra:
A magician can create wonder by creating a set of logic, and then proving that the logic is impossible and false. Now if I repeat the same trick over and over again, as long as it’s still surprising, it’s fine. I’ve got you. But as soon as you start understanding how the trick works, you get bored and you lose interest. So, I’ve got to create a new trick. I’ve got to hit you with new magic.
I’ve always pegged Pitchford as some sort of sorcerer. I’m pretty sure he just admitted it in the quote above. I wonder what house he belonged to. Gryffindor? Hufflepuff maybe?
A magician does it all with smoke and mirrors. I give game designers more credit. We;;, most of them anyway. Whomever designed that dreck that was Too Worlds didn't even have the luxury of a smoke machine or reflective glass…..
And Slytherin FTW!
On the topic of Borderlands, as much as this game interests me, I'm going to have to pass for right now. I just picked up my copy of Brutal Legend and will have my review up on my site later this week (cheap plug). I also have preorders in for FIFA 10, & Assassin's Creed 2 (both of which I drew the reviews on) as well as Dragon Age: Origins, which I will thankfully be able to enjoy without the specter of a prompt review hanging over me (Yay!) So my Oct-Nov gaming schedule is pretty booked.
And yes, I'm an insomniac and apparently I also enjoy talking to myself at this late hour….
No way dude, Ravenclaw 4 life!!! I actually have a Ravenclaw scarf. Ha!
I used to have a Slytherin t-shirt, which my lovely wife's cooking has helped me outgrow….. While working at Waldenbooks, I wore it the day the last Harry Potter book came out. I had little kids, and some fellow employees running away from me all day long because I was "evil."