Yesterday I joyfully headed down to the first of the new BARG Meets at the MAC with a bulging pocket full of old train tickets. Why, well I was keen to to get some help in testing out a game based around those orange and yellow cards we all cram our wallets full of.

The idea for a game based around train tickets came after realising I, like others, spend approx 3% of my life passively collecting, then discarding them and am never without at least 5 or so on my person. So instead of just tossing them into the bin I wanted to take on the challenge of turning these disposable bits of rubbish into a competitive collectable.

So what sort of game is capable with train tickets? Lots of course, but I’m keen to develop something easy to pick up without requiring other tech or props. I’d started to think around other traditional card games and see what derivatives might be possible and of course top trumps was a natural first direction.

But where to start? As I’m still new to ‘officially’ developing games I foolishly started with a quite admin heavy approach that consisted of compiling a list of all the potential variables and the formats each ticket offers up, and there are a lot….an awful lot…..

- Return or single
- No of travellers
- Cost
- Date valid from
- Date valid till
- Date printed
- To & from
- Validity
- Various random nonsensical combinations of 5/ 10 letter numbers and letters
- Ticket validation, (stamp…hole punch….squiggle)

and this still isn’t all of them and doesn’t include seat reservations, void tickets, receipts, foreign tickets and others. After listing most of these I must admit I wasn’t a great deal further along actually coming up with a game and was just boring myself to tears. What I needed was to sit down with a group of people willing to just start playing some half baked games to see and discuss what worked and what didn’t.

And thankfully this is where the BARG meet came in. I was slightly worried when I was heading down that I wasn’t doing so with a perfect game, or even a playable one. Instead I just had a pocket full of tickets a few ideas and an extensively dull list of variables. But it turns out that’s all I needed.

I explained my semi logic and thinking so far to the group which lead to us playing through a few rounds of a trump based game with a variation of rules, discussing and deciding on these as we went along.

A personal favourite was the development of how to deal with the ‘to and from’ variable which moved from ‘distance from current location’, ‘longest distance travelled’ to the more qualitative measurement of ‘travelling up or down in the world’ (e.g. a journey from Coventry to London= good, but from Coventry to London = bad). Granted this can lead to debating (read: arguing) among players, but  this complimented the more defined numerical wins (e.g. £42 ticket trumping a £2.70 ticket).

By the end some things worked, some things didn’t, but I’m a lot further along in developing at least 1 game. I still feel that a trump based game is too much the ‘easy option’ but given the number of variables then there’s always room for a whole wiki of games (I’ve also been working around something in a domino format).

By the next meet on the 18th I’m hoping to have some further developed variations of the game we played to inflict on new willing victims. But in the meantime if you have any thoughts on games to develop with tickets then please get in touch!

(p.s. apologies for the awful picture quality, my lovely lumix camera is currently on holiday after I foolishly left it somewhere a week ago, no offence iphone camera)

I’m finally putting my money were my mouth is and have organised a meeting to rally people around ‘Project Brutal’ an idea to create a series of events and projects that celebrate and capture Birmingham’s Brutal Library whilst we still have it. The initial meeting is being held on the 20th of April at the ever delightful Created in Birmingham shop and anyone with a passion for the library is welcome to attend.

Full information on the initial meeting can be found on the eventbrite sign up page… and there’s more info over on the tumblr I’ve set up to track the project.

Any questions then just drop me a line!

(no big spoilers, but best not to read if you’re still to play through Heavy Rain)

Its an absolute first for me between drifting into Game on late Saturday afternoon to late night Sunday (approx 10 hours of playing) I had purchased and subsequently completed Heavy Rain. I have never managed this with a game before. I guess this was mainly down the inability to die, no matter how you play the game will keep on rolling.

But what makes Heavy Rain special is  ultimatly what causes it to suffer as I felt torn between different directions

1) A desire to ‘win’ by hitting every ‘bop it’ key stroke in time and what I could deem as ‘correct’.

2) To direct characters in the way I wanted, even if this meant missing a vital key stroke, or making ‘fatal’ decisions for them.

3) and finally the predetermined game narrative.

By the end I hadn’t decided which way I was playing as I was drifting between both winning and directing, and was ultimately slapped in the face with the games predetermined conclusion.

I agree with this destructoid article to some extent that whilst I found it compelling and highly addictive, narrative wise Heavy Rain is fatally flawed. When you are given the ability to influence a characters decisions you assume a level of narrative control, but Heavy rain was way to heavy handed on pulling the narrative and characters back in a potentially opposite direction. I had expected the games antagonist to differ dependent on how you played a character- but it didn’t, instead you just have the capacity to really mess up a character’s narrative arc and motivation.

The game has always (and even after playing still does) reminded me of the PC Blade Runner game in which the narrative subtly shifted depending on how you played and reacted to characters. Your choices were often small and seemingly insignificant, and you often never knew if you’d ‘failed’ to achieve something (unless you died), and the version of endings varied quite significantly. Ultimately I never felt cheated by the story and playthroughs were seamless.

Its also interesting to read back over some of the release reviews for Bladerunner which Gamespot in particular stated “an interesting mood piece, built upon some very detailed graphic work and an interesting premise — but somewhere along the production line, someone forgot to include a game.” which could easily read as a review for Heavy Rain. Its a shame as Heavy Rain falls down where Blade Runner succeeded (although Blade Runner was far from perfect, and the writing in HR is overall superior), but did so perhaps at a time when we weren’t quite ready for interactive drama in place of an adventure game.

I don’t think Heavy Rain was an abject failure, and the fact that its the first game I’ve truly missioned it through speaks volumes,  and it is still beautiful .  I just wish it had been a lot less heavy handed both on how it displays your choices and how it drives the narrative. And perhaps next time the story could be a bit less ‘every psychological thriller along with Blade Runner’ in a blender.

edit: sooo Odeon have backed down now over their threats, although as with VUE no one has yet announced what the terms of this agreement might be (here’s hoping its not a ‘we promise never to do this ever again’). Either way though I’m pleased things have concluded this way as now companies can actually assess how much the shorter window does actually effect DVD/ cinema sales.

Its like the end sequence of Jurassic Park. Two dueling giants, neither of which we can really sympathise with but ultimately, in this particular battle (17 week release window), we’re rooting for the T-Rex (Disney).

Odeon seem to be seriously wasting their energies on waging a war against a yet unproven fear of smaller release windows, instead of looking into ways in which they can change their business model to keep up with the changing world. The stand off between Disney and Odeon over the shortening of the DVD and theatrical release window really highlights how much a of a potential bully (is that wording a bit too harsh?) exhibitors can be when it comes to looking at new release models. (and not to mention that Odeon’s argument of their 3D technology spend doesn’t logically add up)The 17 week window has become sacristan to most of the larger cinema chains, as though it were written in stone. Its also not the first time (and yes it will not be the last) that the cinemas and the CEA have been up in arms at  distributors and studios attempting to break away from this. Lest us not forget Phil Clapp’s (booo hiss) exposing e-mail calling for a boycott of Revolver’s all platform release of British Indie Mum & Dad (regardless of the fact that he felt the film to be of ‘minor importance’). This time though the CEA have stayed quiet  but they did issue this press release which quietly declaired their backing of Odeon’s stance and again the holy 17 week window.

The previous Odeon boycott of Rambo was felt to be the reason that the film was unable to reach the predicted no.1 spot, and the effect this will have on Alice is yet to be seen, but as the UK’s largest cinema chain I expect this is a financial dent that will show. But with other chains agreeing to the shorter theatrical/ DVD window (although the full ‘compromise’ terms of this are unknown) it is a small but strategic win for the future of film releases that benefit audiences and film makers.

I’m guessing that as this Guardian article highlights the change over of personnel at Disney is a large reason why Alice has ended up being a champion in this fight. And although its only a small change to the window, its great for once to see a Studio fight this corner against exhibitors where smaller distributors for the most part simply can’t afford too.

After ranting last November about the decision to not list the iconic Birmingham Library building, I’m back on the war path, albeit a creative and productive one. I won’t go into the full ins and outs on here, as I’ve set up a tumblr to help channel the project into one low monthly payment, or blog if you will.

Basically the idea at present is to find like minded people and creative networks/ groups keen to work together to organise a series of events and activities to celebrate, enjoy and capture the library before it potentially meets its maker.

I’m going to be joining the people dots with a meeting in mid-late March and will post the full details on here asap. So if you have any sense you’ll head over to the tumblr site and sign up!

pip pip

Its the end of something, which makes it right about time to post a list of various IP I liked at different  intervals during said time frame. Its a shame that you get to the end of a year and post up a list of other peoples acheivements and work instead of your own , but by the time I realised this I’d already written the post. And to be honest a list of my year would be a bit dull, but that’s something for me to work on for 2010. (p.s. I do get round to explaining why I have included a picture of the 2008 re-released Badlands at some point)

MUSIC: These are the songs that made me turn off my Last.fm scrobbling to save face from the fact that I often just listened to them on repeat.

You Are the Blood: Sufjan Stevens – So very epic and beautiful. The original Castanet’s version, which is less epic is equally amazing (if not slightly more so).

Converging in the Quiet: Crystal Stilts – I don’t care if they’re a photocopy of Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine, for now that’s how I like them. (and yes 2008, I know, I know)

Golden Phone:Micachu and the Shapes- I wish the world would burst into the choreographed dance routine it does in my head whenever this comes on my iPod

Fuse:Hudson Mohawke - Panpipes have never sounded so good. No that’s not right, in fact pan pipes have never sounded good before this.

Rusty Nails: Moderat – do I have to keep putting little explanations, or can I just put the track down cause I like it and leave it be?

GAMES: I only invested in a games console released this side of the 2002 quite late in 2009 so this was never going to be a console heavy list. But considering how uninspiring a lot of the console titles can be maybe its more appropriate this way.

Time Fuck: Online – Very surprised that such a simple stylish puzzle game can evoke the same creepy fear in me as Cronenberg and Lynch films. I’m equally as surprised that i made it through the Baal level without sending my laptop out the window.

Canabalt: Online/ iPhone - With even less narrative than TF this unbelievably simplistic and addictive game (that i think all of 2% of the population are still yet to play) was still one of the most atmospheric I’ve played this year.

Rhythm Heaven: DS - I ended up with this by surprise, and I still resent it for the fact that I *thought* I had good rhythm… clearly not. Lovingly eccentric and  dangerously time sucking.

Eliss: iPhone - One of the first games on the ipod touch that roped me in when Rolando had surprisingly failed to do so. I love the simplistic design and use of the iPhones capabilities, and especially the fact that anyone observing you play tends to have no idea what it is that you’re doing.

Minor Battle: ? I only played this briefly during Indiecade in LA, and was saddened to not see it re-appear at Game City. Such an entertaining and creative mix of virtual and pervasive play, that i don’t think I’ve seen before.

TV: Almost none of the new shows out this year have managed to hook me, but this always takes time with TV I guess. But its still sad to feel like you’ve not yet filled the gap of the great shows which seem to forever be falling like flies.

Pulling - Only remembered at the last minute that this special one off episode came out this year. So sad to see Pulling go when duff like My Family and Outnumbered linger round the BBC like bad smells for years. But maybe there is still hope. 

Friday Night Lights: Series 3 – This series allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief that the debacles of series 2 were things of the past as the focus moved back from clichéd soap opera story lines to just genuinely effecting character writing.

Caprica: PilotI’m not adding the final series of BSG here, don’t get me wrong I still heart it, but it was a let down, where as Caprica gave hope for an evolved continuation of an intelligent and inventive sci fi series.

Misfits: Series 1 -The premise of ASBO kids with super powers sounded cringeworthingly bad (hence why I watched it), but I’m glad that this proved to be more than the sci fi skins mash up I was expecting and proved that we don’t always have to make do with shonky BBC sci fi (excluding Ashes to Ashes).

The Thick of it: Series 3 -No one swears so colourfully and elaborately as Armundo Iannuchi. And it was only when faced with the prospect of loosing him that I realised how much I’d fallen for Malcolm Tucker.

Films: I’ve already done my film list for the year over on the Soda Pictures website, but I want to add three additions which weren’t included for obvious reasons…

A Serious Man -I’m glad I managed to squeeze this in at the last minute. So darkly funny, I alwyas prefer this side of the Coens to their ‘Burn After Reading’. Its the subtle moments of humour I find the funniest, such as when the stoned son grasps his cup too early during the Bahmitvah.

Whip It -  Although its not out till April I caught it in LA this year so again I’m allowing it here. Like Twilight did last year, the film spoke to the 13 year old girl in me. Why wasn’t I cool enough to sneak into a Roller Derby team when I was a teenager?

Badlands- and finally my favourite discovery of 2009, is a film that came out in 1973, was re-released in 2008, so has no real bearing on 2009 aside from the fact that this was when I watched it. I love how apethetic Spacek is at the end of the film towards her lover, no fear, passion or love just plain indifference – what a perfect ending.

Only 3 TV shows have ever made me cry. I don’t really have any comparative figures from others to let me know if that makes me a sentimental fool or stone hearted b**ch. The first was Buffy just after her mother died, the second was the (admittedly overly sentimental, slightly unnecessarily) epic ending to Six Feet Under and the third was a particularly emotional episode in Season 4 of Friday Night Lights last week.

Part of me wishes these 3 were a collection of incredibly highbrow televisual fodder, and that they weren’t all US shows, but all this aside the reason why these had all effected me the way they did was because of the connection I built up with the characters, which stands testamount to the amazing writing of all 3. Yet we’ve all heard of Buffy and Six Feet Under and I’m guessing most of you from the UK will have seen on one of the other, but not so much with the Friday Night Lights though right?

Since the slash film podcasts lead to me falling for the show 2 years I’ve been trying to share my FNL love with others, but mostly my advances have been spurned. “I don’t know, it looks a bit too much teen drama to me”…. “I don’t really like American football or sports”…. “I don’t like One Tree Hill and all that”. Its a shame as people who do watch the show know that it is a world away from any of these assumptions and issues. This Guardian article from waaaaayyyy back in 2007 does more justice than I can on elaborating the shows merits further (bar the line that it doesn’t live up to The Wire’s standards to which I reply “pppssscccppptt”).

But oddly in the past few weeks people have been beginning to come out of the FNL twitter closet much to my celebration, including respected people such as @serafinowicz and @glinner (can’t find glinners tweet, but believe me it did happen). This makes me happy to know that although ITV4 didn’t give the show much of a chance over here (to be fair I understand Texas ‘teen’ American football drama is a bit of a hard sell) that finally it might actually be earning at least a stronger UK cult following that it deserves.

So here is to the ever adorable Tim Riggins and Friday Night Lights, and if you haven’t yet watched it, then do, its really not what you think it is and I’m sure the box set is floating around cyber space for 10 quid or something by now.

(and don’t worry FNL I’ve clean forgotten about the whole second season stupid murder story line, I’m just happy he’s back to his Christian speed metal).

Whilst I don’t decry the need for something to be done about the interior, nor do I hold a grudge against the new building plans (minus the knocking down the old library part). But how can such a regionally iconic example of modernist architecture, designed by a local architect not be listed and have people rooting for its demolition? I rarely use these 3 letters but in this case I’ll make the exception…WTF?

I admit I’ve not always felt this way. 8 years ago when I used to live in Birmingham, I hated the library, I saw it as an obscure cement lump. But I’ve changed my mind. Shifts in my personal tastes aside I think the Southbank can take a lot of credit for this, having seen the way a similar space is appreciated and treated through art exhibitions and recreational uses has helped me cultivate an appreciation for modernist architecture.

Sadly in Birmingham I’ve never witnessed any attempt to work sympathetically with the design either internally and externally. From the hideously gaudy airport terminal inspired Paradise Forum that runs through it, to the incredibly ugly Copthorne hotel (and its twin, which I don’t know the name of) that create a claustrophobic view of the inverted step façade (to be more technical ‘inverted ziggurat’).

Its almost as if the building has been treated like a bastard child the city had in the 70s and would rather forget. Forget postwar architecture its not quite canonised enough for our tastes just yet, so lets just knock it down and build something we hope is just about bland enough to still be in favour in 40 years, and if not we can just repeat the cycle again.

I don’t know if there is any way the building will be saved, either as a library or in another guise and given a much needed spot of TLC. And so I wonder what ways there might be to both document, re-purpose and  celebrate the space incase/before its too late (photography, pervasive games, exhibitions, hmmmmm??). I guess its just down to finding  like minded people and the keyholders with the ability to say yes to a suitably fitting swan song before the wrecking ball strikes.

Image source: Created in Birmingham

The workshops where pitched at a good level, not starting right at the bottom and assuming a basic understanding of electronics (an understanding I didn’t have). But I didn’t mind as this made the workshops more sociable as others who did understand helped us laymans muddle through together. I merrily ended the day knowing how to power and programme enough lights and buzzers to earn instant gratification and get thinking on how to implement this into something fun.

It was interesting to hear the more experienced hackers present their work at the end of the day, and that even at this level a lot of people felt compelled to apologise and confess that they hadn’t written all the code themselves or had copied circuits from others, as if it was somehow cheating to not be able to claim ownership to every step of the process.

I know I was suffering the same needless sense of guilt in the workshops and it was reassuring to hear those more experienced feel it too. It reminded me that most people aren’t experts, we all need to start somwhere and we’re all learning as we go along, sharing our ideas and projects so we can take and re-appropriate these to make them our own. Because I don’t want to be an expert….actually that’s a lie I secretly wish by some magical fluke I’d turned out to be a programming and electronics genius, but that’s impossible and besides the point…Because you don’t ‘need’ to be an expert to play, and now I can.