Games People Play

[Clinamenic]

Oh yeah I forgot about stuff like that, straight up exiting the developed world.

Some games, like Halo 3, developed a subtle rapport with players who poked around the edges like that, hiding easter eggs for them. Certain ones you could only get if you played in ways that made no sense given the circumstances of the game, performed otherwise incongruous actions in order to land on a ledge that happened to lead to a cave, etc.

Halo had hidden skulls in the remotest crannies of the game, and you could pick up the skulls and each one unlocked a new difficulty parameter which you could toggle on to make the game harder.

The elastic corpse glitches are priceless sometimes:

 

[Clinamenic]

But one of the things I enjoy about some of these games, is that every once in a while, another random player will do you solid, which can have a surprisingly touching effect. A sort of game-theoretic miracle.

 

[Clinamenic]

for example - Fallout - new Las Vegas trashed in 10 minutes

This is especially funny because these games are designed to be played for hundreds of hours.

 

[version]

But one of the things I enjoy about some of these games, is that every once in a while, another random player will do you solid, which can have a surprisingly touching effect. A sort of game-theoretic miracle.

That was part of the idea behind Death Stranding, wasn't it? Players building bridges and stuff for each other to use.

 

[Clinamenic]

That was part of the idea behind Death Stranding, wasn't it? Players building bridges and stuff for each other to use.

Yeah it definitely comes through in Death Stranding, which worked also as a quarantine socialization. Communication between people who were each confined in their own world.

Thats an especially friendly game, socially. You can leave little placemarker emoticons signaling encouragement or warning of danger ahead, etc.

 

[Clinamenic]

But Death Stranding also strikes me as a game made for a more mature audience. Games like Call of Duty I'd imagine would have more toxic communities, with mature players as the exception.

 

[Clinamenic]

Along the lines of corpse stretch, this one's good, from Fallout 76

 

[line b]

@Clinamenic - I'd be interested in your thoughts on 'speed running' - personally I'm fascinated by the rejection of what the developers imagined - I find it hilarious to watch videos of speed runs viewed by the programmers of the game in question and their reactions as their years of effort to create an 'experience' are just tossed aside as the runner exploits the glitches and bugs in the program to skip over huge portions of the levels, jumping over the triggers to avoid the boss fights, consigning the 'story' to oblivion as they rush to complete the game in the shortest time possible - are these techniques that can be applied to IRL?

You familiar with super smash melee?

 

[william_kent]

You familiar with super smash melee?

I'm afraid not, I'm a SNES Super Mario World guy tbh

 

[line b]

I'm afraid not, I'm a SNES Super Mario World guy tbh

I bring it up re: your first post about rejection of the what the developers imagined. It's a kids game from 2001 that still has an extremely popular competitive scene, so much so that people make a living doing it. What players found out is the game has a huge amount of functional glitches that give the game an extremely high skill ceiling. Theres a massive list of all these game exploits here https://www.ssbwiki.com/Advanced_technique#List_of_character-specific_advanced_techniques

The game is one of the more popular e-sports but cant get any mainstream sponsored platforming because Nintendo will sue as they aren't playing the game the way it was intended.

 

[Clinamenic]

Smash Bros is a special franchise, although I was never good at it. Played the one before melee a couple times, Melee a bunch (a Mr Game'n'Watch player), and Brawl (I liked the story mode). Haven't played the most recent one.

 

[william_kent]

I bring it up re: your first post about rejection of the what the developers imagined. It's a kids game from 2001 that still has an extremely popular competitive scene, so much so that people make a living doing it. What players found out is the game has a huge amount of functional glitches that give the game an extremely high skill ceiling. Theres a massive list of all these exploits game here https://www.ssbwiki.com/Advanced_technique#List_of_character-specific_advanced_techniques

The game is one of the more popular e-sports but cant get any mainstream sponsored platforming because Nintendo will sue as they aren't playing the game the way it was intended.

Yeah, I was trying to make the point that speed running plays by its own rules, ignoring the ones set out by the manufacturers

again, if I use a martial arts analogy - "don't play their game, play yours"

 

[sus]

Gamification

A word we see increasingly often. Expect it to be linked with social credit systems. Expect it to be tied with performance targets at your workplace. Expect it to be increasingly unavoidable.

www.dissensus.com

 

[sus]

Rich is right also in that part of playing the forum game properly is accepting that it is a team sport and getting it to work, winning, is about collaboration basically

 

[sus]

I have assembled a list of game metaphors for everyday life

deck stacked, put the fix in, knowing "the deal," rat race, big league, only game in town, luck of the draw, roll of the dice, sitting on the bench, in your wheelhouse, take your shot, folding, put all your chips in, go bust, showing your hand, under the wire, down to the wire, checkmate, stalemate, ball's in your court, full-court press, playoffs, down for the count, hail mary, "put me in coach," slam dunk, dropped ball, "it's a layup," running point, winning hands down, quarterbacking, running interference, "photo-finish", "glassjaw", "grand slam", "bunt", "punt", "go for broke," "swing for the fences," raise the stakes, got played, it's a marathon not a sprint, play defense, armchair quarterback, eye on the prize, sticky wicket, stay the course, knuckle down, take a mulligan, skin in the game, endgame, see the whole board, hurdles, no holds barred, forced move, off to the races, team player, take one for the team, wildcard, struck out, hustler, run out the clock, score (v.), keep score, own goal, poker face, on the ropes, play dice (e.g., god does not), count your chips, heavy hitter, call it a draw, game day, play the field, dealing from the bottom of the deck, pinch hitter, don't count me out, touchdown, out of bounds, opening move, guessing game, pissing contest, good sport, musical chairs, head in the game, close call, blind-sided, fumble, game plan, home run, loaded based, 1st/2nd/3rd base, "in a league of his own," bush league, off-base, playing hardball, , rain check, off-the-bat, stepping up to the plate, 3 strikes, "touch base," home court advantage, beaten to the punch, [punching] below the belt, blow-by-blow account, down but not out, low blow, rolling with punches, saved by the bell, sucker punch, gloves off, below par, hole in one, par for course, giving someone a run for their money, horses chomping at the bit, neck'n'neck, pitstop, bullseye, kick-off, level playing field, game-set-match, all bets are off, break the bank, call a spade a spade, have an ace up your sleeve, "a lot is riding on this," run the table, tip your hand, when the chips are down, a "foul", making do with the cards you're dealt, the economy's a casino, limit vs no-limit poker, "raise" someone, the flop, shuffling, royal flush, weak/strong hand, "play your cards right," "play the cards you're dealt," dark horse, tilted, "play the player, not the cards," "hit me," ace, deuces, "all bets are off," house rules, anybody's ballgame, hit the jackpot, "in the cards," luck of the draw, no dice, play the percentages, sweeten the pot, cards are stacked, throw the game, up the ante

 

[sus]

If you have more please contribute.

 

[luka]

youve got sticky wicket but not good innings, another cricket one, otherwise great job

 

[luka]

good innings often used when you die aged eg 89

 

[sus]

I'll have to use some of these in my upcoming Barry Lyndon entries...

 

[william_kent]

If you have more please contribute.

As a resident of Wisconsin I'm surprised you didn't have "level up", originated in Lake Geneva, birthplace of Dungeons & Dragons, currently being used by the UK government to hype whatever policy they have