7.23.2007

Tournament Games for Any Occasion (In 1000 WPM)

Presented by Eli Neiburger from Ann Arbor District Library. Admits that the presentation leans toward console games because that's what he likes best.

Considerations:
[whoa hey slow down there Eli...]

  • Audience
  • Appeal - like Supersmash
  • Name recognition / is there buzz? Katamari Damacy is awesome, but is it going to draw a crowd? Not likely.
  • Logistics - want to be able to run multiple matches at the same time
  • Victory conditions - how do you determine who won?
  • Appropriateness for the audience - video games are a controversial issue in politics
  • Accessibility - how easy is it to learn if you've never played before? ("Creating an atmosphere where people are comfortable sucking.")
  • Hipness - esp. important for teen crowd ("the goths with their big pants") ("simply too tough to be the pretty pink princess") ("i am too tortured to play Mario Kart")
  • Rabidity of the fanbase - how passionate are they about it? will they fuss if you don't adhere strictly to regulations? how do you balance the hardcore players with creating a positive environment for all levels?
  • Depth - How long does it take to gain mastery?
  • Repeatability - can you do it over and over again and have people show up?
Ratings > ESRB started in late 90s
- Referring to a game featuring Dana Plato and scantily clad co-eds in the 90s - "looks more like an Ed Wood film than Grand Theft Auto"
- In 2005, E (rated for Everyone) represents 49% of video game sales, while only 15% have a M rating (Mature)
- In addition to ESRB, check out gamerdad.com and theesa.com

Eli talked about the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of a variety of genres (Action/Adventure, RPGs, First-Person Shooter, Racing, Fighting, etc.). Check out his book to get the full low-down. And here are his slides! Hooray!

And the day is over. Phew. It was a long one.

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