DevilBlackDeath

Hello,
I'm currently a student (starting from this year) in art and will specialise myself in 3D graphics. I already have a 2 year technical degree in computer engineering. I intend to work as independant game developer, and I am currently working, on my spare time, on a game engine. I also try myself at game design when I have time (actually I think about it every time :P ), analyzing why I like or dislike in a game in a verh precise way.

Talking of which I will also tell you about my tastes in games. First of all you must know my "nemesis" is Call of Duty. This is the archetype of what I dislike in most modern games. However I can understand that casual gamers like for its cinematic look, even in multiplayer. How to put that simply? Well first, it is over assisted, everything's scripted, this is not made to give a challenge, it feels much like a very interactive movie (just a bit more movement freedom than games like Heavy Rain). Plus the solo part of it is too short, and even the hardest difficulty hardly (pun intended) gives a challenge when you used to play Arena shooters (for me it's been mostly the Unreal Franchise). On top of that it brought the modern set of war. Almost every "big games" now takes place in a modern war, or modern looking war to the point I have come to an overdose of realistic violence.

On the other part I will talk about some of my favourite games. The first one is Timesplitters. I know this is a pretty violent game, maybe it's getting realistic in some of its gore stuff, but the biggest part pf the game is not about that, it's about being a potpourri, you have old, modern, and futuristic weapons and characters, and some of the content is just hilarious. And it has a feature so many games of that time had that many nowadays games lack, split screen multiplayer for terrific fun with friends (after all, isn't fun what a game actually is about?). Another "type" of game I like is arena shooters, my favorite being Unreal Tournament for the design, the balance in weapons (they all have a specific behavior you can use to your advantage) and the gameplay balance (movement ease, vertical gameplay, you die neither too fast nor too slow). The last game I will talk about is a masterpiece made by a company that was once one of the greatest video game developers, I do not have to present you Banjo-Kazooie (as well as Banjo-Tooie). So the game is really simple, for those who don't know it, it's mostly about collecting objects (music notes, jigsaw pieces called jiggies...), the most importants behing the prevously mentioned jiggies, that will let you progress through the game. The exploration part of the game is so well achieved that you never get bored, this and the universe surrounding you. The universe is wondrful, one of the best ever created! Written on a paper, it just sounds crazy, but when it takes life on your screen, it all makes sense. That is aerfect balance between a wonderful universe, platform, and exploration. The passion woth which I'm talking about it says it all. Really for the youngest of you, you really should try it (actually anyone who never played it, despite its age, should), once you get used to the N64 era graphics, it is just magnificient (I, for one, owned the two games on the N64 when I was a child).

I think that's all I can say about me, at least for the "designer" that I want to become. One last thing, I don't have any preferree style in term of art, just some techniques that I don't really like, but other than that, I'm very open-minded.

Thank you if you have read it to the bottom, I hope you enjoyed reading some of my ideas, and I'm open to discuss it whenever you like to (whethet about game design, graphics and so on).