Gamasutra - Blogs http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ Mark Filipowich's Blogs Fri, 24 May 2013 06:40:30 EDT en-us scarless@think-services.com (Simon Carless) The Power of Friendship while Being an Asshole, or the Doormat NPC - by Mark Filipowich http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130523/192882/The_Power_of_Friendship_while_Being_an_Asshole_or_the_Doormat_NPC.php Maybe a game doesn’t have to explore every facet of interpersonal relationships but it should certainly hold the player accountable for being an asshole. There should be more to relating to a game’s NPCs than sitting down and nodding. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130523/192882/The_Power_of_Friendship_while_Being_an_Asshole_or_the_Doormat_NPC.php Thu, 23 May 2013 09:04:00 EDT We Are One: JRPGs, the Group Journey, and the Mechanics of Cooperation - by Mark Filipowich http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130404/189825/We_Are_One_JRPGs_the_Group_Journey_and_the_Mechanics_of_Cooperation.php One of the core mechanics of JRPGs is party management, which has interesting implications for how the game conveys the journey of a cohesive group over that of an individual. In the JRPG, the player doesn’t control a single character. They’re in control http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130404/189825/We_Are_One_JRPGs_the_Group_Journey_and_the_Mechanics_of_Cooperation.php Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:25:00 EDT Where the Heart Is: The Use of Home in Video Games - by Mark Filipowich http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130317/188652/Where_the_Heart_Is_The_Use_of_Home_in_Video_Games.php Home is where we see characters in a state of normalcy. We get to know what the protagonist does between adventures, seeing who they are at home, away from it all, is a significant experience that more developers should consider investigating. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130317/188652/Where_the_Heart_Is_The_Use_of_Home_in_Video_Games.php Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:23:00 EDT The Playstation is Dead, Long Live Playstation: Preservation and the pursuit of New - by Mark Filipowich http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130305/187890/The_Playstation_is_Dead_Long_Live_Playstation_Preservation_and_the_pursuit_of_New.php The day that the Playsation 4 was unveiled, Japanese developer Kenji Eno passed away, leaving behind a body of critically lauded work that is now mostly inaccessible. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130305/187890/The_Playstation_is_Dead_Long_Live_Playstation_Preservation_and_the_pursuit_of_New.php Tue, 05 Mar 2013 07:34:00 EST Searching for the Other Castle: Women as Objectives - by Mark Filipowich http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130221/187113/Searching_for_the_Other_Castle_Women_as_Objectives.php No matter how fiercely critics react to poor treatment of women, the portrayal of female characters in AAA games seems actually to be getting worse. Women are almost entirely unrepresented, when they are represented, they exist only as an objective. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130221/187113/Searching_for_the_Other_Castle_Women_as_Objectives.php Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:34:00 EST The Situation with Video Game Stories - by Mark Filipowich http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130202/185927/The_Situation_with_Video_Game_Stories.php For literature and film, plot is everything. Without moving events that shape (or fail to shape) the characters, there is only setup with no direction. But games, at the core, are all setup. They create a place to wander and figure out for one's self. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkFilipowich/20130202/185927/The_Situation_with_Video_Game_Stories.php Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:10:00 EST