When Is Someone Too Good At A Video Game?
Everyone plays video games with a goal in mind. The goal is usually very simple: “Even though it’s three in the morning and I have to wake up for school tomorrow, I just want to beat this stupid flash game before I go to sleep.” Goals based around skill of video games usually don’t aim higher than looking for a sense of accomplishment. So it’s easy to determine when someone is too good at a video game: it’s when they can no longer complete their goal because attaining it is not a challenge.
No, this isn’t another internet “top 5″ list. That would imply music is quantitative, and it’s not. But still, how do you choose the best in-game music, when really it can’t all be compared? It’s an apples-to-oranges situation. You may think, “Well, it’s music, and it’s in a game. So, yes, stupid, it can be compared.” But if you do that, you miss the entire point of music not being quantifiable. To be the best in-game music it has to be moving, memorable, and meaningful…and not all good game music has those qualities.
For those of you who wanted to cry as you finished Halo 3, I have some good news for you: Microsoft is not done with Halo yet. We all know that an RTS, Halo Wars, is in the works, but that’s not all. That’s right, there’s more to come; it’s time to celebrate.
Last week, at Gamefest 2008, Microsoft announced that from now on, all Games for Windows Live services will be free. Meaning all PC users of these games will have access to the multiplayer services and content that used to be reserved to Gold subscribers only ($7.99 a month or $50 for a year). This includes cross-platform multiplayer matchmaking, online content distribution, and voice chat for all GFW branded games, both old and new. But the story doesn’t end there.
Want to win? Join the red team. You’ll be more likely to win, according to research published in CyberPsychology & Behavior.
Whenever a brand new title hits the shelves, thousands of gamers around the world fire up their computers or crack open their gaming magazines to see what their favorite reviewers had to say. These reviewers are professional game writers, but since we consumers invest our time and money based on their recommendations, we should probably ask a few questions. First and foremost: how much time does a reviewer actually spend with a title? And how often do they even complete them?
Master Chief has faced down an artificial intelligence with universal genocidal tendencies, ruthless warring alien races, and viral life forms. And ultimately, he prevailed. All to save a little-known place called the universe. (You can thank him later.) Yet, there may be one foe that could prove to be…too primitive…for the Chief to handle: the board game.