05 March 2013

"His behaviour in the field was erratic at best"

In anticipation of the Bafta game awards ceremony in London tonight, hosted by comedian and game aficionado Dara O'Briain, this Guardian interview is a useful introduction to O'Briain's long-standing fascination with the game industry and its products. Ah yes, I too have fond memories of playing Impossible Mission on the C64 at friends' places after school or at birthday parties - although unlike O'Briain, I never got close to finishing the game and to hear the mad scientist complaining.

It's also a pretty good excuse to link to the article's clip from his 2010 Live at the Apollo segment on gaming, which as he points out is great craic for 70 percent of the audience but leaves the other 30 percent wondering what passes for comedy these days. (n.b. contains some adult material). It does make you wonder why so many games have crouching as an integral game mechanic, and why they make the controls so hard in Metal Gear Solid - 'He spent most of his time waddling around the battlefield for no reason! He was toggling maps, then items, then weapons, then items, then maps; he had no idea where he was going...'

 

See also:
GamesSuper Monsters Ate My Condo, Wellington-designed Bafta nominee
Games: The new kings of Ireland (Crusader Kings 2), 7 July 2012
Games: The city stretches on and on (Sim City 4), 25 January 2010


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