Spore is Spreading Its Seed
Spore has recently received the honor of the 20th best invention in 2008, according to Time Magazine. This is kind of a big deal for a video game. I mean, out of all the things invented this year, Time chose to honor a video game within its pages (as well as a Retail DNA Test, Hulu, and the LHC). Is this a step into accepting games as art? Perhaps. But imagine the impact this has on the casual market. With such a presence in a magazine revered as nothing less than uber-respected, sales should shoot through the roof. Many roofs, in fact. I hope someone has roof insurance and knows a good shingle salesman.
In the lead-up to the much anticipated release of Spore, I wondered to myself why the only gameplay demos we saw were of the cell and creature stage. I should have seen it coming.
It’s sort of a long-standing satisfaction when you see David beat out a Goliath with a single and decisive blow. The whole concept is somewhat of a recurrent theme throughout literature and even plays to our psyches today. That’s part of my thrill in seeing EA relax their DRM rules on Spore after a voluminous outcry by buyers and bystanders alike. It’s one of the few times where the tiny Davids win out against the Goliath corporations.
You know you’re damned to a life of nerd-dom when you’re a kid and like watching Bill Nye the Science Guy way more than Full House or Saved by the Bell. (I can still hear that theme song, which is still cool, BTW.) Being a nerd, I’m also a gamer; and, ipso facto, I’m in love with Spore… wait. I lied. I’m not. It’s because DRM is the worst thing that ever happened to the digital era.
Anyone who considers themselves a gamer knows about Spore (console gamers, you have no excuse).
While at NVISION on Tuesday afternoon, I was able to watch a few of the Maxis/EA team members demo the Creature Creator with an “inside perspective” as to the infinite possibilities within the game. Wow, that’s all I have to say, Wow. These are some of the best game designers I’ve ever been near. The mere fact that you can create anything you want within the Creature Creator, the Vehicle Creator, Building Creator; it blows my mind. And as the game progresses, the possibilities only get better.
Video games and religion have always had a tenuous relationship. But with the long awaited Spore on the way, there’s bound to be some resentment from the pulpit for its promotion of evolution. While the nature of the game–spanning from single-cell amoebas to complex civilizations–inherently employs the theory of evolution, it also has aspects similar to the belief of intelligent design. With its emphasis on creating life, Spore could actually be more about proving God than disproving God.
Yesterday was the beginning of the end for the 2008 E3. All the major announcements from developers and industry leaders have already been covered, but there were a few nuggets and granules to glean from Joe Gamer’s hands-on experience with the new offerings. Plus, a few other news-related items that seem to fit in perfectly. Though the official subjective decision is still out, Microsoft seemed to have the strongest showing at E3 this year, with a number of Microsoft-specific news items to round out the final day.