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Reading List (September 2019)
🕑 Added 2019-09-24 14:00:00 +0000 UTCHello! You know the drill by now - here’s 30 articles and videos I recommend you check out! Thanks for your support in September
Top Pick
[Watch | 9 mins] Why the Guns In Modern Warfare Sound So Incredible - Marshall McGee recreates the sound effect of a Modern Warfare firefight, to show how many distinct layers come together to make that satisfying sound.
Design Corner
[Read | 6 mins] The Small But Important Change 'Celeste' Made to Its Celebrated Assist Mode - Language is important
[Watch | CC | 3 mins] Let's Make a Video Game Together! - Ubisoft designer Stanislav Costiuc is making a game by taking iterative ideas from his YouTube audience. Clever idea!
[Watch | CC | 10 mins] You Need To Play Dicey Dungeons - Snoman goes in depth on Terry Cavanagh’s latest game
[Watch | 16 mins] The History of Magic and Mana in Video Games - HeavyEyed looks at how this DnD trope has made its way into games throughout the years
[Watch | 14 mins] How Dead Cells Exploits Your Indecision - Fascinating psychology of play type stuff
[Read | 29 mins] i don’t think i like prestige games - This piece on prestige games (like prestige TV) might read a bit mean spirited, but it’s still well worth checking out.
[Watch | 7 mins] Monument Valley's Level Design - Another Mix and Jam video, this time about the brain-boggling iOS adventure game Monument Valley.
Sound and Vision
[Watch | CC | 11 mins] How Breath of the Wild's Climbing Animation Works - Dan goes deep on Zelda
[Watch | CC | 8 mins] How to Wield the Master Sword - Dan goes deep on Zelda
[Watch | CC | 9 mins] The Music of Cecil's Redemption - Final Fantasy IV - Mat continues his Warriors of Leitmotif series, which is a game-by-game look at the music in Final Fantasy
[Watch | 6 mins] Gears 5 lacks weight and intensity - It’s the little things that matter
[Watch | CC | 12 mins] The Animation of Hollow Knight - Wouldn’t be a reading list without some Hollow Knight
Dev Speak
[Read | 15 mins] Seaman creator Yoot Saito on the fishy Dreamcast AI that was way ahead of its time - I own this game. I found it in a charity shop in London, despite the fact it never came out in the UK. Haven’t played it, mind….
[Watch | CC | 7 mins] The Story of Celeste's Development - A short and sweet interview with Noel
[Watch | 8 mins] Was my indie game LAUNCH a success? - Game dev YouTuber Blackthornprod made a game recently, called The Dreadful Whispers. His recent videos have been about the success of the game (this one has exact sales numbers) which is fascinating.
[Watch | 7 mins] 5 Marketing Mistakes Indie Devs Make with their Games - Good knowledge from an industry vet
Analyse This
[Watch | 10 mins] The Theology of Dishonored - Games as Lit looks at the religious themes of Dishonored’s Outsider.
[Watch | CC | 18 mins] Solving Zelda's Greatest Mystery: The Secret Messages - What do all those weird hints mean in Zelda 1?
[Watch | 11 mins] The True Treasure in Heavens Vault - Static Canvas talks about the archeological inspirations of Heaven’s Vault
[Watch | 21 mins] Outer Wilds Part 2: Being There - Errant Signal has a spoiler heavy analysis of the themes in Outer Wilds
[Watch | 6 mins] That Sense Of Wonder - What's With Games talks immersion and simulation boundaries
[Read | 8 mins] 'Gears 5' Is Playing Catch-Up With Ideas That Are Already Outdated - I mean, yeah
Making Lists
[Read | 19 mins] The 50 best video games of the 21st century - Some iffy picks and sad omissions, but a pretty good look at the last 20 years of games
[Read | 15 mins] The 20 best games of the past 20 years (that never get into top 20 lists) - If the above list was too mainstream for you, check this out
[Watch | 15 mins] The Best Video Game Logos - RelaxAlax proves that you can’t be a wacky gaming ‘Tuber without a logo or box art episode
Beyond Bytes
[Watch | 21 mins] Japanese City Pop and the Rise of Future Funk - I’ve never heard of this!
[Watch | CC | 13 mins] A Review of The Actual Odyssey, Using Assassin's Creed Odyssey, in the Style of The Odyssey - Super Bunnyhop releases the most Super Bunnyhop video imaginable
[Watch | CC | 25 mins] Stranger Things and the Dangers of Nostalgia - Mining vintage media for ideas can be good, but it can also lead to revisiting retrograde views on society. Important video.
[Watch | CC | 4 mins] How Sound Works (In Rooms) - As someone who cares about recording audio, this was very interesting!
[Watch | 12 mins] Can I make "It's Everyday Bro" a Good Song? - I got slightly addicted to this channel which (among other things) uses audio production techniques to improve some historically awful songs. Turns out, even a Jake Paul rap can become a bumpin’ earworm.
Comments
Cam
I feel like some of the logo "analysis" was tongue in cheek, rather than tenuous (if he was being serious then I totally agree with you it being a stretch). I agree somewhat with you on Titanfall's logo but it's still very vanilla. It's all about mechs/machinery, the future, so it could've easily had some texture or flavour added to portray its character. Portal is a good example of that, when it's all about futuristic technology too. I DID enjoy the video overall though!
Matt Hauke
Am I the only one who thought that logo one could be better? (I should mention I'm a designer so these two worlds colliding is right up my street but I might be harsh...) A bit too much emphasis on nostalgia which on exists some time after creation. No one creates a logo and says "this is iconic", only time can create that. Plus some of the analysis was a tad tenuous. I think one could explore a lot more what he touched upon with the logos reflecting technology at the time, design culture, style, trends etc. As well as why Titanfall's logo isn't "plain" or "boring" as he suggested, I think it's really appropriate for that type of game, a futuristic, epic, space shooter. Nintendo games provides a whole genre of design in itself so the logos are all born out of the same design ethos really. Either way an interesting subject!
DoorCurtain
Will you do an update to your video on Celeste's Assist Mode to mention the updated text? I think it's a pretty important change, that not only provides extra options for those who need it but also clarifies with careful language that no one is lesser or "playing the game wrong" for doing so.
Mark M
Just read the start of it, and I expect the article on 'prestige games' will annoy me but I'll also agree with the gist lol. I read The Road before I played the Last of Us and I still enjoyed it. That concept of trying to make an untouchable movie or game does exist, but it doesn't make all enjoyment of that type of thing fake. I should probably read the article before I make assumptions though. Looks like an awesome list of stuff again this month.
