John August

Videogames

Prince of Projects

Prince of Persia, Projects, Videogames

Friend and occasional writing partner Jordan Mechner has been tinkering on a website for a few months, and is now ready to invite the world in. He has a lot to share about 20 years in the videogame industry, and the transition from designer to screenwriter.

> Basically, my plan is to blog, post sketches, and answer questions people send in — most of which I expect will be about Prince of Persia.

Yes, he’ll actually talk about it. We’re both executive producers on the 2010 blockbuster, but he’s been vastly more involved over the past two years, visiting set in Morocco and generally keeping himself in the loop.

> I’ll also continue to post blogs from the past via the “Old Journals” feature, telling the gritty, no-holds-barred, inside story of the first making of POP on the Apple II, 1985-1989. Not sure quite who will be interested in that one, but hopefully someone.

Not just that — Karateka. My brother and I spent a summer playing Karateka on the Atari 800.

So check out his site: [jordanmechner.com](http://jordanmechner.com).

Things We Think About Games

Story and Plot, Videogames

book coverI have an essay in the new book Things We Think About Games, a minor rewrite of [“Seven things I learned from World of Warcraft.”](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/seven-things-warcraft)

While I wouldn’t recommend buying the book just for my contribution, I’m happy to report the rest of Will Hindmarch and Jeff Tidball’s little book is terrific, full of observations and advice for gamers and game designers. Having worked with several of the latter, I’m struck by how nascent and unformed that field is. The fundamental questions are still being asked, and answered different ways: How do you make story playable? How explicitly do you set the rules? How much “work” is a player willing to do?

Whether MMORPG or paper-and-dice, alien-zapping or world-building, games have an active social component unlike anything you find in film or television, which makes them a uniquely challenging art form. Yes: you can watch a slasher movie with your friends, shouting back at the screen. But the film itself is unchanged by your participation. Not so with a good game, which demands involvement far beyond passive entertainment.

So if you find yourself thinking about games, I’d encourage to think along with this book.

If film studios developed videogames

Film Industry, Videogames

puzzle farterTo: FILE
From: Studio Development Group
Date: June 16, 2008
RE: PUZZLE FARTER, 6/2/08 draft

We think [this draft](http://puzzlefarter.com/) represents progress from the 5/01/08 draft, but there are still areas that need to be addressed to make this the strongest possible casual videogame. As always, we look forward to discussing these issues with you.

1. DEVELOPING THE CHARACTER ARC
——————————————
We’re lacking a clear backstory and dramatic arc for Puzzle Farter. Why is this story happening to this character, now? Why is he so gassy? He is literally a fish out of water, but we never develop this idea.

Let’s consider PRETTY WOMAN as a template: Puzzle Farter is trying to navigate a world in which he doesn’t fit in, but in trying to understand it, reveals its absurdities. (And falls in love. See note #4.)

In this spirt, we’d like to consider adding an event (an “Inciting Incident”) early in the story, explaining how Puzzle Farter entered this world.

Also, Puzzle Farter needs to talk. He needs to clearly articulate his goals in a funny, relatable way. We see Joe Pesci for the role, but are open to other suggestions.

2. KEEPING PUZZLE FARTER PROACTIVE
———————————————
Currently, Puzzle Farter spends much of his time reacting to outside pressures. We would like to find ways to keep him more in charge of the narrative — and for his decisions to have a deeper resonance in the story.

For example, right now, his only response to threats is to jump or run. Can we see him kill or otherwise incapacitate the other characters (hopefully in a charming way)? Like Grand Theft Auto 4, we’d also like to see a mission-based interface which would allow the character to explore on his own. (The “sandbox” model.)

Also, we’d like a system for keeping track of gold points.

3. CLARIFYING OBJECTIVES
——————————-
The addition of doors to each level has gone a long way towards making it clear what Puzzle Farter is attempting to achieve in each encounter. But we’re missing a bigger goal: What is Puzzle Farter hoping to find? What is his want? What does he need? (The conflict between these two questions can contribute a lot of second-act gravitas.)

Let’s consider adding a Fish Sister, who is kidnapped in the prologue. This would go a long way towards strengthening our Villain Plot.

4. LOVE INTEREST
———————
Puzzle Farter needs a love interest, someone who can match him toot for toot. We think Rachel McAdams would be perfect.

Also, players need to be able to select gender, so as not to eliminate the gay gamer demographic.

5. MULTIPLAYER
——————–
The game needs to be multiplayer. We should also discuss making it a MMORPG.

6. RATING AND CONTENT
——————————
To appeal to families, we need to be sensitive to content concerns. Let’s replace the farting with something less offensive.

Grand Theft Auto

Videogames

I offer this an explanation and apology for why there will be few blog posts in the coming weeks. Fewer hours spent with friends and family. And an increased number of times I reach for my weapon rather than discussing matters calmly.

GTA IV comes out next week.

Here’s the thing: I’ve never even played I-III. I’m more [Tower Defense](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/cannon-fodder) than blood-soaked crime epic. But through whatever subconscious memetic programming, I feel absolutely compelled to buy it and play it. Dude, check out the trailer on Amazon. ((The trailer is age-verified, but I’m not sure how or why. Considering I have Amazon Prime turned on, I obviously have a credit card, so it seems strange to ask for a birthdate.))

Because you’ll ask, I have a PS3, which is apparently awesome or incredibly lame, depending on which system the person I’m speaking with has. I’m debating whether to get the Dual Shock controller — or if that’s like getting a Waterford crack pipe.