Video Games and Choice


www.gamasutra.com This is the fifth entry in my series of video “lectures,” made in association with Gamasutra and James Portnow, game designer and founder of Divide By Zero Games. I can be reached at floydo_animation at yahoo dot com. You can reach James at jportnow at gmail dot com. Presented by Gamasutra! Like the intro/outro music? Download the full tracks here! Penguin Cap www.carbohydrom.net Illusional Hop Download the full album at the artists’ website! www.baddudesmusic.com…


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25 Responses to “Video Games and Choice”

  1. BrotherVarz says:

    MAKMORZ NOWZ!!!!!
    BLAAAAARRGHH!!!!

  2. shawkobezhu says:

    Love the animation

  3. lazyluigi101 says:

    MAKE MOAR VIDS NAO PLZ XD

  4. Rubberman202 says:

    That joke about choice also reminds me of that NES Rambo game based off of Rambo: First Blood Part 2, where if you say no to the first question, the colonel goes “But it’s up to you, the game won’t start unless you say yes!”

  5. Rubberman202 says:

    Poor James.

  6. Supremekuja says:

    Excellent video, I hope you’ll do some more ^^

  7. Lochieman says:

    The Animation definetly increases the entertainment element of the video

  8. kindzaker1 says:

    hahaha “Blue Alien sex or the local taste” LOL

  9. anthonythreadgill123 says:

    Hey
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    Now you can play your favourite games anywhere in the world!! Tons of happy costumers.

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  10. HelenBurgers123 says:

    Read this!
    You can earn just shipped 13″ Apple Macbook completly free at: gifter7(dot)com
    You can play games everywhere around the world! Tons of satisfacted costumers.

    Offer approved by youtube. Copyright © 2009 by Gifter7. All rights reserved.

  11. RaphaelRavenwing says:

    You get chased around a lot. Tip: do not make fun of bad ass videogame characters.

  12. Raxer21 says:

    Can you write more of these, these are amusing ^^

  13. bojo0noja says:

    Make more videos !!! :P

  14. bojo0noja says:

    game desgning is a dream of mine :)

  15. Greyshm says:

    It effects the ending

  16. Lusitanum says:

    That and the fact that being good gives you the exclusive Big Daddy plasmid, so both choices have a pro and a con so it should be left to your choice.

  17. whowhatwhenwatch says:

    …..must spam his inn box afk lol

  18. giubicri says:

    great presentation!

  19. cormano64 says:

    I also went that way for those same reasons.

    But the choice to save them never really stops the player character from becoming very powerful nor does it alter the paths or events of the game itself.

    Or does it? As far as I remember, it doesn’t, but I could be wrong.

  20. Eagle0600 says:

    With Bioshock, I found that my choice mattered more to me than just the ADAM involved, and I chose to let the little girls live. That was actually a choice, between being Good and being Powerful.

  21. kirithem says:

    The voice speed-up is for two reasons. First, my regular voice bores ME, so I can’t imagine anyone else would enjoy it. Second, I like that it makes the cartoon “me” a bit more of his own character. I can understand why some people don’t care for it, but I think it’s better than the alternative.

    As for that bit of “self referencing,” James had written in his original article about how that line risked pretentiousness. I just turned the comment into an interaction. I felt it worked better here.

  22. Xand991 says:

    Why do you speed up your voice? It makes it hard to identify with you and take you seriously.

    I also really wish you’d make a version that isn’t so self-referencing. “Do I really have to read this? it sounds so pretentious.” These moments are cringe inducing.

  23. darkhalen says:

    while I enjoyed your vid and it hits all the right marks, I do have to say that even when there is a reward attached to helping an old man, some gamers will still pick to ignore him, just to be a dick to him.

  24. Valudshen says:

    Please keep making these, they are awesome!

  25. velocityeleven says:

    the problem with these good/evil systems is that you can only be the absoloute of one or the other either of which make any sense… individual relationships with NPCs would make more sense

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