MaximumMadness

There's been a ton of talk around virtual convention start-ups and software, but part of me worries what's going to happen to traditional "cons" like BlizzCon.

Much of the innovation is around business/networking, with the exception of organized Discord activities (which dont scale well), its tough for me to imagine an alternative to attending a BlizzCon or PAX in person.

Hey all - I'm Max, one of the co-editors of The Pause Button, a publication all about video games.

I wanted to share one of our recent contributor posts that I thought you'd all enjoy. If you have any recommendations for good gaming content to check out, are interested in writing for our publication, or just want to chat - feel free to commment here or email me at max@pausebutton.news

One of many[0] reasons Fallout 76 was bad.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjyeCdd-dl8

What role do you see fear playing in NPCs via video games? Outside of the occasional "scream" or "run away" I can't think of a time where I've seen fear utilized deeply via gaming NPCs

As a primarily single-player gamer, I totally agree. The varied impact NPCs can have on a game is awesome, an example off the top of my head that I enjoy - Skyrim.

There are hours of entertaining content [0] just based on some of the weird quirky behaviors of NPCs in that game.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzxv-MKtXZc

I'm skeptical of the results here - given that the data is pulled from Blind, an app that has an inherent negative spin and is primarily populated by dissatisfied consumers. Detractors are louder than advocates.

Apologies - I linked the wrong article, take a look at this survey[0] where laid-off game devs can submit their work after being laid off for COVID-related reasons

[0]https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1LiVnFpmDK29UV9xj...

Can you elaborate a bit more? Haven't seen much besides how poorly they treated their employees when this all got started, but that's par for the course with Gamestop.

Unfortunately, I'd expect this to slow down :( Tons of companies have announced delays due to Work from Home conditions, and with E3 cancelled developers aren't under as much pressure to rush out announcements and release dates

It's not just game sales - traffic on gaming-related services like Discord, Twitch, Mixer, and others have hit historic highs [0]

The industry isn't recession-proof though. A lot of folks I know on the events, marketing, and game dev side have been losing jobs at an absurd pace.[1] It's one of the clearest examples of a double-edged sword that I've seen

[0]https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/twitch-di... [1] https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132294/game_developer...

Does anyone have thoughts on why they included r/Fortnite in the initial beta?

My best guess is that it sees such high traffic & is populated with non-crypto focused Reddit users. Let's the company get a big dataset with a group of consumers who aren't predisposed to Crypto.

I reached out to Reddit for comment but they just gave me a classic canned response.

This must have been a QA nightmare when it originally launched

I haven't read the extended edition, but anyway you can get this manga in your hands without breaking the bank is worth it. I had to find my copy at a second hand book store.

I keep a copy of Jiro Taniguchi's The Walking Man [0] in my room at all times. It's about slowing down and appreciating the small things in life: the birds, the water, the leaves, the weather.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Man-Jiro-Taniguchi/dp/8493340...

This reminds me of BBC's article[0] last month focusing on games as a form of mediation. For many of us, gaming is an effective social platform and escape tool during quarantine, but games have rarely been built with mindfulness at the center from day one. Hopefully, we can get more titles in the genre.

[0]http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20200409-how-gaming-became-...

One of the most interesting parts of this is the story behind Nintendo's use of friend codes rather than Gamertags.

There was a presentation [0] leaked that outlined that usernames "weren't simple enough". It's a great look into Nintendo's Wi-Fi Strategy

[0] https://www.docdroid.net/Qr3JNsl/wi-fi-concept-pdf#page=11

Really enjoyed this - thank you for sharing

You're not wrong - Kojima games are just as much film as they are video game.

But as someone who is inherently drawn to over the top narrative-based games (see Persona 5, FF7, Detroit: Become Human etc.) I can't help but feel like his style of gaming is the future of narrative single-player experiences.

The fallout between Kojima & Konami is definitely an interesting story.

In the end, it would have been in Konami's best interest to retain him and let him do what he wanted, rather than pump him for more money via MGS. The man gets eyeballs (and dollars) on whatever he makes, you think Konami would recognize that.

To me, Kojima is one of the clearest examples of how games are different than every other visual medium.

The man is a mix of Steve Jobs, David Lynch, and Jackson Pollock all in one.

Appreciate the feedback - I use Airtable to organize a lot of my own information, so I figured it'd be useful for sharing articles as well. Unfortunately, it's not the best medium for mobile.

I haven't read this one - this is awesome. It's a great series, I love the one on Crash Bandicoot.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/02/war-stories-how-crash...

Hey everyone - I'm coming up on a year of writing a weekly newsletter about the video game industry.

I must have read at least a couple hundred articles over the last year, and there's definitely a few that have stuck out to me. I compiled the ones I enjoyed the most (or wrote myself) and gathered them in this handy airtable.

Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter if you're so inclined to stay up to date on more content in the future: www.pausebutton.news

No problem - figured after writing about games for a year it was time to spread the love!

Personally, starting a newsletter/blog has been one of the most valuable personal development experiences I've ever had. It's allowed me to:

- Meet tons of smart and friendly experts in a field I might want to work in some day

- Gain a deeper understanding of what consistency and quality look like

- Take my interest in my topic of choice (in my case, video games) to a whole new level

The only drawback I can think of is the scope of it all. There's always so much good content to write about, prioritizing and weighing personal vs public interest isn't an easy task.

Getting distracted has been a big problem for me thus far. I feel like the lack of social pressure from co-workers has been scrolling on my phone more often.

"So one of our big keys to success was that we were very open. There's a big world out there for other people to come and join us."

This, to me, is what separates Woz from Jobs. One of my many qualms with Apple is their ability to create industry-defining technologies, and give little back in return. I'm all for businesses profiting, but imagine all the good Apple could do if it still maintained this mantra today.

I'd echo this. I've worked with Cyrus previously and he's one of the most effective engineers I've ever partnered with. Great team behind this!

I can't help but disagree here. Hand movements and interactions with the world of VR today are like having cinderblocks for hands. The nuanced control that this is going give will be huge IMO

Looks like this game's focus is going to be on the player, rather than the game world itself.

Where HL1/2 were focused on making the objects, enemies, and places you interacted with feel like real life. HL:A will be focused on the character you control, giving you complete autonomy with finger capture and motion control.

Valve is pushing forward gaming with Half Life once again