Scribblenauts

[ShinningDesertEagle]

This article was entertaining. And by entertaining I mean downright hilarious. And by downright hilarious I mean I was laughing (no joke, either; I mean a real genuinely spontaneous laugh brought on when something unexpectedly funny happens). According to him, everyone is an idiot. So basically he says what everyone knew beforehand and actually expects us to take his articles seriously hence force.

Let us see what makes you an idiot according to Croshaw:

-You use the internet.
-You read Yatzee's articles.
-You play Little Big Planet as opposed to downloading Game Maker 7 or writing a story about your dog or writing poetry on walls with your own blood.
-You refuse to reject your creative freedom by not choosing to conform to playing games packaged and made by professionals.
-You have an interest in entertainment without a non-linear story.
-You post a comment on an internet article.
-You send e-mail to a news show.
-You think your opinion matters to anyone besides yourself.

Not my words, people, the great man himself, the intellect, Yahtzee (who thinks you're an idiot). Before this I found his opinions of Zero Punctuation to be overblown for the sake of comedy but now he is showing us this is what he actually thinks. I believe we idiots can all learn to appreciate the unintentional humor brought about by Yahtzee as he continues to write articles decrying the evils of Portal memes and user-created content (which make us idiots).

So while I revel in my idiotcy I am also anticipating the next article of Extra Punctuation with child-like glee as Yahtzee continues to make a fool of himself.

 

[FightThePower]

I think user-created content can still work in a game, but I think that this only works if the tools themselves are complex enough so that only those who are devoted and patient enough will actually create something. An example would be some of the community maps in Team Fortress 2, maps that are so good that they get made official by the developers themselves. But if those tools are simple and easy to get to grips with, then common idiots like myself will have a go and populate the game world with shite maps made in about an hour or less. The custom tracks on Trackmania are pretty awful and I even considered making one of my own for a while before I remembered I'm not a professional level designer.

 

[mikamala]

Dear Yahtzee,

I know you've given up on the opposite sex, but, going out on a limb here: Can I have your babies? Perhaps buy you a drink first? I find your bitter cynicism strangely refreshing, and your witticisms ... well, witty, honestly. (That one got away from me there.)

-a fan.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

You know, after being called an idiot, posting in this topic is pretty much confirmation of it. I mean, when somebody beats you with a chair, you don't hand them a barstool made of broken beer bottles and napalm. Likewise, when somebody calls you an idiot, you don't comment again and give him or her more ammunition.

... Drat, I failed the test.

Yahtzee shouldn't review ODST. He should review the original game, Combat Evolved. Seems only fair. One doesn't start griping about how the Chrono series is crap by talking about Cross, does one? Or how Deus Ex is a garbage series because of Invisible War. You know, completely ignoring the game that made said series popular and critically acclaimed in the first place? Oh, wait, wait! What about only playing Deadly Shadows and saying that the Thief games are horrible based on that title alone? Or playing Silent Hill 4 and... You get the idea.

 

[Dabchan]

I love it when he calls us idiots. It makes my confidence RISE.
And true, the major problem with SandBox Games are that they give the writers an excuse not to write a good story or in fact, even a story at all!
The Sims Series is a fine example of this. I remember them giving you a backstory in some families in the game, Wanting you to finish the game in a certain way but not TELLING you to and simply saying'Going nuts'.
And I did go nuts. I made the female characters lesbians, I made the guys move away, then I set the house on fire when one of the naked lesbian girls accidently ruined a good mac and cheese. LOOK AT ME, I AM CREATING MY OWN INTERACTIVE EXPEIRENCE! IT IS....not fun. Why?
Because my own interactive experiences are retarded. The idea of giving stupid people creative tools is what giving crayons and a piece of paper to a bunch of kids.
Here is a hint Game developers; Letting Players create their own expeirence's is a cute idea, but a puppy is also cute as well. I woulden't want to play with a puppy, and the puppy might bite me if I tried.

 

[RaZoR GoZ]

Don't get the wrong idea about this game - what it definitely is not is a flawless miniature Star Trek holodeck that will manifest your every whim. And good thing too, because as entertainment goes I couldn't imagine anything duller.

What, summoning Miranda Kerr to polish your sword is boring?! Hell, you could even summon two Miranda Kerrs...

And the trouble with having a majority of idiots is that they have a detrimental effect on global culture.

I don't want to sound like a flame, but what global culture?? Didn't you notice that some people in the world don't speak English?! If there's no global culture, then there are no bumbling idiots destroying it.

This whole "give the player choice to play the game the way they want to play" smacks of the culture of political correctness that feels everyone deserves to contribute whatever they want.

I rather think that it is destructive 'The consumer needs choice' mob, where choice is the be-all and end-all.

Q. Was this level designed by someone who is employed professionally as a games designer or in another relevant creative industry?

Oh Yahtzee, you elitist dog, how can you say such a thing?! What do you mean that Joe-public cannot be trusted to make there own choices?! Next you'll be giving me a copy of the Nichomachen Ethics, and telling me Democracy is ineffective!! =D

Great article & review as usual. Keep up the good work!! =]

 

[twistedshadows]

I really am amused by all the people who are raging about being called an idiot by someone who insults people for a living.
What did you expect, cuddles and ice cream?

 

[WaderiAAA]

I've read books where you are often given a choice and the book sais "if you want to go deaper into the store, go to page 67, if you want to look at the comics books on this shelf, go to page 92", and it actually worked pretty well. None of them are on my list of favorite books, but one of them I liked so much that I bothered to read it over and over and make different choice so I could get all of the twenty-four endings. If a game can achieve the same thing - which shouldn't be impossible to achieve, I would be thrilled.

I hear Dragon Age Origins might be that game, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

 

[Uszi]

Yahtzee, you're so cute when you cannibalize your own fan base in a fit of elitist rage.

 

[Voltano]

"Besides, I don't play games because I want to extract my own fun, I want to play the fun that was made for me by professional fun-designers. This is a problem I've raised concerning sandbox games. If you want to have a linear story - and you will if you have any kind of story, because non-linear stories don't and will never exist no matter what anyone tells you - then any freedom you give the player to mess about and do side-quests will distract from the pacing.

No other medium does this. It'd be like reading a novel, and every few pages there's a crossword you can do, or there's a little short story booklet stapled to the page that says "YOU CAN READ THIS IF YOU WANT BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO! IT'S YOUR CHOICE!" And if you read that then it doesn't affect the story but the rest of the pages become slightly easier to turn." --Yahtzee

This doesn't sound like you enjoy the concept of a game at all when you are comparing it to another media that follows a linear fashion.

Games are games, not movies or books. Games evolved from the concept of giving players choices to deal with challenges. Conventional (board) games and "simple" games like "Tag" allow players to overcome challenges presented to them, which could be thought of as a combination of a toy meets a story. Like a toy, the person has ways of interacting with the object, but no goal to accomplish with the toy. Like a movie, there is characters, scenes and goals presented that leads to a conclusion, but nothing interactive for the viewer to do from beginning to end of the movie.

Yahtzee's claim here seems to encourage linear "game-play" of a JRPG or visual novels, which contradicts his accusations earlier on these games. Both types of games are designed by "professional fun-designers" of a particular blend; both offer little or no option to the player in manipulating the story from it's linear path; and if either one does offer side options, they are offered more as a challenge to the player via normal game-play rules than actually changing the story. "Kingdom Heart's" Sephiroth battles or the Ruby/Emerald optional bosses in "Final Fantasy 7" are placed in the games to present challenges to the player yet possibly only offer rewards to enhance game-play, or no rewards other than satisfaction in accomplishing them (like a crossword) and have no influence at all on the story in the games (like an optional pamphlet in a book).

Yet there are other games that offer more choices and options to the player that--while for the most part have no influence on the story "assigned to the game", the variety of options in a game to solve the same challenge can lead to a unique story tailored around the player's experience. Players can trade stories of incidents in gaming that happened to them as a way to entertain others, like finding finding something hilarious to mention about how stupid the A.I. is when a troop of soldiers summoned in to help the player take control of an enemy base charges off a helicopter pad to fall to their deaths. Bethesda's "Elder Scroll" series focus around this unique-player-experience system to the point of making everything--even the "main quest"--an optional goal the player could attempt in solving (when not stealing every NPC's stuff). These unique player experiences can only occur in games, which ironically, sandbox games tend to have the upper hand on.

If a player is an "idiot" because they enjoy their experience more in a game than seeking out something "fun" designed by a professional, then some players may prefer to be "stupid yet entertained". Games are unique from toys or story-telling in making the accomplishments and interactive element of the player the entertaining element in this media, which if accounting for all the possible "stories" each player's experiences may be from another player, may possibly be a good definition of "non-linear story-telling".

 

[douf]

iunno man, i hear you talk about creativity and games that unleashes gamers creativity and go see what those game makers are doing and simply wonder, what the fuck is everyone is talking about, i though creativity had stuff to do with you know Innovation, coming up with something NEW, granted it should be fun as its a game but it should be clever and different, i am in no position to defend scribblenauts i mean i thought it was some sort of an expansion for psychonauts and imagine the kind of disappointment i had when i found out it was a DS game, but anypoo from what i have seen in your video and the other game reviews it looks like an english enhancing game, open up the dictionary and launch the game, today's word ... sword. i could see how you may call this creative if that was the purpose of this game, but its tagged with Puzzle game just like the majority of the DS games ... its a lame gamimg device i will forever hate it and its older brother the weee nintendo sucks!!! booo

anyways i guess what i am trying to say is i'm full against user created content because its shit, game makers has always included editors for users to mess around with and come up with awesome mod, counterstrike, team fortress were mods, the gamers made them, but no they were just FANS they were dedicated gamers that spent ages perfecting each level till valve pumped them with loads of cash and turned them into Professional game makers. point is .. users should fuck around with the games, developers must MAKE games not focus on making only an editor for the gamers, as you said i can build a house but it will fall to the ground once i test it for a couple of minutes. so looking back at my favorite games id say creative games are fun, sucks you in them, different " max payne had slowmo that was fun - after 7 billion games its not fun its ridiculous they are even including this shit in forza3 ... though its been in racing games for a while seen it in S.C.A.R. Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo" and a game should have a fucking ending not tell you .. i'll be back if i wanted to wait for a sequel id go watch termintator atleast i laugh when schawtezthenigger say it.

cheers?
keep it up±

 

[Dragoon_Cailean]

Never once did I think DS games could be so bland...this is why I rarely buy DS games anymore

 

[atomicmrpelly]

Halo! I have only ever played the original Halo, I got it for PC and it was, as Yahtzee said, meh! It was an FPS... about aliens and stuff. It didn't look great, the gameplay was hardly groundbreaking and the atmostphere and plot all seemed pretty tongue in cheek.

But recently I saw a clip of Halo 3 on YouTube and I was amazed. Absolutely amazed.

I could not believe that the second sequel to a game could be so successful, without changing a single thing! Same weapons, same graphics, same physics (like flailing arms while falling then suddenly landing in the exact same position every time), same gameplay and I know Halo 2 had the same plot so I woudln't be too surprised...

 

[Cherry Cola]

Contradictory, as usual, but still a fun read.

And to those who think Yatzee getting lots of fans and views making his opinion valid and him not an idiot but you one, I have a few things to say:

I'm very sure he realizes he called himself in idiot in this article. There's little question there. He's using the word "idiot" bluntly. He's not saying we all have IQ's lower than 70, no matter how hilarious that would make his forum be. In fact, idiots by his term seem to be those who listen to people with little to no knowledge of what their opinion is based on, which is sort of what reading the article does.

Also, if you agree with Yatzee's opinion to his exact degree, you're kind of a douchebag, something he realizes he can be (or at least sounds like). What he says is suppose to be funny. That's why people watch his videos. If they weren't funny he'd be trolled more than an analogy that could be inserted here. He'd be told he has "an entire tree stuck up his ass"*. Most of the time he's the epitome of hyperbole, and that makes him "famous" (at least to the "idiot crowd" apparently).

*I have NO idea where I'm "quoting" that from.

He did call himself a retard once!

"I spent 100$ on Mirrors Edge so apparently I'm a retard"

And he never said that he isn't an idiot in the review. So I guess that means he does consider everyone an idiot, including retarded people... WHAT A DOUCHE!

 

[Cherry Cola]

Halo! I have only ever played the original Halo, I got it for PC and it was, as Yahtzee said, meh! It was an FPS... about aliens and stuff. It didn't look great, the gameplay was hardly groundbreaking and the atmostphere and plot all seemed pretty tongue in cheek.

But recently I saw a clip of Halo 3 on YouTube and I was amazed. Absolutely amazed.

I could not believe that the second sequel to a game could be so successful, without changing a single thing! Same weapons, same graphics, same physics (like flailing arms while falling then suddenly landing in the exact same position every time), same gameplay and I know Halo 2 had the same plot so I woudln't be too surprised...

^ Ultimate win

 

[HolographicCharizard]

I don't understand how the do anything aspect of a game is political correctness. It seems to me that the open-endedness of games is just a new iteration of storytelling that video game creators can make given the unique medium of video games. It's unlike any other form of storytelling and to get on developers for using this in new ways doesn't seem to fit.

 

[Disaster Button]

But wait, Dear Yathzee, by making these videos and articles, does that not make you an idiot too? Your assuming that people are interested in your thoughts aswell, just like the idiots you mentioned.

He could always counter you with "I do it for the money."

But wouldn't that make him a prostitute then?

Probably but I don't think he cares.

 

[geldonyetich]

Calling someone an idiot is usually the easier answer. I don't understand the appeal, therefore, you must be an idiot. Of course, this kind of unconditional disqualification is completely wrong through lack of trying, the same kind of wanton ignorance that has fueled genocides. So, sorry Yahtzee darling, you phoned this one in.

Scribblenauts definitely has a big bag of flaws, mostly in its frustrating movement system, but I do acknowledge that teaching a computerized device to manifest absolute creativity is a bit like asking someone to invent a fully functioning genie. Trying to harness said genie as a solid game is a bit like trying to figure out a way to perform knitting with shotgun marksmanship. So I'm willing to cut the developers a bit of slack here - the important thing to consider with Scribblenauts is that they came much closer to realizing a high degree of creative license than the greater majority of games out there.

 

[Ushario]

I'm getting bored with you calling your viewers idiots. Sure some of them are but thats not what we are here to read about. We want you to poke holes in the games not your audience.

Scribblenauts is really fun for a little while. Then the novelty wears off and you start asking why the game isn't challenging you. It was amusing to wear power armor, a cowboy hat and ride a velociraptor while fighting off vampires and zombies with a flamethrower.

Then there was that one time God ninja'd my tank. God in a Tank. Things got messy.

 

[Optimystic]

To all taking the bait: try to recall that Yahtzee is a professional troll. The only true idiots are the people that take being called an idiot by a troll personally.

And myself, of course.

He's right about one thing - creativity simulators just give people more opportunity to draw flaming cocks and rip off existing works. I myself also prefer actual gameplay, and tell the Sims, Spore and LittleBigPlanet to screw off.