Mar
18
…so go check it out. it was a fun show to do as always 
Topics:
Introductions
Listener mail/What we’re playing
What to Unmake
Flames Drama
The $500 Million Question
Blog of the Week
Hosts:
Darren – Commonsensegamer.com
John – The Ancient Gaming Noob
Tipa – WestKarana
Paul – The Grouchy Gamer
Blog of the Week:
Nuyan’s Hangout
Hope you enjoy it.
D out.
It was quite enjoyable, actually listened to it yesterday, oh the glory of iTunes 
Keep it up D and Company.
I don’t even remember the last time I listened to a podcast (any podcast). It’s good getting back to it. Anyway, another Miller-style (tediously long) response…
Brenda and Paul are both right on The Sims. It has introduced a lot of people to gaming, but it does dominate precious shelf space. One other thing that makes it important is that it’s one of the very few games out there to focus on emergent gameplay and non-linear exploration. Wright’s games are also meaningful and instructive, something that’s necessary for games to become a respected form of entertainment. Just like The Sims, Spore is going to bring all sorts of people into gaming and make them respect what the medium can be.
Madden Football — You’re right… the new roster is usually the main addition to a Madden sequel that makes it interesting. If EA really wanted to prove itself, it would allow players to download new rosters (with stats and abilities) to old games for $5 (names alone should be free). Then the sequels would truly have to stand on their own. I’m really hoping Backbreaker and Bloodbowl will be good alternatives for football lovers next year.
Speaking of which… Fantasy sports, ala Bloodbowl, is one of my main interests in game design. I hadn’t considered “pirates in Madden”, but maybe I’ll try to make it work.
Guilds remind me more and more of labor unions. Somewhere in the big mess, somewhere in the past, there’s an idea called “guild” that’s noble and good. But it seems like most big guilds now are basically just self-centered interest groups that try to bully their views into being. They’d usurp power entirely if they could.
The “half a billion dollars” comment, I’m sure, was just a figure of speech, an exaggeration. But even so, it’s wrong. I still believe a popular MMO could be built for under a million dollars… mainly by focusing on replayability and dynamics, thereby allowing a much smaller world at start. And financial success is having more profit than costs, not making millions. Brenda’s right there.
Did this happen in the film industry? After E.T., after Star Wars, Jurassic Park, or LOTR, did film producers say “That’s the bar now”? After the Harry Potter series, did book publishers say “That’s the bar now”? Is this sort of thinking just the sign of a young industry, and those industries went through that stuff a long time ago?
John’s right that there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Blizzard to make another MMO, and they’re going to be held to their previous success. If Blizzard does what they usually do — make games that they themselves enjoy — then it will be a good one. But it won’t be so good if the pressure hits them hard enough.
The name Nguyen is basically pronounced “win”. But that’s ok. Everyone gets to butcher a name once, at least.
A nice mix of guests. An intelligent discussion all around.
1974… old people are funny. 
Shut Up. We're Talking.