Interesting article on Salon.com (1 Viewer)

[Andy Sheets]

For those interested in video gaming's history, Salon.com had a pretty interesting article today about the creator of MULE

Dani Bunten

The stuff about EA is not surprising but still disheartening.

 

[JayV]

Great find, Andy! I never played MULE; heard about it for years, though. I've read a couple articles on Bunten and I can see her influence is needed.

From the article (bullets added):

"She also ticked off the elements in her philosophy of multiplayer games -- ideas that can be seen in games from Civilization to the Sims.

• You should be able to personalize your game; there should be what she called the "Norm Effect," after the Cheers character everyone greeted as he walked in the bar.
• Chance events should balance out the competition.
• And "keep the features down," she said. Then players, anticipating their opponents' next moves, could concentrate on human psychology, not game detail."

Pretty solid stuff. I also found the analogy to the film industry interesting (sorry if its been said before): the game industry in the early 1980s was like Hollywood in the early 1970s, when studios were more willing to take chances.

-j

 

[Mark Evans]

Oh, it's true. I remember back when I got into computer gaming as a wee tyke and things like Sid Meier's Pirates! were the norm rather than the radical new game concept it would be heralded as today. Shame.

Thanks so much for that link, Andy, it was a great read and brought back a lot of the memories of my formative years as a gamer.

I have played M.U.L.E. and it is one of my favorite games, without a doubt. It's simple and fun and has a lot of strategy. It's like the best board games that way.

 

[DeanWalsh]

I also found the analogy to the film industry interesting (sorry if its been said before): the game industry in the early 1980s was like Hollywood in the early 1970s, when studios were more willing to take chances.

Yes that is interesting, I could add to that and say how the game industry in the early 1990s right up until now is like Hollywood in the early 1980s (use of gore and sex as shock value and selling points).