Roger Ebert, an industry-respected film critic, has shocked the gaming community for the second time in 2010; He’s cried “uncle.”
In a surprising turn of events, Ebert posted a brand new blog entry stating that his position on video games was one of ignorance and bullheadedness.
I should not have written that entry without being more familiar with the actual experience of video games.
Recently, Chicago-based critic Roger Ebert has revived his now-infamous claim regarding the state of video games in our artistic landscape. As a gamer who also values Ebert’s critical opinion, I feel the need to respond.
After reading Roger’s most recent support for his claims, I went back to have a look at a post from 2007, where he first defended himself. It’s clear, upon reading, that Ebert needs some serious time behind a controller before he can fully understand the argument he’s presenting to the world. How can anyone propose to judge a medium they don’t actively experience?
This is the base polygon model done in maya. Normal maps were created for the character in Zbrush, and this is what they look like when rendered in maya:
Thanks to digital tutors for the tips in zbrush. Painted model to follow shortly.
This project was the culmination of all of my thoughts and experiences at the University of Illinois. While it wasn’t necessarily developed as a thesis, I began to think of it as such when I was finishing it up..It was shown at the Senior Show on a c-wall in full stereoscopic 3d.
The project is an interactive virtools project that plays like a first person videogame. I wanted to make the whole experience to be symbolic of my college experience..having a dream and finding out how to make it a reality..or even simply the search for what I love.
Here is a link to a few slides proposing the idea before it was developed
The person in control, using an xbox 360 controller with a typical first-person setup, started out in a dark and dingy hallway..no end in sight..only doors to the left and right.
The object is simple: Walk from the beginning to the end..the hallway takes around 5 minutes to walk straight to the end from the starting point..along the way, images fly at the user trying to turn them around and confuse them and sounds entice the user to open the doors along the way and investigate. If the user walks through the door, they’ve strayed from the path to their goal and are thrown in a purgatory of sorts..
They have to crawl their way back on track following sounds and visual cues to lead them in the right direction. Once close to the end of the hall, a white light indicates they’ve almost reached their goal. When they make it to the end of the hall, they’re transported to a colorful and serene landscape full of life..
After a few moments to walk around and take in the sights and sounds, the user is transported back to the beginning of the hall…once a dream is attained life doesn’t stand still…there are other dreams to follow…always a new path to tread.
Everything is going well on the game project. Here are a few screen caps to show you all how it’s coming. Expect a full World 1-1 demo to be posted shortly.
During the past few weeks, in between writing and recording demos for consideration on a full-length, I’ve begun a rather ambitious project which I hope will exercise all of my abilities in the art and new media realm.
I’ve begun testing a program I’ve been tweaking which I hope will result in a fully functional 3d representation of the original super mario bros. which appeared on the NES. I’m doing everything myself (character modelling, sound effects/scoring, interface, game setup/scripting), so it may take some time, and it’s sure taking a ton of energy, but I’m really excited about the possibilities of developing on my own terms and making something that’s really stellar.
I’ll be updating the site with progress on the game…anything from character models to background design to complete level demos, so keep your eyes peeled for new music and progress reports.