Welcome to day 3, of our GAME ON Spectacular, at Just One More Game.

So far, we’ve looked at gaming from mainframes in the 50’s… to multiplayer gaming in the 00’s.

Today, we wrap up our coverage, pose a bit of constructive criticism, and ask for your input.

As always, there’s more, much more…  after the jump…

Today I take you further into the exhibition with my guide Conrad Bodman, one of the two original co-curators of the event. Here too, Game On moves… from merely displaying & categorising games, to looking at how the games are actually created.

Sprinkled throughout the exhibition are original sketches & character designs… fans of both Mario & Sonic will be glad both heroes are present. Conrad explains… “We’ve picked out key games designers… [like] Shigeru Miyamoto, the designer of Mario. So, we’ve got a story on Mario, and some original artwork by Miyamoto… We’ve done a similar thing with (Sonic Creator) Yuji Naka, who’s lent us some original artwork, which we’re showing in the exhibition.

The interesting thing for me, is to try and show, that often games start with drawings and paintings, they’re collaborations between artists & scientists… we wanted to try and reflect that.. where we could.”

As my guide suggests, programming is another element of games creation. But how do you display or explain it? In the next section, Game On touches on the subject of bedroom coding and indie gaming. There’s information panels about teenagers writing games on their Spectrums and Commodores. And an interesting display of the Playstation Yaroze system, one of the first efforts by a console maker to encourage Indie game making. I ask Conrad if there was a bit of a DIY message here… “We’re trying to demonstrate that it’s possible to get into the industry yourself – you don’t just have to buy a piece of software, or download it off the internet… you can be a “creator” as well as a consumer. That creativity often starts with doing things like drawing.. concept artwork, designs…”

And right on cue, we start seeing some designs from the biggest companies in the world. There’s an amazing whiteboard which was literally taken from the wall of Rockstar North, in Scotland. Yes – as you’ve probably guessed, it’s related to the GTA series. In fact, it’s a planning whiteboard from the original Grand Theft Auto 3.

“The intention here is to show the artwork behind the games, and look at the narrative that sits behind games..” Bodman explains. The whiteboard is a truly impressive sight. It’s covered in flowcharts & colour-coded sticky notes, showing how the map, characters & missions were all put together. Don’t worry if you’re not a big fan of the GTA series. You’ll see plenty of other great “behind the scenes” material & merchandise, including Tomb Raider, Pokemon and The Sims.

The next genre featured is “online” games. Game On doesn’t give you a chance to slay orcs in World of Warcraft, or do “whatever comes to mind” in Second Life. (Probably for good reason – the former is a bit tough for new players, and SL has a bit too much potential for “naughtiness”) Instead, you can try out the online game The Pirates of the Burning Sea. But other online experiences do get a look in – even if it’s a non-playable one.

“We have a [series of short films] showcasing online games from the 80’s to the present day, which demonstrates the heritage of that genre.” Conrad explains. We also have some artwork based around guilds in World of Warcraft.”   Ed’s note:  The “cinema” section did not make it to Brisbane.

Now, we reach the end of the exhibition, titled “the future”. The displays cover both current hits (The Wii & Playstation 3) and also “past ideas of the future”. An example of the latter is the Nintendo Powerglove which Conrad points out to me. “It was an idea that you could control what was happening on the screen, via body movements. It wasn’t a great hit, but the technology that went into the Powerglove is pretty similar to what’s gone into the Wii.  Obviously, the Wii has reached that much bigger marketplace.”

We watch museum staff instructing “Wii virgins” on how to use the Wiimote, and their first giggle-fueled attempts at Wii Tennis. It’s interesting to observe that the first – and last – exhibits of Game On… are both multiplayer tennis games, made 25 years apart.

Sadly, we’ve reached the end of our tour.
I turn to thank Conrad Bodman for his time. He shoots back a bemused smile. “You know, it’s taken us a good forty minutes to walk through here, and neither of us have actually played a single game!” I move quickly to assume him, I’ll be back…. to remedy that terrible situation.
First up: 1942 in the arcade section. I must break my old record of 334,000…

My analysis of Game On:

1. Overall content

Putting an exhibition of this type together is much, much harder than putting together a “top 100 games” list. There are many more factors that need to be taken into account, when all these games need to be playable, displayable & transportable!

Here are just a few…

• Game ratings – Grand Theft Auto 3 is important, but it’s mature content means it can’t be played in an exhibition where kids are admitted. Some venues also dislike “gun” games.
• Controllers – For some systems, the original controllers are hard to source, or not up to day-in/day-out punishment. Mice for PCs really don’t like constant use.
• Cabinet space – A deluxe Outrun cab would be wonderful, but it would take up the equivalent space of 3 regular games.
• Participation space – Some games need a physical playing area. eg Dance Dance Revolution
• Weight – A deluxe Galaxy Force 2 would be impressive, but it needs to be shipped around the world.
• Duplication – same title/different systems – If you have an original Space Invaders cab in the “arcade” section, it’s less preferable to have it also appear in the Atari 2600 section.
• Categorisation & design decisions – To what extent do you favour “games” versus “the system they played on”? How important are the genres of games versus individual titles?

Taking all the above factors into account, I think Game On’s lineup is very good.

We’ll all have a few favourites that aren’t present – but no gamer (of any age) could visit this exhibition and be totally disappointed.

2. My Two Cents re The Top Ten Section

It’s incredibly difficult to pick “one game” for each platform, and in most cases I think they’ve done a great job. For example… Lemmings (Amiga) & Ridge Racer (Playstation)

However, I would question Freeway for the Atari VCS. (They can’t use Pitfall, Frogger or Space Invaders, as they appear elsewhere in the exhibition) but I would nominate H.E.R.O. or River Raid instead.

I’m also unsure of Way of the Exploding Fist as the Commodore 64’s representative title. I suspect it got the nod due to being developed in Melbourne. But I’d question it’s enduring popularity or significance compared to Wizball, Impossible Mission, or The Last Ninja.

3. Genres/culture that were under-represented.

I thought were three areas of gaming that may be worth considering for future Game On updates.

• Game making software – ie SEUCK (C64), Game Maker (PC)
• Game Mods- from people “hacking” Jet Set Willy – to Wolfenstein 3D mods – to Black Mesa: Source.
• Indie games (besides Yaroze) eg Cave Story, World of Goo, Revenge of the Robot Cats from Mars.

Are they more important than any other item currently shown? I don’t know.
Tell me in the comments section.

4. “Keeping it all running”

The challenges in making sure the games, screens, controls etc all work all day are pretty big.
But I did have one complaint in this area…  in Melbourne, there didn’t appear to be any formal method for inviting visitors to report any problems with the games. (If there was one, we weren’t told about it)

This means that the reporting of faults (& thus, repairing) would be slower than necessary.
Perhaps some sort of simple “fill out a report card” system would be an idea.

And that… just about does it, for Just One More Games’ Game On report.

A few games & items displayed in Melbourne haven’t made it to Brisbane. For example: A section on Aussie games, featuring The Hobbit, Powerslide & Dark Reign. As noted already, the “cinema” section also had to be dropped. There must be other things “MIA” – perhaps you could help me list them.

Yes – it would have been nice if everything from the Melbourne exhibition managed to make it to Brisbane. But 80% is still a whole lot better than 0%.

So if you haven’t done so already, get yourself to Game On. If you live outside Queensland, you’ve got 4 months to find a cheap fare & a spare weekend.  You know you want to…

Yesterday was day 1 in the life of Just One More Game.
Thanks for all the nice comments in forums.

Yesterday also saw “part 1″ of our Game On walkthrough, taking us from mainframes to the arcade.

(Much, much more after the jump…)

Today, we see games moving out of arcades and into the home, with a display of the “Top Ten” home computers and consoles. From the Magnavox Odyssey to the Nintendo Famicom (NES). From the Commodore 64 to the original Playstation.
And yes, they’re all playable.

Rarer pleasures to be enjoyed include at Game On include a CDROM-equipped PC Engine, and an Atari Jaguar running Tempest 2000. All display the original hardware, however two systems use emulation to overcome reliability/loading issues – the Spectrum & the Commodore 64.

As we move forward into the exhibition, there’s a large area devoted to “games families”. Bodman explains the thinking behind this. “We all know there are a number of different genres.. simulation games, sports games, fighting games, and so on. What we’ve tried to do, is to group them up, and explain to the public what these games are really about.”

It’s a chance to explore the development of platformers, from Bubble Bobble to Mario 64. Or adventures… from Hitchhikers Guide to Secret of Monkey Island. Even genres you’ve previously avoided, are more tempting when you can see how they’ve evolved, and choose “where in time” to try them out. Oh, and speaking of Monkey Island, fans will be very excited to see original concept artwork displayed next to the game itself.

Moving deeper into Game On we see zones dedicated to “kids games” and handheld game units. Sure, there’s the usual suspects… Game & Watch Donkey Kong, the Gameboy, the Game Gear. But there’s also the forgotten heroes, or rare treasures, like Simon, the Sony Pocketstation or the old Coleco desktop games.

Conrad smiles as he explains the response so far. “We’ve just had a primary school group come through.. it’s amazing how compelling the young people find the handhelds…” Hmm, not bad for games released when the US president’s name was “Reagan” rather than “Bush” or “Obama”.

The next area of Game On is dedicated to “films versus gaming”. If you’re patient, you too can “use the force” in an original Star Wars cabinet. While you’re waiting, try the rather unique “Discs of Tron” which heavily inspired one of the levels in the Commodore 64 classic Raid Over Moscow. Another treat (sadly unplayable) is a very rare Man Eater cabinet, which is shaped like a shark jumping out of water. It came out in 1975. Hmm, wasn’t there a famous shark film that year? Cheeky.

Moving on, we come to the section “sound in gaming” showing just how much it’s role has changed and expanded. You can listen to remixed Commodore 64 soundtracks from the 80’s, which were really just a background to the visuals. And bringing us right up to date – is Guitar Hero 3, where the music is the main attraction.

If Game On is about the joy of rediscovering old friends, it’s also about making new ones. My pleasing discovery in this section, is a game unlike any you’ve seen. Because it’s a game – you don’t “see”. Chillingham was designed for players who are blind or have a visual impairment. It’s an adventure game, where you move around a village, solve puzzles & try to stay alive, using only a keyboard, and a set of headphones.

It’s a game my guide is eager to discuss. “I think that increasingly, society is beginning to acknowledge that games can be a positive force … Some of the strands we look at in Game On, is that games
can be educational, they can help us think about the environment in which we live, & provide entertainment for people who don’t have the ability to see or hear.”

Next up, we enter a zone dedicated to videogames from around the world. Europe is represented by titles like Lego Star Wars & Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast. America gets games like Metroid Prime & Prince of Persia – Sands of Time. Eastern Europe is represented by an incredibly rare Poly Play cabinet. One of 3 in the world!

Then, there’s Japan. “Japanese games have a very graphical style, to those produced anywhere else in the
world.” Bodman explains. “..it very much relates to the kind of Manga book graphics and design, runs through into animated material in Japan, and games as well.” Playable games to try include recent favourite Katamari Damacy, PC shooter Warning Forever (a personal fave), Suburban train simulation Go By Train 3,
and the utterly over-the-top Steel Battalion which features 2 control sticks & forty (40) buttons.  (I couldn’t even work out how to start my mech, let alone shoot anything.)

Early videogames like Spacewar & Pong were multiplayer by necessity: the hardware just wasn’t powerful enough to drive AI opponents. Now, we have gaming “bots” that challenge humans in complicated 3D battles. Yet despite the giant leaps in processing speed and complexity, gaming with a friend has stayed popular. In fact, in these days of “party starter” games, social gaming is bigger than ever. Game On’s next section is dedicated to all games multiplayer. There’s a 4 player Atari 2600 Warlords, a 4 player networked Halo 3, and a glorious 6 player Bomberman on a Sega Saturn.

“It can actually handle more players, but we don’t have enough controllers.” Bodman explains. Perhaps you could help out.  Know anyone with a Saturn controller they could lend the exhibition? If so, please contact the State Library of Queensland, and leave a message for the “Game On technicians”.

Tomorrow on Just One More Game, we’ll wrap up our Game On walkthrough (part 3).

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Game On walkthrough – part 3.
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Well… here goes!

Just One More Game (J-OMG) is a new blog, dedicated to 3 segments of the videogame world… Retro, Indie & Coinop. All three genres feature in my first story, split over 3 days.

Game On is a travelling, playable, history of videogames launched in 2002, at London’s Barbican gallery. Since then, it’s toured the world, most recently at Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). The city of trams set a new world record for Game On attendance (129,372 people over 4 months). This was particularly impressive, as the previous record holder (Chicago) has three times the population, and ran their exhibition 40% longer.

Game On’s second Australian season opened on November 17 in Brisbane… at The State Library of Queensland. There it will stay, for the next four months. And already – I’m wondering… can Brisbane beat Melbourne’s record? I hope it does. Despite my loyalty to my old town – an even greater response to Game On’s second Aussie outing would be a big win for videogames.

Now, let’s take a guided tour, with Conrad Bodman. He co-curated the original exhibition six years ago, with Lucien King from Rockstar Games, and has been refining it ever since. 

Note: Photographs are from Melbourne, but Game On Brisbane has around 80% of the same content.

Oh, and if you don’t want any “spoilers”, CLOSE YOUR BROWSER NOW.
(Much more after the jump)

*Sets time machine to March 2008. Activates flux capacitor. Presses button.
Vision goes all blurry… “woooohhhheeeeoooowwwww…..”

Thankyou, Britain.

Thankyou – for Elite and Boulderdash. Thankyou for IK+, Lemmings and Goldeneye. But most of all, thankyou for Game On. It’s the most incredible celebration of videogames. Not just “big” in size & scope… but big in effort… in making things accessible to gamers & non-gamers of all ages. And now, Aussies have a chance to see what all the fuss is about.

Game On’s displays begin in the foyer of the ACMI building. And it’s here I meet Conrad Bodman, for what’s supposed to be a 30 minute interview. For someone overseeing such a mammoth exhibition – and it’s day one of a four month run – he seems surprisingly calm. He shakes my hand with the warmth of a kindred spirit, and as I turn on my tape recorder, he suggests he can “do better” than a half hour chat. “How about a personal tour of the exhibition?” A wha…? (composes self) Yes. Yes that would be fantastic, thankyou.

[That's Conrad Bodman on the right. Unlike me, he only wears *his* Goodies T-shirt "after hours".]

My tour begins immediately – in the ACMI foyer.  Conrad points out the first exhibit. A PDP-1 mainframe, running Spacewar.  Yes, that’s right – “running” Spacewar. The original UK exhibition featured a genuine, but non-working PDP-1. That machine couldn’t come downunder, so the Aussies have gone all out, building a full-size WORKING replica! Sure, it looks like something from Dr Evil’s undersea volcano – but this big blue beast necessitated the invention of the “joystick”, and we’ve been waggling them ever since. Please.  Make sure you have a turn – it’s a real piece of history.

Now, Bodman leads me down the giant staircase – and I feel like Charlie Bucket, entering the Chocolate factory.  The first thing I see is a giant MAME projection screen, with Ms Pacman now the size of a dinner plate. Thankyou god, thankyou.  As we continue down the stairs, the sound starts to hit me.  A glorious arcade orchestra. The “pee-ooooh” of Space Invaders, the “waka waka” of Pacman, the “zaps” of Bezerk.  But before I actually see the sources of these noises, I’m greeted by the old girl herself.  Pong.

Any game that’s been featured in The Goodies, Wall-E & The West Wing has earnt it’s place here. And this ancient, simple game is still worth a go. Unfortunately, the exhibition’s Pong cabinet is not working. But next to it, a fully operational Pong projector setup awaits. Yes, you can challenge a friend, with your glorious victory (or otherwise) shown on the big screen.

Next to Pong is an even older arcade game – Computer Space. You may have seen the original flyer online, with a model in a long white dress, next to the strange looking yellow cabinet. But you really, REALLY need to see Computer Space in the flesh. It’s fibreglass shell includes the most amazing sparkles. Like the mutant offspring of a 50’s hotrod & an ancient TV. Game On is displaying a red cabinet. I mention the colour to Conrad… “Computer Space came in a variety of colours… red, green, yellow, silver… they’re very collectable things.. [and] amongst the most valuable machines. I’d love to get one of those in my house… (laughs)”

Now, we move towards the source of all the noise… and if you’re a competitive retro gamer, you’ll love this. We stop at the controls of the aforementioned giant MAME projection setup. The screen is about 5 metres by 3 metres – so believe me, if you’re having a good run on Galaga – EVERYONE can see. There’s 20 classic games playable, from 1978-1982. Everything from Burgertime to Space Panic, with reasonable arcade-esque controls. Seeing all this emulation going on, I ask my guide his thoughts on the subject. “A lot of these games are now defunct, and difficult to get hold of. MAME has done a really good job for those people who are interested in this early history. Otherwise – these games would be completely unknown.” Not that Game On’s collection is dominated by emulated titles. Far from it.

The main Game On arcade is what heaven would look like, if Walter Day did a makeover. Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Asteroids and a dozen more. You forget how much cooler these games are, with all the original trimmings. I asked Bodman about his own arcade beginnings. “It all began at the Crystal Room arcade, in Reading…” he explains. “At that time, there was that transition; pinball games were going out, and videogames were coming in. The first game I ever put 10p into, was Asteroids. Soon followed by Space Invaders, then Galaxians, which is a real favourite…”

Now, I add, it’s 25 years later, and they’re in a museum. Like dinosaur bones. Hmm, I suppose that’s what these games are – to the school kids one quarter of their age. “What we’re trying to say in the exhibition” Bodman explains, “…is maybe big institutions need [consider starting] collections of this kind of material. So there’s some legacy, for generations in the future, because these machines had a very important influence, and spawned a whole interest in electronic home entertainment. The games are exciting & compelling, visually, but the cabinets are quite beautiful as well, with very lavish graphics on the side. So they’re great objects to look at, as well as to play.”

I ask Conrad if there were any particular arcade cabinets that were particularly satisfying to obtain for the collection. “Sure. The original Donkey Kong. They’re quite hard to source, and it’s playable in it’s original format. No MAME, no PC.. just playing off it’s original board. And as you can imagine, it’s quite an enterprise to keep all of this running.”

Ahh yes, keeping it all going. That’s not something you worry about when you’re showing Renoir’s paintings. And – despite this being the first day of the show, I spot one machine turned off. A very rare Taitan cab, with giant bug eyes glowing above the monitor. Bodman explains that a power surge 2 days prior had taken it out of action. Luckily, there are techs working on the problem. “We’ve met a small number of people around the world who are able to repair boards, and fix monitors and so on. We’ve got some of those people involved in the show, to try to keep everything up and running, as much as possible.”

As I’ve pointed out, Game On covers the 70’s to mid 80’s arcade scene quite well. But post 1985 coin-op gaming is only lightly touched upon. I assume this is due to two reasons. One – society’s shift in emphasis from “arcade” to “home” gaming. And two – because many significant arcade games are playable later in Game On, as “home conversions”. For 90’s coin op purists, there are some upright cabs playable; Sonic Wings & Virtua Fighter, plus a UK-style Neo Geo cabinet.

The latter is a real treat for Aussie Neo fans, as they’re quite different to the “Pacific” cabinets built by LAI. There are four carts to play.. representing a few genres: Metal Slug X, Samurai Showdown 2, Viewpoint & Windjammers. It’s interesting to see Windjammers in the same exhibition as Pong, as it really is an enhanced clone, released 22 years after the original.

Well that’s part 1 of our exclusive 3-part Game On special.

Click through to Part 2 & you’ll see…

The Top Ten consoles, Games families, Kids Games,
Portable Games, Films vs Games, Sound in Games,
Games around the World… AND..  multiplayer games.

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Game On walkthrough – part 2.
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