Comments for newsmary http://maryhamilton.co.uk Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:33:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Story in games: lean forward, lean back, meet in the middle by Heleno Nazário http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/02/story-games-lean-forward-back-middle/comment-page-1/#comment-3617 Heleno Nazário Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:33:23 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=1212#comment-3617 Mary, Thanks for the two titles mentioned (Portal and Bastion), I'll look for each one to see more about alternative for storytelling in videogames. The conversation between you, Mark and Si made me think about this topic, and I'm writing a post about it now. I usually blog in Portuguese, but I hope to exchange ideas more frequently about videogames from now on. Mary,
Thanks for the two titles mentioned (Portal and Bastion), I’ll look for each one to see more about alternative for storytelling in videogames.
The conversation between you, Mark and Si made me think about this topic, and I’m writing a post about it now. I usually blog in Portuguese, but I hope to exchange ideas more frequently about videogames from now on.

]]> Comment on Story in games: lean forward, lean back, meet in the middle by Mary Hamilton http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/02/story-games-lean-forward-back-middle/comment-page-1/#comment-3616 Mary Hamilton Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:50:15 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=1212#comment-3616 Hi Heleno. There are some very cool games doing really interesting things with more organic story delivery than cut scenes - Bastion is the one that immediately springs to mind, but there's plenty of other experimentation happening especially with indie games. Portal, actually, was a game where I really felt the story and gameplay integrated incredibly well. I guess I feel pretty strongly that cut scenes as a default mechanic are pretty narratively lazy - there are so many more interesting, more integrated ways of doing things. Hi Heleno. There are some very cool games doing really interesting things with more organic story delivery than cut scenes – Bastion is the one that immediately springs to mind, but there’s plenty of other experimentation happening especially with indie games. Portal, actually, was a game where I really felt the story and gameplay integrated incredibly well. I guess I feel pretty strongly that cut scenes as a default mechanic are pretty narratively lazy – there are so many more interesting, more integrated ways of doing things.

]]> Comment on Story in games: lean forward, lean back, meet in the middle by Heleno Nazário http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/02/story-games-lean-forward-back-middle/comment-page-1/#comment-3579 Heleno Nazário Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:15:02 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=1212#comment-3579 Hi, Mary. It's a nice conversation you folks had about story and gameplay. I didn't thought before of this effect of "leaning", seems a good analogy. Your concept of emergent stories seems pretty logical to me. I remenber of gathering some folks at my room, back when I was a kid, and run a World Championship (or even two) based on Genesis' Fifa Soccer. It had (almost) everything: wailing, relatively strong language, even betting. And that wasn't a adventure, action or RPG experience, or even a sophisticated system. I agree that would be nice to insert story in games in a more organic way, and I'm curious about the experience of removing cut scenes. This could help to make games that not only bring the potential of "emergent stories" - that I think is some kind of appropriation of the game concepts - but also present some storyline that integrate better with gameplay. Hi, Mary.
It’s a nice conversation you folks had about story and gameplay.
I didn’t thought before of this effect of “leaning”, seems a good analogy.
Your concept of emergent stories seems pretty logical to me. I remenber of gathering some folks at my room, back when I was a kid, and run a World Championship (or even two) based on Genesis’ Fifa Soccer. It had (almost) everything: wailing, relatively strong language, even betting. And that wasn’t a adventure, action or RPG experience, or even a sophisticated system.
I agree that would be nice to insert story in games in a more organic way, and I’m curious about the experience of removing cut scenes. This could help to make games that not only bring the potential of “emergent stories” – that I think is some kind of appropriation of the game concepts – but also present some storyline that integrate better with gameplay.

]]> Comment on We are in a buyer’s market for news – and for journalists too by Can A Good Journalist Be A Good Capitalist? | Rosenblum TV http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/01/buyers-market-news-journalists/comment-page-1/#comment-3424 Can A Good Journalist Be A Good Capitalist? | Rosenblum TV Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:33:31 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=873#comment-3424 [...] Mary Hamilton took us back to this initial question of character. Is it in our nature not to be entrepreneurs? Many journalists don’t want to be – aren’t cut out to be – technical or technological innovators, or freelancers chasing clients for cash. Some of us love digital production and want nothing more than to be playing with new ways to tell stories. Others want nothing but to be allowed to get on with their important investigatons, or their war films, or their pithy columns. I am unequivocably in favour of journalists learning new skills in order to do their jobs more efficiently and more effectively – but when it comes to demanding they move away from their specialism and into areas they may not enjoy or be good at, I get a little uncomfortable. Not everyone can or should be a jack of all trades. [...] [...] Mary Hamilton took us back to this initial question of character. Is it in our nature not to be entrepreneurs? Many journalists don’t want to be – aren’t cut out to be – technical or technological innovators, or freelancers chasing clients for cash. Some of us love digital production and want nothing more than to be playing with new ways to tell stories. Others want nothing but to be allowed to get on with their important investigatons, or their war films, or their pithy columns. I am unequivocably in favour of journalists learning new skills in order to do their jobs more efficiently and more effectively – but when it comes to demanding they move away from their specialism and into areas they may not enjoy or be good at, I get a little uncomfortable. Not everyone can or should be a jack of all trades. [...]

]]> Comment on We are in a buyer’s market for news – and for journalists too by Can a Good Journalist Be a Good Capitalist « Carnival of Journalism http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/01/buyers-market-news-journalists/comment-page-1/#comment-3404 Can a Good Journalist Be a Good Capitalist « Carnival of Journalism Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:37:26 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=873#comment-3404 [...] Mary Hamilton took us back to this initial question of character. Is it in our nature not to be entrepreneurs? Many journalists don’t want to be – aren’t cut out to be – technical or technological innovators, or freelancers chasing clients for cash. Some of us love digital production and want nothing more than to be playing with new ways to tell stories. Others want nothing but to be allowed to get on with their important investigatons, or their war films, or their pithy columns. I am unequivocably in favour of journalists learning new skills in order to do their jobs more efficiently and more effectively – but when it comes to demanding they move away from their specialism and into areas they may not enjoy or be good at, I get a little uncomfortable. Not everyone can or should be a jack of all trades. [...] [...] Mary Hamilton took us back to this initial question of character. Is it in our nature not to be entrepreneurs? Many journalists don’t want to be – aren’t cut out to be – technical or technological innovators, or freelancers chasing clients for cash. Some of us love digital production and want nothing more than to be playing with new ways to tell stories. Others want nothing but to be allowed to get on with their important investigatons, or their war films, or their pithy columns. I am unequivocably in favour of journalists learning new skills in order to do their jobs more efficiently and more effectively – but when it comes to demanding they move away from their specialism and into areas they may not enjoy or be good at, I get a little uncomfortable. Not everyone can or should be a jack of all trades. [...]

]]> Comment on Adaptation is continuous. It isn’t going to stop by Mary Hamilton http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/01/adaptation-is-continuous-it-isnt-going-to-stop/comment-page-1/#comment-3164 Mary Hamilton Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:52:19 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=853#comment-3164 Home computing as a whole, and work computing too, in the last 20 years - but yes, you have a good point, and Matt Edgar raised something similar with me on Twitter today too. I suppose I am talking most specifically about the changes in habits - working habits, consumption habits, and communication habits - which do seem to me unprecedented and unprecedentedly quick. But then again, I'm living through it. What I want to do with this post, though, is make the point that for the news industry in particular, innovating a little and then hoping that'll be enough for the next few years or moving so slowly that innovations are obsolete by the time they exist just isn't going to cut it. Home computing as a whole, and work computing too, in the last 20 years – but yes, you have a good point, and Matt Edgar raised something similar with me on Twitter today too. I suppose I am talking most specifically about the changes in habits – working habits, consumption habits, and communication habits – which do seem to me unprecedented and unprecedentedly quick. But then again, I’m living through it.

What I want to do with this post, though, is make the point that for the news industry in particular, innovating a little and then hoping that’ll be enough for the next few years or moving so slowly that innovations are obsolete by the time they exist just isn’t going to cut it.

]]> Comment on Adaptation is continuous. It isn’t going to stop by brian millar http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/01/adaptation-is-continuous-it-isnt-going-to-stop/comment-page-1/#comment-3161 brian millar Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:49:11 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=853#comment-3161 Is the pace of change really accelerating? My grandmother was born in 1900. By the time she was 20, horses and carts were being replaced by cars, the movie industry had evolved to Laurel and Hardy (OK 1921), streets and houses were lit with electricity, commercial airlines were starting, there had been a Marxist revolution in Russia and most of her male relatives had been killed in WWI. What have we had in the last 20 years? The internet? Tablet computing? Mobiles? Is the pace of change really accelerating? My grandmother was born in 1900. By the time she was 20, horses and carts were being replaced by cars, the movie industry had evolved to Laurel and Hardy (OK 1921), streets and houses were lit with electricity, commercial airlines were starting, there had been a Marxist revolution in Russia and most of her male relatives had been killed in WWI. What have we had in the last 20 years? The internet? Tablet computing? Mobiles?

]]> Comment on Adaptation is continuous. It isn’t going to stop by Lynda Phillips http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/01/adaptation-is-continuous-it-isnt-going-to-stop/comment-page-1/#comment-3155 Lynda Phillips Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:25:12 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=853#comment-3155 William Gibson wrote over two decades ago (1984) a scarily accurate 'dialogue' of the technological advancements that we would have today, especially in the novel 'Neuromancer' and, the subsequent 'Count Zero' and 'Mona Lisa Overdrive'. Of course, as a sci - fi writer he had artistic licence in as much as he did overstep the predictions somewhat. Or, as his ideas way back when, used by the military, with no information to the public for years (internet/www)as to what they were up to... We can but hope that other developments are used wisely and do not exclude a greater spectrum of people... William Gibson wrote over two decades ago (1984) a scarily accurate ‘dialogue’ of the technological advancements that we would have today, especially in the novel ‘Neuromancer’ and, the subsequent ‘Count Zero’ and ‘Mona Lisa Overdrive’.

Of course, as a sci – fi writer he had artistic licence in as much as he did overstep the predictions somewhat. Or, as his ideas way back when, used by the military, with no information to the public for years (internet/www)as to what they were up to…

We can but hope that other developments are used wisely and do not exclude a greater spectrum of people…

]]> Comment on 3 ideas about the future of print news by Huw Sayer (@HuwSayer http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/01/three-ideas-about-the-future-of-print-news/comment-page-1/#comment-3090 Huw Sayer (@HuwSayer Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:30:22 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=846#comment-3090 Hi Mary - interesting ideas - quick thought - perhaps the QR codes could be on the distribution stand - to get your paper you scan the code with your smart phone and the stand scans your phone for your details (with your permission of course) - so the publisher knows who picks up their papers and when (like paying but with info not cash). Rough thoughts only. Must dash - have a great 2012 - look forward to reading more ideas - Cheers - H. Hi Mary – interesting ideas – quick thought – perhaps the QR codes could be on the distribution stand – to get your paper you scan the code with your smart phone and the stand scans your phone for your details (with your permission of course) – so the publisher knows who picks up their papers and when (like paying but with info not cash).

Rough thoughts only. Must dash – have a great 2012 – look forward to reading more ideas – Cheers – H.

]]> Comment on 3 ideas about the future of print news by Mary Hamilton http://maryhamilton.co.uk/2012/01/three-ideas-about-the-future-of-print-news/comment-page-1/#comment-3088 Mary Hamilton Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:15:33 +0000 http://maryhamilton.co.uk/?p=846#comment-3088 I like the idea of using QR codes that way, but at the moment I'm not sure it'd work - seems as though very few people can be bothered to use QR codes, and if you're on the Tube without a mobile signal that's obviously a problem too. It'd be really interesting to see what data came back from it though. I wonder if any print advertisers are doing that sort of thing already. And I love the printer, but I know what you mean. I suspect the nearish future involves more individually-printed disposable objects - not just paper, but also 3D-printed stuff - and the further-away future involves more malleable, reusable media. It feels like an important step. I like the idea of using QR codes that way, but at the moment I’m not sure it’d work – seems as though very few people can be bothered to use QR codes, and if you’re on the Tube without a mobile signal that’s obviously a problem too. It’d be really interesting to see what data came back from it though. I wonder if any print advertisers are doing that sort of thing already.

And I love the printer, but I know what you mean. I suspect the nearish future involves more individually-printed disposable objects – not just paper, but also 3D-printed stuff – and the further-away future involves more malleable, reusable media. It feels like an important step.

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