Dev.log Gold

As a gamer, there's different genres I prefer much more than others. I really enjoy action, RPG, platformer, shooting, adventure, and roguelike games among others. As for genres that don't suit my fancy, that would be strategy, simulation, sports and racing games. Funny enough that a company decided to merge the last two and make a very entertaining and long lasting game that I've enjoyed very much; this game is called Rocket League.

Rocket League is a game that somehow takes two genres that are polar opposites and turned into something anyone can enjoy. It has a gameplay philosophy that I favor among most others: easy to learn and hard to master mechanics and/or controls. The controls are easy enough for kids to maneuver around a giant soccer field made for cars that can ride along walls and fly. However, they're complex enough for more seasoned players to do unthinkable flying movements and flashy maneuvers. To top it off, this game has some of the coolest cosmetic pieces and costumes for cars like different hats, paint jobs, antennas, etc. Even full blown makeovers like the Batmobile, the jeep from Jurassic Park, and the DeLorean from Back to the Future among other things. The game to me has solid mechanics, style, a broad appeal, a strong Esports presence and has its own unique identity and subgenre that hasn't been replicated to this magnitude yet, by both Triple A and Indie companies alike.

There are quite a few takeaways I got from playing this game. One of them is trying to combine different genres that seem unlikely to merge well. This worked well for games like Crypt of the Necrodancer combining music and roguelike or Portal combining FPS and puzzle. Another lesson is to get more involved into genres I don't enjoy that much. I may not enjoy them as others can, but they'll have fun and unique elements not found anywhere else. Playing games like Forza and Fifa don't give me much pleasure, but using rocket powered cars to play soccer is so weird and crazy that it worked well. The overall message is to go outside my comfort zone and try mixing and matching to see what sticks and what doesn't. It's a scary and/or uncomfortable mentality in certain cases, but that mentality is what will help evolve video games and any other medium for better or worse.

What is the future of videogames? What do you think you will you be playing in 10 or 20 years? Describe, predict, guess, & reflect on games. Have fun

The future of video games is something that's unpredictable. Compared to music and television, it's one of the fastest growing and evolving entertainment mediums ever. Graphics went from sprites to models, stories have evolved, worlds get bigger, etc. As for what I'd be playing 10-20 years from now, I think I have a pretty good idea, and not at the same time. Here's my thought process.

For the future of video games, I think as far as technology goes, it's going to move to simulation technology. I always hear developers and companies talk about how they want video games to be more immersive and have more solid foundations and creative worlds. This evolved from imagining how the original Legend of Zelda would be like, to massive multiplayer games like World of Warcraft, to expansive open worlds like Witcher 3 and now virtual reality games like Half Life: Alyx. Each generation brings more features and quality of life aspects to video games. Not only that, but there's many accessible options like uniquely designed controllers and handicap specific options for video games. As for what I might play a decade or two from now, I think eventually my taste will evolve. For example, when I was younger, I didn't like hard or challenging games because they were too frustrating and I wasn't into indie games because they looked cheap to me. Now that I'm older, I really enjoy hard games like Dark Souls and DOOM and indie games like The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy.

I think my assessment was well thought out. I like to study video games, stories and other areas of the medium. It's a pastime hobby for me and I always like to keep updated and informed with what's happening. This way, I can think of ideas for myself in the future and learn from the accomplishments and mistakes of others. I also know myself well enough to know my personal taste and know that they will change as time goes on. My thought process will change and I might eventually dabble into more fighting games or strategy games; but for now, that's not likely. I can only imagine what the future holds in store for me.