Portal fun.
I just beat Portal. It's a computer game where your only weapon is a device that lets you create a portal between two different locations.
It's clever, funny, and well put together, although the first part was really a bit too easy.
I definitely recommend checking it out.
(video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb7aDZeO_MQ
The original concept came from a student project. Portal was essentially the "big studio remake" of a small independent hit.
Also, unlike other games which can take a good work week or so to beat, Portal is beatable in just a few hours.
It's funny how entertainment comes segmented into different bite sizes. To some degree, these sizes are arbitrary.
Let's map it:
Storyline sizes:
A few minutesClose to an hourA few hoursDozens of hours TextNewspaper articleFeature story in a magazineShort bookLong book or series Moving picturesYoutubeTV showMovieSeason of a TV serial Live showStreet performer. Vaudeville. (dead)Relatively rare. (eg boxing)Concerts, plays, sports gamesRare. Interactive gameOnline Flash minigame. Arcade game. Racing and 2-player fighting games.Relatively rare.
Relatively rare (eg Portal)Most computer & console games
The gaps in live shows make sense. People don't want to go to the trouble of attending a live show if it's only going to last an hour... and a live show longer than a few hours is difficult in terms of the human labor required to put on the show and in terms of requiring a large audience to synchronize their breaks. The gaps in interactive games don't make as much sense. There's no reason that the game companies couldn't make games with 1-3 hour storylines. They could be sold for $5-$15.
I haven't been paying that much attention to the games industry lately. Perhaps that gap has been filled.
It's clever, funny, and well put together, although the first part was really a bit too easy.
I definitely recommend checking it out.
(video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb7aDZeO_MQ
The original concept came from a student project. Portal was essentially the "big studio remake" of a small independent hit.
Also, unlike other games which can take a good work week or so to beat, Portal is beatable in just a few hours.
It's funny how entertainment comes segmented into different bite sizes. To some degree, these sizes are arbitrary.
Let's map it:
Storyline sizes:
A few minutesClose to an hourA few hoursDozens of hours TextNewspaper articleFeature story in a magazineShort bookLong book or series Moving picturesYoutubeTV showMovieSeason of a TV serial Live showStreet performer. Vaudeville. (dead)Relatively rare. (eg boxing)Concerts, plays, sports gamesRare. Interactive gameOnline Flash minigame. Arcade game. Racing and 2-player fighting games.Relatively rare.
Relatively rare (eg Portal)Most computer & console games
The gaps in live shows make sense. People don't want to go to the trouble of attending a live show if it's only going to last an hour... and a live show longer than a few hours is difficult in terms of the human labor required to put on the show and in terms of requiring a large audience to synchronize their breaks. The gaps in interactive games don't make as much sense. There's no reason that the game companies couldn't make games with 1-3 hour storylines. They could be sold for $5-$15.
I haven't been paying that much attention to the games industry lately. Perhaps that gap has been filled.