Monday, April 16, 2007
Microsoft Intern Game 2007 Beta
40 hours of no sleep. 40 hours of the Microsoft Intern Game's 2007 beta.
One word: amazing. There was xxxxxxx xxxx, a xxxx xxxxxx of xxxxxxxxxxxxx, xxxx and my personal favourite: xxxxxx. And so much more.
Of course, it's all a secret -- but interns at Microsoft this summer should keep an eye out for the hidden invitation to play!
One word: amazing. There was xxxxxxx xxxx, a xxxx xxxxxx of xxxxxxxxxxxxx, xxxx and my personal favourite: xxxxxx. And so much more.
Of course, it's all a secret -- but interns at Microsoft this summer should keep an eye out for the hidden invitation to play!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Machinima
Lately, I've been coming across a number of well-done machinimas. Machinima is a portmanteau for machine animation -- animations made using computer programs that were designed for consumer entertainment, not multimedia suite. Examples of source programs include the Halo video game series, the Sims and World of Warcraft.
By well-done, I mean simply that it's astonishing what some artists have created using stock tools plus the odd hack to get additional textures or models. Yes, it looks like a video game. World of Warcraft machinimas in particular are limited and can feel very repetitive, since they are by nature set in a fantasy world which must conform to a rigid idea of what fantasy should be. Most WoW machinimas are music videos for spoof songs -- which seems like a good fit.
However, as games become more photorealistic and rich 3D models enter the public domain, even better opportunities will present themselves.
I've collected a list of a few good examples of the genre below. Some were made by people as young as 12.
Instructional Videos
* Men's Washroom Ettiquette (the Sims)
* "Outtakes" from the above
Music Videos
* I Loved Her First (Sims)
* Code Monkey (World of Warcraft)
* First of May (World of Warcraft, NSFW)
* Sk8er Boi (Sims)
* The Internet is for Porn (World of Warcraft, NSFW)
* I'm Too Sexy (World of Warcraft)
* You're Beautiful (Sims)
* Mandy (Sims)
* Jesse's Girl (Sims)
A side note to those who debate the 'artness' of this, the Washington Post recently ran an article that claims art is... in the eye of the beholder. Their test? They had Joshua Bell and his $3,500,000 Stradivarius violin play on the subway during rush hour. He earned 32 dollars and change from all the passersby -- less than a third the cost of a ticket to one of his performances; six people stopped to listen.
By well-done, I mean simply that it's astonishing what some artists have created using stock tools plus the odd hack to get additional textures or models. Yes, it looks like a video game. World of Warcraft machinimas in particular are limited and can feel very repetitive, since they are by nature set in a fantasy world which must conform to a rigid idea of what fantasy should be. Most WoW machinimas are music videos for spoof songs -- which seems like a good fit.
However, as games become more photorealistic and rich 3D models enter the public domain, even better opportunities will present themselves.
I've collected a list of a few good examples of the genre below. Some were made by people as young as 12.
Instructional Videos
* Men's Washroom Ettiquette (the Sims)
* "Outtakes" from the above
Music Videos
* I Loved Her First (Sims)
* Code Monkey (World of Warcraft)
* First of May (World of Warcraft, NSFW)
* Sk8er Boi (Sims)
* The Internet is for Porn (World of Warcraft, NSFW)
* I'm Too Sexy (World of Warcraft)
* You're Beautiful (Sims)
* Mandy (Sims)
* Jesse's Girl (Sims)
A side note to those who debate the 'artness' of this, the Washington Post recently ran an article that claims art is... in the eye of the beholder. Their test? They had Joshua Bell and his $3,500,000 Stradivarius violin play on the subway during rush hour. He earned 32 dollars and change from all the passersby -- less than a third the cost of a ticket to one of his performances; six people stopped to listen.
