CNN reports on the winners of this year's Turner Prize, an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. All of the finalists asked to be given the prize jointly, as a group, and so all of the contenders "won" in a competition in which no one lost.
This, combined with what some people see as a pattern in recent years, has irked some people. These people see this "tie" and equate it with the concept of spoiled Millennials who get "participation trophies" or prizes for trying. What has happened to cutthroat competition and actual winning.
The Arguments For and Against
The arguments against the Turner prize tie, in this case, are that the refusal to announce a single winner is indicative of snowflakes, who can't handle being losers. That too many winners devalues the concept of winning, and of competition in general. And that it lacks drama.
The arguments in favor are rather specific to this event. The artists decided that their works were complementary, rather than competitive, and did not feel that a competition was the right way to judge them. That felt that they had already "won" by having reached the shortlist for the prize. Alex Farquharson, the director of the Tate Britain gallery which organizes the prize, argues that times have changed and that competition may not be the right format to judge these kinds of works, anymore. Andrew Russeth, a writer for the Daily Mail, writes "This notion of having artists compete in public and one walk away the winner feels a little demeaning and unpleasant."
Some Points to Consider
As for the arguments against, it is important to divide up those activities in which competition really brings out the most effort and the best results versus those in which we have stuck absolute competitions because we were too boring or lazy to provide a better framework. The Olympics doesn't have a single winner, because we don't make the downhill skier compete against the figure skater; the disciplines and forms are too different to compare. So maybe, when it comes to art competitions with very loose frameworks, it is silly to compare different kinds of entries in different subjects, and with different intents. Maybe the Turner Prize is overdue for a restructure.
When it comes to "participation trophies", there are two hands here. On the one hand, participation trophies are not just a Millennial issue; that is lazy, biased journalism, and the usual "look down at the next generation" attitude of Boomers who have suddenly publicized a concept that has existed for generations. Everyone who joins the army (and doesn't screw up too badly) gets stripes and awards during and after service. Everyone who shows up for work gets paid, and often gets bonuses, even if they aren't the number one worker. Even the specific concept of participation trophies is a century old.
On the other hand, participation trophies are not "everyone gets a trophy". They are, unless severely mishandled, a reward for having put in effort. In the same event, different people, i.e. winners, get specific prizes, while everyone who at least put in effort gets the participation trophy. The recipients of these trophies are not morons, and they know that trophies for winning and trophies for participation have different values. But studies show that encouraging effort is better motivation than acknowledging talent. When you tell someone they have won, they stop trying; when you tell someone that they are smart, they often find a way to not be, act, or appear smart. When you tell someone that you see their hard work and you think it is worthwhile, they may end up trying harder, and, sometimes, they may eventually win or get smarter.
However, announcing the Turner Prize as a tie is lazy; if you set up a competition, you should not change the rules in the middle when you realize that the competition was the wrong format. They should have, originally, defined better categories that were more conductive to direct competition, or they should have defined goals for which prizes could be given to all, or a list, of people who met these goals. But, since they didn't, they should have awarded a winner and let the artists figure out how to deal with this.
Competition is not inherently evil. It brings out efforts and results that would not happen without it. When mishandled, it can bring out people too focused on the goal; they might even short circuit the permitted methods to get to that goal. Winning, when handled well, can be a goal or a stepping stone to more effort. Losing, when handled well, is not something to be afraid of. Competition against others should always be, in parallel, competition against ourselves. And for that, a job well done results in a self-award that does not require any external acknowledgement.
lunes, 23 de marzo de 2020
viernes, 20 de marzo de 2020
Storium Basics: Assets And Goals
We've already discussed Storium's first (and my favorite) Neutral card type, the Subplot, but that's not the only Neutral card type in Storium. Today, I'm going to discuss the other two types: Assets and Goals.
Unlike all the other cards in Storium, Assets and Goals are not things that you start with - they aren't part of your character from the beginning, and they aren't chosen at Refreshes or upon spending a stack or anything like that. Whether you have these cards or not isn't up to you, entirely - it depends on the narrator. These are both given to players - or provided for pickup - by the narrator at his will.
Assets represent things like items, people, or other resources that are sufficiently important to the story to be specifically noted. Narrators vary in how they use them—some toss out a ton, some toss out generic ones that players can customize (more on that later), and some provide only very specific, story-critical assets. The use is the same, regardless: You play the card and move things forward, telling how that resource is important in pushing the challenge closer to conclusion. It can sometimes be easier to write asset moves if you play a Strength or Weakness with them, so you can write how you use that asset well or badly.
Goals are kind of like Subplots, but they're things the narrator would like to see you address during the game. Like assets, narrators use these for all sorts of purposes. I've seen them used to represent injuries, enchantments, objectives…I've seen them used as requests to world-build or create NPCs that the narrator can use…all sorts of things. They work similarly to subplots - you get a stack, and when you play all the cards of that stack, you get a free Wild Strength as a reward. Basically, these are the narrator's way of saying, "Hey, talk about this in the story or show this happening, and if you do it, you can get a Strength card for making the story more interesting."
Narrators may give Assets or Goals to you directly, or may lay them out to be picked up. You can pick up a card that a narrator set out by using the "pick up cards" button at the bottom of your move editing window when writing a move. If picking a card up, you'll often want to actually show the item being picked up as part of your move, or show your character now thinking about the Goal and deciding to take it up, but that isn't always necessary (for instance, I often use Assets to represent other characters traveling with the group).
Whether given to you or picked up by you, you can then hold on to the asset card until you feel like playing it. You can also pick up and play an asset card in the same move.
Like subplots, assets and goals are neutral cards–they push a challenge closer to conclusion but don't themselves tip the scale one way or another. I look at it like this: You might have a gun, and that might matter to a scene, but whether it is a good thing or a bad thing really depends on how you use it…so Strengths and Weaknesses are still what you use to affect outcomes. That's not to say you have to play one of those cards along with an asset or goal, but I do have to say I generally find it easier to write moves for asset or goal cards if I play them with a Strength or Weakness myself.
If you play an asset or goal card on its own, think like you do for Subplot cards: the card is important to the scene and pushes things towards a conclusion, but doesn't change the current Strong/Weak balance so things still feel like they're headed for the ending they were headed for before, overall. As with Subplots, that can feel good if things were headed towards a Strong outcome, or bad if they were headed for a Weak outcome, or just...well...uncertain if they were headed for an Uncertain outcome. The overall feel of the situation hasn't changed, but now there's less time to change it.
Asset cards can be rewritten, as I've noted above. If an asset card has multiple uses (a "stack"), you can use the "browse your cards" button in your move writing window to look at it and rewrite the asset. This consumes one use of the asset card stack, but lets you rename it to something that seems more narratively important at the time. That means that if you have, say, a stack of asset cards representing a gun and you don't have access to that gun in the story presently, you can just rewrite the stack into something else–maybe your character always keeps a city map around.
Note that not all narrators allow that – some really prefer assets to represent one thing and one thing only. But the basic idea of how they're set up is to give you something to use when you feel like your character would have something to help out and you want to highlight that. I believe Stephen Hood called them "ways to plug holes in the plot," and that's a pretty apt description.
Assets and Goals will feature majorly in some games, and barely at all in others, depending on the narrator's style, but they're cards you need to be aware of. I actually haven't written all that much on Assets and Goals over the course of my writing on this blog, as in my own narration they are cards I don't use much! This is a case where I suggest talking with other players and narrators on Storium more than looking to my writing for advice. That said, here are a few articles that cover Neutral cards more generally:
Unlike all the other cards in Storium, Assets and Goals are not things that you start with - they aren't part of your character from the beginning, and they aren't chosen at Refreshes or upon spending a stack or anything like that. Whether you have these cards or not isn't up to you, entirely - it depends on the narrator. These are both given to players - or provided for pickup - by the narrator at his will.
Assets represent things like items, people, or other resources that are sufficiently important to the story to be specifically noted. Narrators vary in how they use them—some toss out a ton, some toss out generic ones that players can customize (more on that later), and some provide only very specific, story-critical assets. The use is the same, regardless: You play the card and move things forward, telling how that resource is important in pushing the challenge closer to conclusion. It can sometimes be easier to write asset moves if you play a Strength or Weakness with them, so you can write how you use that asset well or badly.
Goals are kind of like Subplots, but they're things the narrator would like to see you address during the game. Like assets, narrators use these for all sorts of purposes. I've seen them used to represent injuries, enchantments, objectives…I've seen them used as requests to world-build or create NPCs that the narrator can use…all sorts of things. They work similarly to subplots - you get a stack, and when you play all the cards of that stack, you get a free Wild Strength as a reward. Basically, these are the narrator's way of saying, "Hey, talk about this in the story or show this happening, and if you do it, you can get a Strength card for making the story more interesting."
Narrators may give Assets or Goals to you directly, or may lay them out to be picked up. You can pick up a card that a narrator set out by using the "pick up cards" button at the bottom of your move editing window when writing a move. If picking a card up, you'll often want to actually show the item being picked up as part of your move, or show your character now thinking about the Goal and deciding to take it up, but that isn't always necessary (for instance, I often use Assets to represent other characters traveling with the group).
Whether given to you or picked up by you, you can then hold on to the asset card until you feel like playing it. You can also pick up and play an asset card in the same move.
Like subplots, assets and goals are neutral cards–they push a challenge closer to conclusion but don't themselves tip the scale one way or another. I look at it like this: You might have a gun, and that might matter to a scene, but whether it is a good thing or a bad thing really depends on how you use it…so Strengths and Weaknesses are still what you use to affect outcomes. That's not to say you have to play one of those cards along with an asset or goal, but I do have to say I generally find it easier to write moves for asset or goal cards if I play them with a Strength or Weakness myself.
If you play an asset or goal card on its own, think like you do for Subplot cards: the card is important to the scene and pushes things towards a conclusion, but doesn't change the current Strong/Weak balance so things still feel like they're headed for the ending they were headed for before, overall. As with Subplots, that can feel good if things were headed towards a Strong outcome, or bad if they were headed for a Weak outcome, or just...well...uncertain if they were headed for an Uncertain outcome. The overall feel of the situation hasn't changed, but now there's less time to change it.
Asset cards can be rewritten, as I've noted above. If an asset card has multiple uses (a "stack"), you can use the "browse your cards" button in your move writing window to look at it and rewrite the asset. This consumes one use of the asset card stack, but lets you rename it to something that seems more narratively important at the time. That means that if you have, say, a stack of asset cards representing a gun and you don't have access to that gun in the story presently, you can just rewrite the stack into something else–maybe your character always keeps a city map around.
Note that not all narrators allow that – some really prefer assets to represent one thing and one thing only. But the basic idea of how they're set up is to give you something to use when you feel like your character would have something to help out and you want to highlight that. I believe Stephen Hood called them "ways to plug holes in the plot," and that's a pretty apt description.
Assets and Goals will feature majorly in some games, and barely at all in others, depending on the narrator's style, but they're cards you need to be aware of. I actually haven't written all that much on Assets and Goals over the course of my writing on this blog, as in my own narration they are cards I don't use much! This is a case where I suggest talking with other players and narrators on Storium more than looking to my writing for advice. That said, here are a few articles that cover Neutral cards more generally:
jueves, 19 de marzo de 2020
5 GAMES FOR DECEMBER - STAR WARS!
So, I finally got round to seeing Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite the naysayers, it remains a cinematic tour de force so what better way to celebrate than a trove of classic Star Wars games. The short-lived sub-division of Lucas Learning gave us some obscure titles. Learn about physics and momentum in the Star Wars: Anakin's Speedway (1999). Then learn the same thing but with robots in the far superior action-puzzler Star Wars: DroidWorks (1998). Test your biology skills in the Sim-Life a-like strategy game Star Wars: Episode I - The Gungan Frontier (1999). Want a little less learning? Why not try the official tie-in to Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)? Lastly, travel back to a time before the special editions and get your very first look at them in Star Wars: Making Magic (1996)!
Enjoy! And I'll see you in the new year!
Read more »
SuperStarfighter, A Local Multiplayer Game Made With Godot
Looks like FOSS game development with Godot is a breeze :)
Get it on Itch.io or find the source code here.
Hat-tip to GoL.
For commenting please visit our forums.
SuperStarfighter is a fast-paced local party game for up to 4 players. Outmaneuver and shoot your opponents in a 2d top-down arena, and become an intergalactic champion!
Get it on Itch.io or find the source code here.
Hat-tip to GoL.
For commenting please visit our forums.
lunes, 16 de marzo de 2020
Beyond Enemy Lines Incl All DLC Free Download
Beyond Enemy Lines Incl All DLC Free Download
Beyond Enemy Lines Incl All DLC Free Download PC Game setup in single direct link for Windows. It is an amazing action and indie game.
Beyond Enemy Lines Incl All DLC PC Game 2019 Overview
You are a Special Agent. Equipped with state of the art weapons and equipment, you operate in absolute secrecy as a lone wolf far beyond enemy lines.
Your task: Gain back control of a satellite equipped with nuclear missiles captured by Soviet separatists.Think your way in, observe your enemies, sneak into their base and complete your objective. You have total freedom to choose your path – guns blazing or silent assassin – it's your choice! Beyond Enemy Lines is an unforgiving, intense experience where skill and tactical decisions matter!
Features of Beyond Enemy Lines Incl All DLC
Following are the main features of Beyond Enemy Lines Incl All DLC that you will be able to experience after the first install on your Operating System.
- Beyond Enemy Lines offers an eight missions long campaign and two special standalone missions, with a combined average playtime of 10-15h on the first playtrough. Operation: Arctic Hawk, the first DLC adds an additional 4 mission long campaign. Size the release three additional new standalone missions, each with an average playtime of 1h, where released for free. Several more will be added in the coming months.
- Beyond Enemy Lines utilizes a movement based noise calculation system. Each move or action will result in a noise with a different intensity, calculated from your movement.Act carefully, the enemy will hear you!
- Got high detailed 3D models and imposing gameplay modes.
- Add a standalone entry to your library.
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domingo, 15 de marzo de 2020
White Paper Games Launch 'The Occupation.
HAPPY LAUNCH DAY to our Alumni and all at White Paper Games!
"The Occupation is a first-person, fixed-time, investigative thriller set in North West England on 24th October 1987. You play as a journalist in a detailed, systems-driven world where people react to your actions and time is your biggest enemy."
For more info:
Huge CONGRATULATIONS.
jueves, 5 de marzo de 2020
Here's To Lookin' At You, Bugs!
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| Image used for criticism under "Fair Use." All rights belong to Warner Brothers. |
"What's up, Doc?"
Bugs Bunny was one of the great idols of my childhood. Looney Tunes used to regularly come on Cartoon Network, and Bugs was the one I always wanted most to see. In fact, Cartoon Network used to dedicate the entire month of June to playing Bugs Bunny cartoons nonstop. Such a bold move could hardly be imagined today. Even more inconceivable were his appearances at that time beside Michael Jordan in Space Jam, and Mickey Mouse in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The latter more productive than the former.
I speak of Bugs since he just turned seventy-five this year. In the few moments I've spent with him, eyes glued to the TV set, so many are fond. Who wouldn't adore his arguments with Daffy over whether it was "Rabbit Season" or "Duck Season"? We all know the routine. Bugs would concede that it's "Rabbit Season", but Daffy, not one to agree with Bugs, thoughtlessly insists that its "Duck Season", only to get his bill shot off by Elmer. Though Bugs hardly ever got on Elmer's good side, either. As much as he tried to be very, very quiet in his hunting for rabbits, Bugs usually got the upper-hand. Sometimes he did it by cross-dressing as a woman, most famously in What's Opera, Doc? Now remembered as one of Bugs and Elmer's finest, What's Opera, Doc? is a fanciful adaptation of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, with the "Tannhauser Chorus" and "Ride of the Valkyries" included. The short was produced in the 1950's, when the Chuck Jones cartoons acquired a more modernist art style. We see this on point when Elmer's fury to command the weather gets the background into more clashing hues and greys. What stands out about this particular episode is that Elmer actually succeeds in killing Bugs, to which he weeps. I was shocked upon first seeing this. Tom never caught Jerry. Sylvester never caught Tweety. Wile E. Coyote never caught Road Runner. Yet here we were. Though Bugs slipped in a final comment to berate my surprise, "What did you expect from an opera, a happy ending?"
Even when Bugs was shamelessly ripping off Tom and Jerry's Cat Concerto in Rhapsody Rabbit, he managed to get a good laugh or two in. I mean hell, he literally pulls out a gun to shoot a coughing audience member. I suppose a bullet does better to silence than cough drops.
Bugs had wit. I'd argue that's part of his draw. With so many one-liners, Bugs comes across as an animated Groucho Marx. (Bugs has even put on a Groucho disguise). The rabbit always used his brains to get the upper-hand over his opponents, and being a cartoon, he resolves matters in ways that may surprise the viewer. Compare this to Popeye the Sailor, whom while being entertaining in his own right, always ended his conflicts in the same way: with spinach and muscle. Though the type of character Bugs is comes from the Trickster archetype. NPR compared him favorably to Puck, Anansi, and the Monkey King. Further, the radio station quoted Robert Thompson, who directs a pop-culture studies program at Syracuse University. Thompson remarked of Bugs that, "He defies authority. He goes against the rules. But he does it in a way that's often lovable, and that often results in good things for the culture at large," (Sutherland). Chuck Jones, always made sure that Bugs only acted when provoked. His trickery was a matter of defending his dignity.
And to my recollection, he always won.
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| Image used for criticism under "Fair Use." All rights belong to Warner Bros. |
Bibliography
Sutherland, J.J. "Bugs Bunny: The Trickster, American Style." NPR, January 6, 2008. Web. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17874931
Trees And Terrain
I actually finished all of these in the last week of June, but scheduled this post to come up later for some reason. Anyway, one of the things I have been pushing out lately is a good bit of terrain. Mostly adding to existing stocks because I don't have enough trees and such.
A tray full of trees!
I use this cheap plastic tray to carry minis and spray them with clear coat. Then I can move them back into the air conditioned spaces in the house to keep the clear coat from getting all cloudy as happens in humid conditions. Like Houston is, eight days a week.
Bamboo stands. Need a lot more of these, not as tall mostly.
Primarily for 15mm jungles, Flames of War Pacific, etc.
Regular old deciduous trees. Just some cheap Chinese
model railroad trees and basing.
Same as above, but palm trees in the desert.
Again, need to do more for jungles too.
Flowering model railroad trees.
These are a bit different to my usual. Wire trunks.
I like them. Mostly I like a bit of variety.
Runestones from Fenris Games. Unlike the earlier ones painted for Frostgrave, these are two in
a temperate/verdant scheme and one in a desert.
A third Team Yankee minefield and emergence tunnels for the giant worms I shared a few days ago.
miércoles, 4 de marzo de 2020
PG 206, Bobby Is Going Home!
Today for the first time I delve into what I originally thought was a PAL exclusive game, Bobby Is Going Home by Bit Corporation. Music and fun, what more could you want? Special thanks to Flanders 72, a punk band from Brazil. They are a great band that has a song called Bobby Is Going Home, which they let me use for the show. You can buy the track at their Bandcamp site, as well as all of their other music, so please support them! Next up will be Crypts of Chaos by 20th Century Fox. Please send your feedback to 2600gamebygame@gmail.com by the end of the day, 30 September. Thank you all so much for listening, and for your patience.
Pertinent Links
Bobby Is Going Home on Atarimania
Ample Ace Co. web site
Supergame VG 2800
Supergame VG 3000
No Swear Gamer 413 - Bobby Is Going Home
No Swear Gamer Bobby Is Going Home gameplay
Kulihat ibu pertiwi
Flanders 72 - Bobby Is Going Home video
Flanders 72 on Bandcamp
Pertinent Links
Bobby Is Going Home on Atarimania
Ample Ace Co. web site
Supergame VG 2800
Supergame VG 3000
No Swear Gamer 413 - Bobby Is Going Home
No Swear Gamer Bobby Is Going Home gameplay
Kulihat ibu pertiwi
Flanders 72 - Bobby Is Going Home video
Flanders 72 on Bandcamp
Space Tourists
Space Park is the type of game that tends to appeal to me right away: great looking illustration and graphic design, at a low enough price point that I can afford to take a chance and buy the game on impulse. These impulse purchases can be a mixed bag, sometimes resulting in great looking games whose novelty wears off quickly (Grimslingers), or games that sounded more interesting than they actually are (Deadline), but every once in a while we end up with an entertaining game that, while simple, bears out repeated plays and earns a place in our collection.
First let's talk about the artwork. The game board is made up of a series of large tiles, each intended to look like a tourism advertisement for a location in outer space. The illustrations are gorgeous: any one of them would look great at poster size, framed on a wall somewhere. The rest of the game's printed components use snippets from these pieces of artwork along with some considered and sophisticated typography and graphic design.
Okay, so the game is pretty, but is it any fun to play? Yes it is. Space Park is an interesting marriage of familiar game mechanics with a few unusual ideas. At its core it's a resource collection game: players move around on a board made up of the aforementioned tiles, each representing a location where various different resources can be picked up, exchanged, or spent in various combinations to purchase victory points and game advantages.
What sets the game apart is the way players move around the board. Regardless of the number of players, there are three silver rocket ships, each starting at a different location. On a player's turn, they perform the action at a location where there is a ship (usually collecting a resource), then move that ship to the next empty location. This is interesting for several reasons, the most obvious being that each player doesn't have their own playing piece, they always have a choice of three pieces to move. More strategically, it means that every time a player takes their turn, they need to think about where the piece will be moving and what advantage they're giving the next player by moving it there.
It's one of those rare games with simple rules but a lot to think about that's great for when you want a lighter game with a reasonable amount of strategic depth. And it's very pretty to look at.
Rating: 4 (out of 5) Not necessarily an immersive "play all day" type game, but excellent for what it is: lightweight and fun.
- Space Park official website
- Space Park on Boardgamegeek
lunes, 24 de febrero de 2020
domingo, 23 de febrero de 2020
EU Switch Release For Arc Of Alchemist Is Now Set For February + Meet The Creators
As previously mentioned, Arc of Alchemist will be heading to North America on January 30, 2020 and in Europe on January 31, 2020 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The North American release date for both platforms and the European PS4 version will still release on January 30 and January 31, respectively. However, the EU Nintendo Switch release date is now set for February, instead of January 31. The launch date for the EU Switch version will be provided soon.
This week, we also have the last website update that provides more background on the world, the creative minds who were involved with
Arc of Alchemist, as well as free Twitter Icons and wallpapers. Check the links below!
- World: Glossary, Background
- Info: Creators
- Special: Twitter Icons, Wallpapers
The North American version will release digitally for both the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. The European version will release digitally for the Nintendo Switch, and the PS4 version will have a physical and digital release.
The North American and European releases for the Nintendo Switch and PS4 include updated system features and the ability to choose and play between 7+ possible characters.
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