Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The New Auteurs
When Apple announced plans for the release of their upcoming foray into the world of tablet computers with the iPad, most seemed skeptical or downright negative towards it.
The majority of criticism appears to stem from its similarities to the iPhone and iPod Touch, leading some to call it simply an oversized version of such products. But not everyone agrees.
“A lot of people are quick to criticize that it's 'just a big iPod Touch,'” said University of Oklahoma Computer Science Junior Matt Hogan. “But a bigger screen means so much more.”
But Hogan sees the invention as revolutionary not for its status as a tablet PC but rather its potential as a gaming console.
“More so than the iPod Touch and iPhone, I think the iPad could lead to some really revolutionary games,” Hogan said. “Now, game developers can create games that put more than a single person on the device.”
“Things like board games, tabletop games like air hockey, and many other new multiplayer games that haven't been made yet can shine on the iPad,” said Hogan.
But Hogan is not the average consumer or user of a product like the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Instead, he belongs to relatively new group of independent video game developers.
The importance of Apple products like the iPhone or the upcoming iPad to such developers is the importance of independent development avenues like the App Store for publishing and distributing their work.
For Hogan, the independent game developer is an artist of sorts. “An independent game developer,” said Hogan, “in my opinion, is a person that wants to make games because it's their passion.”
“Indie game companies typically consist of a very small group of people,” said Hogan, “usually a few artists and a few programmers.” Of course, such artists might not find mainstream commercial work.
"Companies made up of indie game developers make games, particularly games that the big publishing companies like EA, Activision, etc., might consider too risky to spend a lot of effort on," Hogan added.
Similar to the big boom of independent filmmaking that rose 15 to 20 years ago with filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Hogan belongs to a class of amateur developers working outside major video game studios and developers to get their work published.
Similar to independent filmmakers, independent video game developers even have festivals in which submitted work can be showcased. If that sounds a bit like Sundance, it’s no coincidence.
The website for the Independent Games Festival, or IGF, even says their initial motivation was “to create a similar event to Sundance for independent game developers.”
The festival has been held in March of every year since 1998 in San Francisco, California, convening to expose new and independent talent to the world.
Unlike Sundance, however, the IGF not only has awards ceremony but also provides monetary prizes for the winners, providing even more incentive for submissions.
The IGF also has a separate category for student-developed games, helping to draw in student game developers like Hogan.
In spite of such pro-student and pro-independent avenues as the IGF, many independent video game producers still look to the iTunes App Store as the primary means of publishing. Their discussion of it proves it may well be the crux of the movement.
“The App Store is definitely a great place for indie developers as we dont have to deal with the distribution and a publisher other than Apple,” said Thomas Lachartre of Godzilab Games.
Godzilab Games is an independent video game development firm whose game iBlast Moki won numerous gaming awards, including both an Editor’s Choice Award and a 2009 Game of the Year Award from IGN.com.
However, Lachartre does head that even with a hit game like iBlast Moki, finding an audience on the iTunes App Store is still no easy task.
“The only big problem is the [large] number of apps and developers and we have to come up with many creatives ways for being noticed,” Lachartre said.
Other independent developers have found the iTunes App Store to be problematic at times. Gray Delacluyse, the lead iPhone developer for OU Information Technology, says the App Store still has its set backs.
“The processing to publish applications to the app store is slow and painful,” Delacluyse said. “Unlike the intuitive interface that the iPhone has, the development and backend processes that Apple has makes you wonder why their interface is so good.”
Indeed, the iTunes Connect Developer’s Guide, the guide for simply submitting apps to the App Store, is over 120 pages of steps and rules. Yet the benefits seem to ultimately outweigh the disadvantages.
“The pros to the app store include the easy ability to push updates out to clients,” said Delacluyse. “Look at the problem that certain software has, after the user installs it there is no way to inform them about updates.”
According to Delacluyse, updating the software was once one of the more difficult aspects of independent development that the App Store has seemed to solve.
“The way it worked before this point is that you would have to find some third party site that a lot of people knew about and put your application there,” Delacluyse said. “You would be guaranteed that some people would never see it, and updates were near impossible to implement nicely.”
However, Delacluyse also notes the database and hosting as significant benefits to the App Store. “It’s the first time that there was a centrally managed application pool to search and promote apps for a mobile device,” said Delacluyse. “It also manages all of the server hosting so you don't have to worry about the web hosting.”
“Apple's App Store is really an amazing thing for game developers, as it quite literally puts the independents on equal footing with the big companies,” said Hogan. “Developing for the iPhone/iPod Touch can be quickly done by very few people, which is an ideal environment for independents.”
However, new publishing avenues seem to be rising for these developers as many of the latest generation of consoles have online marketplaces for downloadable games.
In 2008, developer Jonathan Blow released his game Braid on the X-Box Live Arcade over the X-Box Live Network, which serves as an online distributor and marketplace for the Microsoft console.
The game has received numerous critical accolades and has been since published on PC, Mac and the Play Station Network, which is the online marketplace for Sony’s Play Station 3.
However, for the time being, it stills seems Apple reigns supreme. “The unique features of the iPhone/iPod and soon the iPad is creating new gameplays never seen anywhere else,” said Lachartre. “Between the touchscreen, the accelerometer, the GPS and soon the bigger screen of the iPad we are seeing really cool game ideas.”
So while some might scoff at Apple for the upcoming device, for independent developers, it’s much anticipated. “I’m excited to see what comes of it,” said Hogan.
The majority of criticism appears to stem from its similarities to the iPhone and iPod Touch, leading some to call it simply an oversized version of such products. But not everyone agrees.
“A lot of people are quick to criticize that it's 'just a big iPod Touch,'” said University of Oklahoma Computer Science Junior Matt Hogan. “But a bigger screen means so much more.”
But Hogan sees the invention as revolutionary not for its status as a tablet PC but rather its potential as a gaming console.
“More so than the iPod Touch and iPhone, I think the iPad could lead to some really revolutionary games,” Hogan said. “Now, game developers can create games that put more than a single person on the device.”
“Things like board games, tabletop games like air hockey, and many other new multiplayer games that haven't been made yet can shine on the iPad,” said Hogan.
But Hogan is not the average consumer or user of a product like the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Instead, he belongs to relatively new group of independent video game developers.
The importance of Apple products like the iPhone or the upcoming iPad to such developers is the importance of independent development avenues like the App Store for publishing and distributing their work.
For Hogan, the independent game developer is an artist of sorts. “An independent game developer,” said Hogan, “in my opinion, is a person that wants to make games because it's their passion.”
“Indie game companies typically consist of a very small group of people,” said Hogan, “usually a few artists and a few programmers.” Of course, such artists might not find mainstream commercial work.
"Companies made up of indie game developers make games, particularly games that the big publishing companies like EA, Activision, etc., might consider too risky to spend a lot of effort on," Hogan added.
Similar to the big boom of independent filmmaking that rose 15 to 20 years ago with filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Hogan belongs to a class of amateur developers working outside major video game studios and developers to get their work published.
Similar to independent filmmakers, independent video game developers even have festivals in which submitted work can be showcased. If that sounds a bit like Sundance, it’s no coincidence.
The website for the Independent Games Festival, or IGF, even says their initial motivation was “to create a similar event to Sundance for independent game developers.”
The festival has been held in March of every year since 1998 in San Francisco, California, convening to expose new and independent talent to the world.
Unlike Sundance, however, the IGF not only has awards ceremony but also provides monetary prizes for the winners, providing even more incentive for submissions.
The IGF also has a separate category for student-developed games, helping to draw in student game developers like Hogan.
In spite of such pro-student and pro-independent avenues as the IGF, many independent video game producers still look to the iTunes App Store as the primary means of publishing. Their discussion of it proves it may well be the crux of the movement.
“The App Store is definitely a great place for indie developers as we dont have to deal with the distribution and a publisher other than Apple,” said Thomas Lachartre of Godzilab Games.
Godzilab Games is an independent video game development firm whose game iBlast Moki won numerous gaming awards, including both an Editor’s Choice Award and a 2009 Game of the Year Award from IGN.com.
However, Lachartre does head that even with a hit game like iBlast Moki, finding an audience on the iTunes App Store is still no easy task.
“The only big problem is the [large] number of apps and developers and we have to come up with many creatives ways for being noticed,” Lachartre said.
Other independent developers have found the iTunes App Store to be problematic at times. Gray Delacluyse, the lead iPhone developer for OU Information Technology, says the App Store still has its set backs.
“The processing to publish applications to the app store is slow and painful,” Delacluyse said. “Unlike the intuitive interface that the iPhone has, the development and backend processes that Apple has makes you wonder why their interface is so good.”
Indeed, the iTunes Connect Developer’s Guide, the guide for simply submitting apps to the App Store, is over 120 pages of steps and rules. Yet the benefits seem to ultimately outweigh the disadvantages.
“The pros to the app store include the easy ability to push updates out to clients,” said Delacluyse. “Look at the problem that certain software has, after the user installs it there is no way to inform them about updates.”
According to Delacluyse, updating the software was once one of the more difficult aspects of independent development that the App Store has seemed to solve.
“The way it worked before this point is that you would have to find some third party site that a lot of people knew about and put your application there,” Delacluyse said. “You would be guaranteed that some people would never see it, and updates were near impossible to implement nicely.”
However, Delacluyse also notes the database and hosting as significant benefits to the App Store. “It’s the first time that there was a centrally managed application pool to search and promote apps for a mobile device,” said Delacluyse. “It also manages all of the server hosting so you don't have to worry about the web hosting.”
“Apple's App Store is really an amazing thing for game developers, as it quite literally puts the independents on equal footing with the big companies,” said Hogan. “Developing for the iPhone/iPod Touch can be quickly done by very few people, which is an ideal environment for independents.”
However, new publishing avenues seem to be rising for these developers as many of the latest generation of consoles have online marketplaces for downloadable games.
In 2008, developer Jonathan Blow released his game Braid on the X-Box Live Arcade over the X-Box Live Network, which serves as an online distributor and marketplace for the Microsoft console.
The game has received numerous critical accolades and has been since published on PC, Mac and the Play Station Network, which is the online marketplace for Sony’s Play Station 3.
However, for the time being, it stills seems Apple reigns supreme. “The unique features of the iPhone/iPod and soon the iPad is creating new gameplays never seen anywhere else,” said Lachartre. “Between the touchscreen, the accelerometer, the GPS and soon the bigger screen of the iPad we are seeing really cool game ideas.”
So while some might scoff at Apple for the upcoming device, for independent developers, it’s much anticipated. “I’m excited to see what comes of it,” said Hogan.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Hurt Locker Sweeps Oscars
Last night was a historic night for the Oscars, with The Hurt Locker defying much of the odds to win the most awards.
The Hurt Locker walked away last night with six of the nine nominations it earned this year, including Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.
However, it was an extremely historic night as the film's director Kathryn Bigelow became the first female director to ever win an Oscar for director.
Furtthermore, The Hurt Locker even became the lowest-grossing film on record to date to win the award for Best Picture.
The film has earned $14.7 million since opening in June of 2009.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Records Broken at Winter Olympics
Canada's win yesterday against the United States in Ice Hockey marked new record, giving them 14 gold medals and thus giving them the new world record of most gold medals won at a Winter Olympics.
And While yesterday's loss to Canada in the gold medal game for Ice Hockey came as bitter ending for most Americans, this was a record-breaking year for the United States.
The United States managed to gain an unprecedented 37 medals in the Winter Olympics this year, breaking Germany's previously held winter medal-count of 36 in 2002 and marking the second time the US has held the medal count since the third winter games at Lake Placid, New York, in 1932.
Furthermore, Lindsey Vonn became the first female skier to ever win a gold in the downhill Alpine skiing event, Steve Holcombe and his team won the first gold medal in the four-man bobsled for the US since 1948, Bode Miller became the most successful Alpine skier in Olympic history and Apolo Anton Ohno surpassed Bonnie Blair to become the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time with a medal count of eight.
Even in television news, Vonn's downhill event drew 30 million viewers, making the Winter Olympics the first televised event to surpass American Idol in ratings in four years. This coming after NBC failed to sell all the advertising space due to low ratings for the 2006 games in Torino.
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