Steam! And Apples-to-Apples

Posted by Theresa Chen in

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Wow. We are terrible at doing this regularly. :P

I haven't really gamed much in the computer or console-gaming world lately. Last week I played Apples-to-Apples for the first time, which yes, is shocking considering I just graduated from a masters program. I'd seen the game before, but usually it was in a box in front of a group of people to be played if we possibly needed an ice breaker. But never did open it.

First time was a lot of fun though. I think there's something to be said about the classic board and card games. They live as popular games through the years for a reason. Apples-to-Apples is a fun way to try and get in to people's heads. But instead of just trying to figure out how to best win, you also try to figure out what makes people laugh. People can jump in and out of the game whenever they wish as long as you aren't really concerned about score and winning and losing. I get the feeling that is not the point of the game anyways, although you could be that type of crowd and play this well too. The number of cards in your hand, etc, really doesn't change the game too much. It's all about getting inside a player's head, thinking creatively, and testing your luck to see if you threw down the right card. It makes for great communal fun that surrounds simplistic rules, a variety of player numbers, and a lot of laughter. In other words, a good party game.

But in cool other news, Steam is available on Mac! :D

I switched to Mac a few months ago, mostly because I got tired with all the technical trouble shooting and bad luck I tend to have with PCs. I wanted something reliable that will last about 5 years at least. Mac has a good reputation for this, especially in their recent releases (I still remember that it wasn't more than 5 years ago when this Youtube video accurately described all the annoyances I had with Mac). Also, there are less viruses and spyware to consider. Unfortunately, this also means that most games will not run. Unless I bootcamp. Which I still need to do....

So I downloaded and installed the Steam Client and tried to install my first game, a demo version of Braid (try first, buy later. My favorite feature of Steam). But lo... I was denied. The servers were too busy. Try again later.

Guess I'm not the only one excited about this.

Canabalt: When simple is addictive.

Posted by Nadia Labeikovsky in

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Canabalt is a game that came out of the Experimental Game monthly challenge. It was such a success that the creators, Semi Secret Software, decided to polish and release it as a full platformer game for the iPhone/iPod and a online version.

Canabalt for me it is appealing since it has a very simple game interaction (tapping or clicking on the screen)which means that I do not have to worry about tilting the device on a certain way or other keys to press. Specially since personally I am very clumsy with iPhone/iPod games.

The goal of the game is simple and obvious as you start the game. The goal is to escape from inminent doom while avoiding obstacles and impossible situations as you run. Your distance is recorded, so at the end or when you fail you see how much you have ran, like a highscore of sorts, creating a compulsion to play over and over to get a better score.

From the black and white beautiful pixel graphics, to the music that complements the game so well in tempo and speed. Canabalt is made to be addictive, and it is a great example of simple made perfect. It does not matter if the setting and situations are strange, you are so concentrated on your goal that it makes complete sense and makes you want to play over and over. An interesting detail of the game is that obstacles are loaded randomly, or appear to be randomly, this means that every play session you encounter different situations, making this game dynamic and different every time you play.

Canabalt is an example as to simple and small sessions of gameplay can be succesful on mobile devices (even on web). If you have not played, I invite you to play it, just click here.