Super Gaming: 2017

Immersing deeply in gameplay through sound

From time to time, I like to replay games so I can have new points of view and (re) discover aspects and elements of game design, gameplay, narrative or creative process. Last weekend, checking my Apple Cloud to verify some old downloads, I found this very unique game: Dark Echo.

Created by RAC7 Studio the game offers an experience to “explore a mysterious world through sound”. And “sound” is the core and keyword of this game. Using only a black interface with minimal white sound waves ricocheting around the scenario, the player is invited to explore a kind of a dungeon filled with monsters. Check the gameplay:

It operates by touching the screen to walk and generate the sound waves. The important detail is the fact that the sounds of your steps will attract terrible “monsters” (again, you will only hear the creatures’ grunts) and sometimes you need to run into the darkness. Anxiety is an important game design component in this example. The whole game is based in it, and all fear/horror/terror reactions derive from it.

Sound is strategically built in this case, the perfect blend between the minimal interface and the sounding experience. This is a great example of how we can construct a game using few elements to create big impact.

#GoGamers

Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror - Remastered (PC)

Developer:

Revolution

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Release Date:

1997

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Systems:

Win, OS X, iOS, Android

Looking back over the games I've played for my site over the last seven years, I've noticed a pattern forming: I've played a horror game for Halloween on every odd-numbered year, while even-numbered years have gotten games like Snake's Revenge and Saints Row IV at the end of October instead. Seems to me that I've got a bit of a tradition forming here... but I despise pointless traditions, so this year on Super Adventures I'm breaking the pattern by playing Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror - Remastered! I don't think I'll be seeing any ghosts or zombies in this one.

I'm torn here, because I really want to call it Broken Sword II, but there's clearly no 'II' in that logo up there. There was in the original game's logo, but they've taken it away for the Remastered version, because I guess knowing what order things go in only confuses modern audiences. Personally, I'm more confused by the subtitle. Is it referring to a mirror that's recently been used as a murder weapon? A mirror people that go out to when they fancy a quick smoke?

Wait, I forgot to mention that I'm playing the game on Halloween because it was released on October 31st, 1997, the same day as Curse of Monkey Island and the Blade Runner adventure game, so all three are twenty years old today! Well okay, technically this is only seven years old because I'm playing the Remastered version on Steam. I would've played my original CD version but I've lost it. I’ve checked shelves, I've checked boxes, I’ve checked other boxes buried underneath boxes, and it seems like the bloody game’s just vanished.

Funny thing is, when I bought the game the discs were already damaged and some of the video files wouldn’t copy when I installed it. Fortunately, when ScummVM came out there was a compatibility problem with the video codec so Revolution put revised cutscene files up for free and I could finally play this game I'd owned for years! I actually still have that install on my hard drive ready to go, but I lost half the files in a hard drive failure and now ScummVM won’t even recognise it.

It’s like fate doesn’t want me to play this game, and it doesn't care how much physical storage media it has to break to keep me from it.

Read on »

What isn’t an advergame

We have already discussed the idea of advergames here at GAMING CONCEPTZ (you can check it here and here). On the other hand, it is also important to contextualize what cannot be considered an advergame.

We’ve already explained that an advergame is an advertising piece of campaign that : requires planning and an interface that puts together a brand/product/service and the gameplay

In this context, an advergame is not a ready-made game that one can simply insert a logo or a company’s feature. In the following hypothetical example below, we see the interface of the classic Pac-Man game with elements from McDonald's brand. To insert these elements on the gaming interface does not make this game an advergame; there is no strategic view or branding planning, we only notice elements scattered in a videogame screen.

According to Cavallini (2006), the notion of advergame – a neologism formed from the juxtaposing of the words “advertising” and “game” – could be described as a marketing strategy that uses games, mainly electronic, to advertise brands and products. That includes a large range that goes from complex games that are developed specifically for advertising purposes to common casual games – much more complex than to only insert a logo in a classic gaming interface.

Reference:

CAVALLINI, Ricardo. (2006). O marketing depois de amanhã. São Paulo: Digerati Books.

#GoGamers

Dragon Ball AF BUDOKAI

Dragon Ball AF
is Fighting Video Game this game main character is Son Goku. Dragonball
AF is supposedly a new Dragonball series being developed in Japan.
However, FUNimation wants fans to know from the official source that
Dragonball GT is the last series and neither AF nor V exist. As far as
we know, and Toei has confirmed this matter, there are no future plans
for any

Driver III Video Game

Driver III Video Game

Driv3r, more commonly known as Driver 3 (marketed as DRIV3R), is the third installment in the Driver series and was developed by Reflections Interactive and published by Atari.

Driv3r brings back features from Driver 2
and adds the ability to ride motorcycles and boats, use weapons, swim,
climb ladders, and enter certain

Assassin's Creed 1 Free Download

Assassin’s Creed 1 is
an action adventure video game in which the player primarily assumes
the role of Altaïr as experienced by Desmond Miles. The primary goal of
the game is to carry out a series of assassinations ordered by Al
Mualim, the leader of the Assassins. To achieve this goal, the player must travel from the Brotherhood’s
headquarters in Masyaf, across the

Zool 2 (Amiga)

Developer:

The Warp Factory

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Release Date:

1994 (A500 1993)

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Systems:

Amiga, DOS, CD32, Jaguar

Today Super Adventures has been struck by extreme serendipity. I've been playing Amiga games this month to celebrate the Amiga 500's 30th anniversary, but today is also the Amiga 1200's 25th anniversary! Also, and I didn't even realise this until someone else pointed it out to me the other day, this is my 1200th post on the site.

Seems like this is the perfect time for me to go back and replay one of the very first A1200 games I ever owned: Zool 2: AGA Version. I found it packed inside the same box as the machine itself, as it was one of the three games included in the 'Computer Combat' bundle. Shame I couldn't find the bloody code wheel that came with it ever again, after I took it out and left it somewhere. I had to play Brian the Lion instead, which kind of took some of the shine off my brand new computer.

Well that, and the fact that the A1200 turned out to only be a slight upgrade from the A500, with games that were typically the same except with obnoxious backgrounds added. It wasn't exactly the leap from NES to SNES. But I'm writing this to celebrate my beloved computer, the first I ever owned, not point out its numerous flaws, so I should get to pointing out Zool 2's flaws already.

Read on »

Sensible Soccer (Amiga)

Sensible Soccer title screen

Developer:

Sensible Software

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Release Date:

1992

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Systems:

Amiga, Atari ST, DOS

Hey I've got a terrible idea, how about I play Sensible Soccer?

I haven't written about a sports game on Super Adventures for about five years now because I realised early on that they weren't working out for all kinds of reasons. These reasons include: I'm terrible at them, I usually don't know the rules, they don't give me much to write about, I often end up with a lot of empty green screenshots with tiny people standing around, and I hate them.

But I'm making a special exception for Sensible Soccer, on account of it being perhaps the most beloved Amiga game ever. It seems to have a spot reserved in every top 100 list right up near the top (unless they've chosen its sequel Sensible World of Soccer instead). Plus the spiritual successor, Sociable Soccer, is coming out soon, so it seemed like a good time for it.

Okay, I'll try to get this over with quickly, with as little whining as possible. I'll show a few screenshots of bland looking menus, a few of me losing a match, then we can both get on with our day.

Read on »

Blood, sweat, and pixels: the triumphant, turbulent stories behind how video games are made

In this moment I'm reading the excellent book "Blood, sweat, and pixels: the triumphant, turbulent stories behind how video games are made". True stories about how the work in the gaming industry could be full of anxiety and despair.

Jason Schreier (the author) interviewed more than 100 professionals from this field and the result is a book with many different views about the creative process behind a game, the difficulties, the mistakes and victories.

Schreier (2017) in the introduction of the book discusses about why is so hard to make games. The author points out that: 1) games are interactive; 2) technology is constantly changing; 3) the tools are always different; 4) scheduling is impossible; 5) it's impossible to know how "fun" a game will be until you've played it. From this point to the end, in each chapter, one game is used as an example to explain the how this area (as the title of the book says) is full of "blood, sweat, and pixels".

Excellent reading.

Click here to buy.

Reference:

SCHREIER, Jason. Blood, sweat, and pixels: the triumphant, turbulent stories behind how video games are made. New York: Harper, 2017.

Bob's Bad Day (Amiga)

Bob's Bad Day title screen

Developer:

The Dome

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Release Date:

1993

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Systems:

Amiga

Super Adventures Amiga Game Month continues with Bob's Bad Day! For some reason, this is the first game that jumped into my head after playing Bill's Tomato Game, funny that.

I have to level with you folks, this is not going to be a pixel art showcase and there won't be much going on in it for me to talk about. I'm pretty much only playing it as an excuse to show off the intro... though now that I think about it, the intro won't even work without the voices. Damn.

The important thing is that I'll be done with playing the game quickly and I'll not have much to write about afterwards, so I'll be able to move on to the next Amiga game and get that published before I run out of October. Theoretically.

Read on »

Bill's Tomato Game (Amiga)

BIll's Tomato Game title screen

Developer:

Bill

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Release Date:

1992

|

Systems:

Amiga, Atari ST

It's the 30th anniversary of the Commodore Amiga 500 home computer! I mean not today specifically, it seems like it hit the Netherlands in April 1987 and the rest of Europe shortly after. But it was released in the US at some point during October, and that's all the excuse I need to make this month on Super Adventures all about AMIGA GAMES!

For the next few weeks it's all Amiga titles, nothing else. Wall to wall Amiga. Though don't worry if you're not keen on that idea; at the rate I've been writing about games lately you're likely to only see two at best.

I started by checking top 100 lists to put together a set of classic titles that really define what the system is, the most Amigary of Amiga games... but then I realised that they'd have me playing things like Sensible Soccer. So I scrapped that plan and decided to play a few of the games that have stuck in my head for whatever reason. Like Bill's Tomato Game for instance! It's a game about tomatoes made by a guy called Bill Pullan. Though it definitely isn't named after him, at least according to the manual, which I definitely didn't check just now out of curiosity.

Read on »

Secret of Mana (SNES)

Secret of Mana europe pal title screen snes

Developer:

Square

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Release Date:

1994 (1993 JP/NA)

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Systems:

SNES

This month on Super Adventures, I'm finally getting around to the legendary Secret of Mana!

I'm running a few weeks late here so I'll get my internet-sourced trivia introduction text out of the way quickly so I can get to the game.

• That 'Nasir' you see on the title screen is Nasir Gebelli, the programmer of Final Fantasy I, II and III.
• Trying to figure out the game's exact relation to Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger could drive you nuts.
• It started out as a project codenamed "Maru Island" before becoming a Seiken Densetsu sequel.
• It was planned for the SNES CD addon, but was drastically revised and cut down for a cartridge release.
• Many of the unused ideas from the CD version ended up in Chrono Trigger.
• The dialogue was cut back even further for the English translation due to space limitations.
• It's getting a 3D remake next year!
• It's one of the games on the Super NES Classic!
• I've never played it.
• Well actually I have, but it wasn't for long and I don't think I liked it much.
• All I remember is walking down a river and maybe visiting a town before getting bored.

Also, it's one of the most popular and critically acclaimed SNES games, so I'm going to have to try not to hate on it too much.

Read on »

About gaming narrative

The gaming field is a plural space for different genders, styles and types of products. Nowadays, we have a multifaceted environment where indie games coexist with AAA productions; one place in which hardcore gamers are experiencing extremely challenging games in consoles and, at the same time, casual games in their smartphones. We are facing an ecosystem where games could be played anytime, anywhere.

In this sense, there are abstract games that are completely based in mechanics, with no storytelling background, and games fully developed in complex narratives. In the very beginning of gaming industry, we didn’t have much to tell in the limited interfaces. Pong, as example, is about bouncing a square ball using a vertical rectangle. On the other hand, Donkey Kong, for Atari console, has an interesting narrative layer where the hero must save the lady from the giant gorilla on the top of the building. Many years in advance, we can find some publishers like TellTale or Quantic Dream that created games fully based on narrative components like Walking Dead, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls and many others.

As we’ve discussed previously, it is a market full of opportunities for many types of ludic products. However, in this post I want to focus my attention in some interesting narrative features and how they are important in a gaming project.

First of all, it is essential to point out that the player “is at once the subject and the object of the play” (EHRMANN, 1968, p.56). We must always keep that in mind in any kind of gaming project. The game is an inanimate thing: codes, pieces, cardboards, miniatures etc., but the experience with the game is full of life. This experience is what we need to focus in: how we will deliver a good experience to the player.

A good narrative is one possible way to deliver a meaningful experience to the player. Following some ideas from Dansky (2007, p.5), it is possible to say that

“On the most basic level, narrative strings together the events of the game, providing a framework and what can alternately be called a justification, a reason, or an excuse for the gameplay encounters. At its best, narrative pulls the player forward through the experience, creating the desire to achieve the hero’s goals and, more importantly, see what happens next. At its worst, narrative merely sets up the situation and turns the players loose to do as they see fit. It achieves these goals through three important techniques: immersion, reward and identification”.

This author (DANSKY, 2007, p.5-6) also explains that there are three fundamental pillars that we need to think about gaming narrative:

1) Immersion: in a simple way, it refers to the state of mind where a person is completely absorbed in what they are doing (we’ve already discussed this feature using the idea of FLOW in this post); immersion refers to the moment in which we are so involved with the game that time passes different and we can’t notice the world outside the experience. We are talking about games, but a good book/movie/conversation could have the same effect. Consuming many references is the secret to create a good narrative.

2) Reward: Dansky (2007, p.6) says that narrative can also be a reward to the player and “the narrative events can be revealed gradually, delivered as rewards for achieving in-game goals”. As an example, in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice great part of the game’s rewards come from narrative pieces that tells us the background of the main character and some tales/legends from the Nordic culture.

3) Identification: something that, in the gaming context, provides justification for the actions during the experience. In Papers Please, for example, you assume the role of an immigration police officer from a dystopian nation and your job is to stamp entry visas. You must take some moral decisions based on the characters’ backgrounds and part of the meaning of this experience comes from the identification feature of the game.

Narrative in games is a great subject to discuss in future posts. Soon, I’ll bring a wide discussion about it.

#GoGamers

References:

DANSKY, Richard. Introduction to game narrative. BATEMAN, Chris (editor). Game Writing: narrative skills for videogames. Boston: Thomson, 2007.

EHRMANN, Jacques. Homo Ludens Revisited. Yale French Studies, No 41. Game, Play, Literature (1968). pp. 31-57.

Six years of GAMING CONCEPTZ!

Six years of gaming content in 286 posts.

Thanks to the followers.

Long live to GAME ANALYTICZ!

Check the first post by clicking here.

#GoGamers

Fallout 4 (PC)

Developer:

Bethesda

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Release Date:

2015

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Systems:

Win, PS4, Xbox One

This ~~week~~ month on Super Adventures I'm spoiling the first couple of hours of Fallout 4!

You might be wondering why I'm writing about a complicated modern RPG again when I should know better by now. There's already a hundred reviews, streams and YouTube videos out there about it, so it seems a bit redundant. I have a good reason though: I already played all the others (aside from Fallout Shelter and Brotherhood of Steel) and it seemed wrong to leave it out.

Plus it means I get to mention the drama going on in late 2013 when there were competing teaser sites like thesurvivor2299.com and thepropheteer.com all appearing to be revealing the game's existence, and people were trying to figure out which of them was legit and which were fake (they were all fake).

Thankfully the game actually was being developed in secret, because that's typically what you do when your last game was a huge hit (unless you're Valve). Though it seems weird to me that after all this time this was only Bethesda's second attempt at a Fallout RPG. Obsidian were the ones that made Fallout: New Vegas and I'm curious to see if Bethesda decided to take anything from it. Or take anything away from their last game.

I'll be playing it without any mods, by the way, because I'm not really keen on tweaking my game. I feel like opening the box like that lets some of the magic escape (plus I'd be too tempted to give myself an infinite ammo rocket launcher and fly around on a fire-breathing unicorn or something). Also this means I get to ignore the Creation Club entirely and all of the bullshit that goes along with that!

(Click the screenshots if you want to make them very slightly bigger.)

Read on »

Roger Caillois and one possible view about the complexity of games and play forms

In his iconic book from 1958 “Man, Play and Games” (“Les jeux et les homes” as the original title, in French), the sociologist Roger Caillois discusses how a gaming culture can be an essential element of social changing.

In the first chapter of the book, Caillois presents one interesting view about possibilities of play forms and how they can combine among them. In a very synthetic way, the author says that there are four play forms:

1) Agon: play activities that depend on physical abilities like soccer, basketball, chess (mind effort), boxing etc.

2) Alea: ludic situations that depend of pure chance, like lottery, casino roulette and dice-rolling games based only on luck.

3) Mimicry: role-playing games and theatrical activity (make-believe game).

4) Ilinx: Activities where there is risk of life and vertigo. Tightrope, bungee jump and other extreme sports are some examples.

Trying to summarize these ideas, I created the following image:

It’s important to highlight that these categories can combine themselves in other situations. One “Dungeons & Dragons” RPG session, for instance, can combine elements of mimicry (in the role play) and alea (in dice-rolling situations). Poker can combine alea factors (the way the cards will appear in the table) with agon (the strategy and mental effort to create strategy).

This post is only a synthesis of an important idea from Caillois. I strongly suggest the full reading of “Man, Play and Games”. It’s a fantastic way to dwell deeply about games, game design and ludic elements in the contemporary scenario.

#GoGamers

Reference:

CAILLOIS, Roger. Man, Play and Games. USA: Illinois University, 2001.

Teaser trailer: MIND ALONE

In a partnership with SIOUX Studios from São Paulo I'll launch my new mobile game soon (end of October probably)! MIND ALONE is a text-based ludic interface. It is an experimental puzzle game that uses different functions from smartphones to create an immersive suspense/terror narrative. It is a “scape the room” game, but the room is your own mind. Each memory is a puzzle. The aim is to solve the puzzles, recover your memory, reach the surface and wake up from this mysterious nightmare.

Check the teaser trailer:

Wait for news here!

#GoGamers

Vixen (Amiga)

Vixen Amiga title screen

Developer:

Intelligent Design

|

Release Date:

1988

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Systems:

C64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Amiga, DOS

This week on Super Adventures I'm writing about another obscure Amiga platformer. And I'm going to keep on doing it until you're all suitably grateful for the modern games we have now.

This one's called Vixen, unless you're in Germany, then it's known as She-Fox instead. According to Wikipedia, the reason for the change is that in German "vixen" is pronounced like wichsen, an obscene word meaning "to jerk off", and judging by the title screen I guess was a little too on the nose for them. Surely there's an actual German word for 'female fox' they could've used though?

Some people took issue with the game's cover as well due to the fact it has dancer and tabloid 'Page 3' model Corinne Russell wearing a skimpy leopard-skin bikini on it. The publisher apparently had to reissue the game with 'a less provocative cover'. Then Your Sinclair magazine went and put her on its cover and they got complaints as well. I'd show you a picture of it, but it's the same image as the title screen, except without the flesh-coloured hair and painted on clothes.

This was all happening in 1988 by the way, so the game's from the NES/Master System era, which I haven't visited in ages. It never came out for the consoles though, only home computers, and I'll be mostly playing the Amiga port. Not because I'm nostalgic for it exactly, but it is the version I remember playing as a kid... briefly.

Read on »

Ganpuru: Gunman's Proof (SNES)

Developer:

Lenar

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Release Date:

1997

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Systems:

SNES

This week on Super Adventures I'm playing a game definitely absolutely did not ever get ported to the Commodore Amiga, for a change. In fact this one wasn't even released in English, though it did eventually get a fan translation.

I like fan translations, I think they're a fantastic idea and that everyone who's put their time and effort into making games accessible to more people for absolute zero financial reward is awesome. But I don't play fan translations on my site (it's one of the rules written in the box on the right), so I'm going to be struggling through the original Japanese version of the game for an hour or two. Well, unless it's got a lot of dialogue in it, then I'll be struggling a lot longer than that.

The katakana in the title says Ganpuru, so some people call it Gunple and others say it's probably a compound word formed from 'gunman' and 'proof' (like how Pokémon comes from the words 'pocket' and 'monsters'). Man, if the very first word in the game's giving me this much trouble then that's not a good sign. Google Translate tells me that my two choices beneath it are “From the beginning” and “From the rest”, so at least I don't have an options screen to interpret.

Read on »

One game design exercise to rethink the past while looking at the present

This semester, I’d like to propose my students one interesting exercise from the book “The ultimate guide to video game writing and design”. Though I’ve made some modifications, the main idea is to recreate a modern game in an old fashioned way.

Some steps are necessary for this mission:

1) Choose one game from the last generation of consoles (Playstation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch) and mobile devices (Android and iOS). The more complex, the better.
2) Try to imagine and recreate the game for the Atari platform (keep the essence of the narrative and few elements from the mechanics).
3) Using samples and print screens from Atari’s games, build a few simple interfaces for the game. This will be a big challenge. In some way, the interface must resemble some core visual elements.
4) Create a prototype for the cartridge cover.

Below, is one example that I created for this post using the game THE LAST OF US.

I tried to maintain the shooting mechanics with stealth. Characters must use the stairs simultaneously to reach the other side of the screen. In a minimalist way, I tried to keep the essence of the "clickers" enemies. Interface is very simple with stamina and ammunition.

The new game's cover is an homage to a very similar story - the movie LOGAN.

To the check the main idea from THE LAST OF US, watch the trailer below:

Many people are creating modern-retro-art for Atari games, you can check out some interesting examples in this link.

#GoGamers

Reference:

DILLE, Flint; PLATTEN, John Zuur. The ultimate guide to video game writing and design. New York: Skip Press, 2007

Teenagent (MS-DOS)

Teenagent title screen

Developer:

Metropolis Software House

|

Release Date:

1995

|

Systems:

DOS, Amiga

This month on Super Adventures I'm playing another point and click adventure game! But this time there's a twist: I have absolutely zero idea what this is. All I know is that GOG.com gave it to me for free when I signed up and the graphics looked a bit amateurish in the screenshots.

One thing I'm sure of though is that it's got nothing to do with the 1991 Teen Agent movie (called If Looks Could Kill in the US). This is Teenagent, one word; totally different thing. I'm guessing that it's probably a play on the word 'teenager'. It might also be a play on the word 'newsagent' but I'm kinda hoping it isn't as I'd rather jet around the world immersing myself in international intrigue than sell crisps. In fact I'd better check Wikipedia to make sure...

...oh that's interesting, it turns out that Teenagent was the first Polish game to be released on CD, though it seems GOG's given me the floppy disk version without the voice acting because those voices were all in Polish. I'm not considering that to be a problem. Plus it's running through ScummVM, but that's not a problem for me either.

Wikipedia also tells me that developer Metropolis Software isn't quite as obscure as I thought, as they made games like Gorky 17 and Infernal. In fact it was one of the longest operating game development studios in Poland before getting bought by CD Projekt in 2008 and shut down in 2009. Another fun fact: it was founded by opinionated video games bloke Adrian Chmielarz, who did programming and writing for Teenagent, before going off to make Painkiller and Bulletstorm for his new company People Can Fly, and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter for his newer company The Astronauts. So that's interesting.

Okay I'm going to take screenshots of the first hour or so and write words under them now.
Read on »

Tips In Choosing A Rodent As A Pet

There are some rodents that can be chosen for pets like gerbils, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs that provide a wide choice in pets. While these are small in size, children can hold and feel the too. These can be put in any corner of the house and they do not need any high maintenance also. If you take good care of them, you will avoid problems created by their biting and chewing that they do when disturbed. Being energetic at nights, you will have to be sure as at that time your kid will be asleep.

Hamsters are rodents which have been domesticated and which are common to the Middle East and the western parts of Europe. These types of animals are easy to have in captivity and are usually treated as household pets or as laboratory specimens.

Hamsters as pets can be kept in commercial cages or terrariums. Homemade dwellings are also options for keeping hamsters. If commercial cages are considered as an option the advantages would be that cages are portable enough to be transferred from place to place. Its bars can be used by the hamsters for exercise purposes since these mammals are fond of climbing obstacles and so. An ideal floor space for these active rodents would be at least two square feet and high tops to encourage climbing activities.

Some pets can be complicated to keep and hence we require the help of the collectors to explain all about them and how to take care of them once they are delivered to our homes. To the amazement of many people, there are rats that are kept at home as pets, but it needs a lot of carefulness when choosing the right variety so that you can learn how to handle them.

A thorough research is good so that you can understand everything to do with rat types, so that when you get to the market you will not have a hard time purchasing the pet you want.

The Color
Pet rat types are distinguished by the color of their fur, although some of them are discriminated due to their dark pigmentation that resembles that of the wild rats. They however have remarkable shades of eye color that make them cute little animals.

How to Tell the Pet Rats Apart
Breeders or attendants at the pet rat stores grade the breeds according to their markings. Grading is based on specific principles. The gradation can be whole white body, patches of white on different areas or white that fades into different colors on areas around the eyes, nose, ears and feet. The markings are done on pet rat types that have been put in a contest to check if the breeder has adhered to all the norms that regard pet rat breeding.

Breed Selection
The act of selection of the breed depends on the reason for the grading. The first one may be for competition purposes where the best rat will be selected after meeting all or most of the requirements. If your reason for selection is purely for keeping the rats as pets, then you can take any breed that attracts you and is easy to maintain.

Guinea pigs likes to be alone in the day since most of them are inactive during daytime but still can survive for as long as they are with another guinea pig companion. Guinea pigs can survive in both indoors and outdoors for as long as you keep them in cages with several rooms. Unlike other pet rodents, guinea pigs require more sensitive care. Also, the materials used in caring guinea pigs are quite expensive. But, they can live more years compared to other pet rodents.

What makes guinea pigs popular among all rodents today is that they have a unique character that every pet owner will enjoy. They are also sweet, require care less often, attractive and they often come in variety of colors. They are sociable and playful also that is why it is best if they will come in pair if you plan on taming this rodent.

Choosing a pet can be tough for many reasons. Even though you're excited, take the time to consider all the details that will make this a positive experience for all. Don't make a quick decision that may prove to be costly or a huge waste of time and energy.

Be sure to take the time to consider all viable options, and consider both the costs and the consequences of the action. If you know what you're getting into and you're ready for it, your pet will bring joy and companionship to your family for years.

Ernest Adams - Agency vs Story

Visit http://www.criticalpathproject.com to search through interviews with over 100 of the videogame industry’s most influential designers and visionaries.

#GoGamers

Simple Pet Health Tips

A lot of pet owners want to know more about pet health and things like that. They love their pets and want to give them the best possible life quality. Food is very important in the life of your dog, and you need to know more about it.

Good Diet
Your dog should consume a good diet at all times, and you need to go above and beyond to meet the wants of your doggy. Your pet`s food should be both well-balanced and of a high quality including treats.

High-quality food should be your pet`s most important source of nutrition. Take a look at the food label of a particular product paying close attention to the ingredients listed since these ingredients just make up most of the food. The food should have veggies and meat as the food`s first ingredients.

You can also find grains and meat by-products at the bottom of the list.

There are many filler ingredients out there that might harm the health of your dog over time, and you have to avoid them as soon as possible. If your dog shows signs of food sensitivity, your vet will help you out right away.

If you plan on feeding your puppy human food, you need to be truly careful about this.

You need to know that some human food will kill or hurt your dog, so you need to be truly careful about this. Your dog should be away from chocolates, grapes, raisins, nuts, garlic, sugar-free gum, and chives.

Proper Weight
Your dog should keep his ideal body weight. An obese dog will increase his risks for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other health issues. Your vet will give you information about the ideal weight for your dog so you can feed your puppy accordingly.

Your dog will become obese when he does not get enough exercise eating a lot of food down the road. Read the food package so you can know the right amount of food that you need to give your dog. This will allow you to keep Fido at his ideal weight.

Giving your dog healthy treats is always a good idea, and you should give him a homemade treat. Store-bought treats might not be too good for your per down the road too.

Your dog should eat low-calorie treats such as canned green beans, baby carrots, and cooked sweet potatoes. Remember also that your dog should get tons of fresh water at all times, as this will allow your puppy to digest food properly over time too.

Changing the water once a day will keep the liquid fresh and clean, so you have to clean your water bucket as soon as you can.

Grooming
Your dog should be groomed properly. To keep your puppy`s coat healthy and shiny, brush it on a regular basis as this will encourage the proper circulation of blood in your dog.

Check any cyst, bump, or lump on the skin of your dog. If you found some, you need to let your vet know about this as soon as you can. This will allow you to avoid tons of headaches in the future too. Your vet should also address your dog`s itchy skin, redness, and scabs.

Grooming is a wonderful time to check for any skin condition on your dog`s fur such as mites, ticks, and fleas.

Clipping your puppy`s nails is also a great idea. Though this might make your dog uncomfortable, make sure that your dog will get used to this over time. This will allow your dog to live a better life over time too. You should avoid cutting the dog`s “quick,” which is a sensitive part of the dog`s nail that contains nerves and blood vessels. If you don’t know how to clip your dog`s nail, your vet can show you how in no time too. And you need to brush your dog`s teeth each and every day.

Now that you know more ways of keeping your dog healthy, you have just to take bold action. This will allow you to have more fun with your dog over time. Your dog`s diet should be balanced, and your vet will allow you to know more about this topic over time too.

Remember also that you need to check the weight of your dog over time if you want to keep your dog`s body health over time too.

The importance of studying games, or why I travelled half of the world to attend a gaming conference

From July 12th until the17th, I was in one of the world’s most relevant gaming conferences: DIGRA 2017. It took place in Melbourne, Australia, in the fantastic Swinburne University. I attended this event in 2011 in Netherlands (by the way, it was the first time I was in an international conference) and it was a transforming moment in my professional/academic life. This year was not different: another great experience.

When I tell people about a gaming conference, they ask me how this works. First idea that comes to their minds is a place to play the newest games from big publishers, or an event full of gaming events. Well, the idea is very different from that. In a conference like DIGRA, we talk about the game industry, game design and tendencies, but the discussion goes beyond those subjects.

This year, we had excellent debates about sexuality in games, gender in games, gaming classification, historical contexts in ludic experiences, sound design, game design, interfaces, analogic vs. digital games, philosophy inside games, social contexts in games – these are just a few examples of the whole content. How is it possible? Because games – in the contemporary scenario - became a potent media and a very important platform to socialize, interact and cast messages.

DIGRA main panel (july 6th - 2017). Pic by @vincevader

In a conference like DIGRA, the specialists are discussing all these points inside a greater subject: games. One thing is a common sense among all the researchers: it is very difficult to study it, but all of us are trying to create a more serious space to debate this. As a Brazilian researcher, I understand the importance to be part of the gaming studies field, not only in my country, but also in other parts of the globe. Networking is another important keyword in this context.

So, answering the question on the title above: I travelled half of the world to “power up” my knowledge and reach a new level in my academic research. On the next months, I’ll try to write and produce more about all that I have experienced in this event.

Next year, the conference will be in Turin, Italy. Follow the DIGRA Twitter for more information. Keep your eyes open.

#GoGamers

Unreal II: The Awakening (PC)

Developer:

Legend Entertainment

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Release Date:

2003

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Systems:

Windows, Xbox

Today on Super Adventures I thought I'd do something wild and play a video game for once. Unreal II: The Awakening to be specific, a first person shooter from the Xbox era, when PC games often came on multiple CDs stacked up on the same spindle to maximise the chances of one of them getting scratched. That's what my copy's like anyway, so I hope it still works.

Actually I'm not sure it ever really worked properly for me, as all I can remember about the game is that I stopped playing it early on when it crashed to desktop a couple of times. But I get the feeling I probably could've gotten further in it if I'd wanted to, and now that I'm writing about it I'll endeavour to be more persistent (whether I like the game or not).

The original Unreal was co-developed by Epic and Digital Extremes, but they were busy with the Unreal Tournament side of the franchise, so Unreal II: Unnecessary Subtitle was developed by the folks who made the Return to Na Pali expansion pack instead, Legend Entertainment. This was Legend's last ever game before being shut down by their owners, but they'd been around a while and were mostly known for making adventure games. So there's a non-zero chance that the writing might be better than the first person shooting here. I'm not getting my hopes too high for either though to be honest.

(Clicking the pictures will make them bigger, but not much bigger.)
Read on »

Reptile Care for Beginners

When it comes to owning reptiles, they sometimes require some special attention. Though they hardly differ from cats and dogs when it comes to loyalty, reptiles are a bit different in terms of care.

Here are some ideas to get started when you finally have your first reptile:

1. Get adequate space and ventilation

Unlike dogs and cats, most reptiles need a certain ambiance and atmosphere in order for them to feel really at home. Not only this, some of them require a lot of space and air so that they will be able to breathe properly. It is suitable for your critter to be able to live in a glass box or something similar with holes at the top or at the bottom, but just big enough so they won’t escape.

2. Clean safe water

Reptiles have a special need for water, as they are not like dogs and cats that can sweat their bodily heat away. Appropriate substrate water is a must for your reptile’s domain as it will help them cool off when the heat comes. Not only this, this will help them calm themselves and make them feel more at ease.

3. Quality lighting

For some reptiles, UV lighting is a must. Reptiles such as snakes don’t really need UV lighting, but for others it is needed. It is because they are dependent on skin-manufactured Vitamin D3 and such a vitamin cannot be obtained from the food that they eat, as the name implies. Thus, in order to keep your reptile happy and healthy, give them some UV lights to bask in.

4. Vitamins and mineral supplements

Many reptiles are not able to get the vitamins they need from their food alone. Thus, to keep them in tip-top shape, it is best if you provide them with vitamins and supplements that will help enrich their diet.

5. Secure latches and lids

Of course, your prized pet does not need to roam the house freely unless you want it to be stomped on and bite your family. This is why latches, locks and lids are important. Not only is this for your own safety, but also for the reptile’s.

6. Appropriate environment

Certain reptiles need a certain environment that mimics their natural environment so they can thrive. Simply having them live at room temperature when the temperature is way beyond their bodily capacities might just kill them, so controlled temperatures are ideal for such creatures.

7. Learn your reptile’s diet

Not all reptiles have the same diet. It may be a tedious task, but knowing what your reptile eats is crucial for its survival. If you were in the reptile’s shoes and you were forced to eat what you don’t eat, you wouldn’t like that as well, right? Not only that, giving the reptile the wrong food could spell disaster for its health.

8. Learning if your reptile is tamable

It would be nice if your reptile knows how to do tricks just like the ones you see on television or online, but you have to first learn if your reptile is even fit to be tamed or not. Even if it isn’t, however, you shouldn’t throw away your reptile just yet as the reason why you chose it as your pet in the first place is because you like it and want to make it a part of your family, and not to make it a circus act.

9. Knowing your reptile’s life span and other basic stuff

Okay, so this may be rather easy to do, but keep in mind that captive reptiles generally have a longer lifespan than wild reptiles as long as they are given enough love and care. Before purchasing a reptile, you should first know the basics of your chosen pet and what they do, what they eat and how to tell if they are healthy.

10. Avoiding the temptation to release your reptile

This is very hard if you don’t want your reptile anymore, and don’t know anyone who can keep your reptile for you. Releasing your reptile into the wild will not only disturb the local ecosystem, it might even potentially kill your reptile as it has grown in captivity and does not know the skills on how to survive in the wild. In instances like these, you should probably go to the nearest zoo or pet shop and sell or have them adopt your reptile for you.

Now that you know the basics of keeping a reptile, you should now be all set.

Time, entertainment and the state of flow

When we are experiencing certain activities, time passes differently. Time can go fast when we are playing an interesting game, or slowly if we are watching a boring movie. It varies from person to person, but all of us have different perceptions of the time passing. In this context it’s important to highlight that there’s one chronological time (seconds, minutes, hours etc.) and a subjective time (one that affects every single individual in an unique way).

This is a complex subject to discuss in a short post, so I want to talk about these perceptions related to the gaming field. To help me in this mission, I’ll summon the ideas of the Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This researcher (1975) has developed the idea of flow to explain some time lapses we can experience when we are involved in some specific activity. Csikszentmihalyi (1975) explains that “flow” is a state in which a person is fully immersed in an action and highly focused to the extent that one can experience, for example, a loss in the feeling of self-consciousness and time experience. To help us visualize this concept, Csikszentmihalyi created a graph to visually explain the idea of flow:

Source: Tolstoy Therapy

In a synthetic way, we can observe that there are two axes in the graph above: one shows the degree of challenge and other shows skill and confidence levels. When we are experiencing a very stressful situation (like an emergency surgery, one very difficult test or a complex work to be done in a short period) we can enter a zone of panic and anxiety. On the other hand, if we are experiencing a very boring situation (a monotonic class, an annoying movie or a non-challenging game) we can enter a zone of complete boredom. Both extremes lead us to states of attention that - potentially - are harmful to our minds.

But there’s one zone of perfect balance between a stressful situation and a complete boredom state: the flow. When we experience a state of flow, we immerse ourselves in a state of mind that we can even feel the passing of time differently. Have you ever played videogames for three hours but inside of your head, only one hour has passed? This is one situation when a flow happens.

Games are excellent examples to illustrate this discussion. When we like the experience of playing certain games (analogic or digital), we can feel immersed in the state of flow. So, one important component of game design is how to engage players in the game experience so that they potentially access the flow state. There’s no recipe for this, but to test a lot of games with different beta testers that could show some interesting ways to do it.

I want to dedicate this post to all gamers that need to wake up early, but instead say “just ten more minutes” (and play for another hour). =)

#GoGamers

References:

CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, Mihaly. Play and intrinsic rewards. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol 15(3), 1975, 41-63. Online >> click here.

Tearaway Thomas (Amiga)

Tearaway Thomas title screen

Developer:

Global Software

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Release Date:

1993

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Systems:

Amiga

This week on Super Adventures I'm having a quick look at obscure platformer Tearaway Thomas.

It might seem a bit weird that I'm playing an Amiga game called Tearaway Thomas right after playing an Amiga game called Rolling Ronny last week, but that's because they're both filed away into the same folder in my brain. I'm finally making an effort here to learn which is which and more importantly what they even are.

As far as I can tell this is the first and last commercial video game these folks ever made, presumably because it's such an incredible work of art that they decided that trying to follow it up would be pointless and it was best to quit while they were ahead. Or maybe it's real bad and it shamed them into exile. I can't remember, that's why I'm replaying it now.

Read on »

Pets and Pet Care

A pet is an animal kept primarily for a person’s company, protection or entertainment rather than a working animal or livestock animal. Most pests are often noted for their attractive appearance and their playful responsibilities.

Pets can give companionship to elderly adults who do not have enough social interaction with people. Pets can also provide their owners with emotional and physical benefits such as walking a dog can simply supply the pet and the owner with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.

The most popular pets are cats and dogs. Some people also keep rabbits, rodents such as hamsters, some fancy rats, gerbils, chinchillas, and guinea pigs. There are also avian pets such as parrots, chickens, canaries and parakeets. Also, there are reptile pets which include snakes, turtles, and lizards.

In some instances, there are aquatic pets which normally include frogs, tropical fish, and goldfish.

In order for pets to survive and live happily, the pet owners/ pet sitters must always take care of the pets and always check their nutritional and health care at all times.

Pet Care

Pet care is all about taking care of your pet starting from food and safety, nourishment, exercise to medical attention. Apart from this, grooming, training and providing complete wellness to your pet is also a part of pet care. If you treat your pet like a friend then it means that you are doing your bit to ensure their overall well-being and that is what pet care is all about. Healthier pets are usually happy pets. When it comes to pet’s health it is recommendable that prevention is always better than cure.

Many people have discovered the beneficial effects of pet care but the fact remains that quite a number of the population are allergic to pets. This may be caused by touching or inhaling allergens which lead to reactions in allergic persons. Symptoms may include; sneezing, sore throat, coughing, itchy eyes, itchy skin and breathing difficulties. The most common pet allergen are proteins found in their saliva, urine, and sebaceous cells.

Ways of preventing allergies in Pets

1. Installing an air purifier – Through this fresh air is let in regularly allowing the already polluted air out of the room.

2. Create an allergen free room

3. Limit fabrics

4. Use anti-allergen room sprays

5. Dust the room regularly

6. Clean the litter box frequently

7. Invest in washable pet bedding

8. Bathe your pet at least once a week

9. Brush or comb your pet frequently.

10. Wash your hands

11. Find a physician

Pet care can in animals is quite important since the owner gets to know when to feed the pet and when to clean its place of sleep. We are going to look at how pet owners take care of their pets.

Caring for Your cat

To keep your cat happy and healthy, you need to know the best ways of pet care.

· Consider the medical concerns of the cat.

· Consider the amount of time you have for the cat.

· House trains the cat.

· Encourage the cat to use a litter box – Place the box in a quiet place where the cat won’t be bothered by people or dogs. Keep the litter box clean and provide enough litter boxes for more than one cat.

· Make the litter box a comfortable place

· Provide the cat with a scratching post

· Discourage the cat from exploring forbidden surfaces

· Define the type of food to feed the cat.

· Keep the pet healthy at all times.

· Pet care in cats also involves checking their skin regularly to check for parasites, lumps, bumps and other skin problems.

· Visit pet care institutions regularly for check-ups.

Caring for your Dog

Pet care in dogs is quite simple as the cat. Before bringing a dog into your home you should know how to provide for its needs both physical and emotional. Pet care also revolves around providing ample playing time, plenty of exercises and its mind stimulation. Other pet care ways in a dog include; feeding the dog, giving the dog water, Taking care of its health and on a regular basis, Get the dog undergo a vaccination to prevent some allergens to humans and other animals as well, groom the dog. Doing this will provide the best pest care in the dog among others.

Caring for fish

Fish are one of the best creatures to have as a pet. Fish pet care is easy to establish and achieve.

The steps are quite easy to get as they include; decide on what type of fish you want, decide on the amount of fish you want, get an appropriate tank, set up the tank and cycle it, put the fish in, perform partial water changes weekly, test the water regularly, feed the fish and monitor them.

After achieving this you would be the best pet care of your generation.