Check it out in all its humorous and informative glory:

42 · 6 times 9 · a touch of insanity · awesome · blog · video · vlog

3 Comments · Posted by Vince in A Touch of Insanity posts, Games posts on Apr/27/10

It’s a mini-vlog! Tell me if you think my amazing special effects skills ramped up the quality. I’ve got one relevant to AToI coming tomorrow.

Tip: Don’t watch this fullscreen. My lips look weird.

42 · 6 times 9 · a touch · a touch of insanity · video · vlog

15 Comments · Posted by Vince in A Touch of Insanity posts, Games posts on Mar/30/10

I’ve noticed that, nowadays, there is not much variety in the challenge level of your standard, mass-production game: only easy (e.g. Wii Sports Resort) and medium (e.g. nearly anything you care to mention), and I’ve been lying awake at night, thinking about why that is. It’s not like it’s a major, pressing issue, just that I’m a slight insomniac, and need something to think about in those hundred or so minutes before I finally manage to fall asleep. Anyways, I realized quickly that there’s not much of a market for impossible games, and they’re a massive risk for publishers. After thinking about it, though, I began to create an analytical chart in my head, which consists of four categories of puzzle difficulty, four of timing/mechanics difficulty, and four types of gamers. To be honest, I just really like powers of two. Anyways, the four types of puzzle difficulty are:

1. Synapse Destroyer. These are the games that consist of no thinking, just mindless jumping or whacking things like a deranged lunatic. Like sports games.

2. Slight. These are the games that have puzzles, it’s just not part of the main mechanic. Nearly all Mario games go here.

3. Thinkers. These are where you are constantly faced with puzzles, usually ranging in difficulty. World of Goo would be an example.

At first Portal seems confusing and impossible, but once you get used to it, it moves to the high end of Level 3.

4. OH MY CRAP. There are some games that just seem to demand that you think, think, and keep on thinking. Also, these games steadfastly refuse to let your brain stop churning for one second. The obvious example, of course, would be Braid. (I got 52:11 on the speed run! YES!)

Then, there’s gameplay challenges, by which I mean: how hard is it to destroy the mustache? Is it so freaking impossible to make that jump between moving platform number 17 to number 18? Basically, how near are you driven to suicide?

1. Blank. In this, there are nearly no gameplay challenges. These are usually accompanied by Level 3/4 puzzles. Or Dora, of course.

2. A Little Bit. This is where there are a few challenges, but not too many.

3. Getting Hard. This is where Mario comes in to the gameplay aspect of challenge.

4. (suicide). This is where you keep trying, over and flippin’ over, to make the jump. If the game doesn’t have some great, addicting gameplay, it’s doomed. Think Bit.Trip Core.

And, then, there are the gamers, the most important part of gaming.

1. The Casual (35%). These people can be anybody from a middle-aged guy who occasionally plays a bit on the computer to an old lady. Generally, they’re all willing to try anything in the first two levels of anything and about half of them will venture into level three.

2. The Average (15%). These are the people who are fairly willing to try anything in the first three categories, and about half of the fourth.

3. The Hardcore (25%). Hardcore gamers will pretty much try any game, although not so much in the first category of gameplay.

4. The Puzzle Gamer (25%). Puzzle gamers will only play games with level 3/4 puzzles, and maybe the upper half of 2′s.

So, uh… I’m should make a chart, but it’s almost time for dinner… hm…

[please insert chart and conclusion here.]

42 · 6 times 9 · base 13 · challenge · gaming · i can has · puzzles · typing in pointless tags because i can

6 Comments · Posted by Vince in Games in general, Games posts on Mar/21/10