Letters to the Editor

In response to “You’re not Allowed to do That” from The Escapist Forum: Ah, I remember the first time I saw my friend pull off the rainbow road short-cut. He did it first lap. He started laughing hysterically, the rest of us just stared, jaws down and speechless.

He went on to lose that race. It was the first lap on rainbow road – plenty of time to catch up.

Reading this article, I was slightly reminded of an article in a previous issue of The Escapist detailing how a person felt he had to play games in secret, away from the prying eyes of everyone else. I can’t remember the title of that article right now, but I can’t help but read this article and think how wrong that writer was…

– Necrohydra

You’re probably thinking of “A Day in the Life of a Social Loner” by Tomohiko Endo, from The Escapist Issue 131. – Ed.

I couldn’t agree more with this article. Pro Evo was a really good way to break the ice in the first few weeks of universtiy, where everyone in the flat was a complete stranger. We used to stay up for hours, occasionally realising that it was time to go to lectures rather than go to sleep. The 3 random picks rule is also used, but occasionally changes depending on the mood. I’m in my third year now and pro evo is played less than first year, mainly due to people actually having to work, but other games like Mashed and Wipeout Fusion have been introduced. So essentially, I’m going to fail my degree.

– Red Shadow

I disagree with this article. Console gaming, and gaming in general, is not social outside of a limited group of people who are interested in it. Anecdotal evidence to suggest otherwise is that: anecdotal. You can just as easily imagine asking people if they’d like a few pints down the pub as being a good way to start conversation, and once drunk, it’s much easier to carry on.

When you go to University, there is a vast number of people out there looking for new friends: people like them. If you advertise who you are by how you behave, or dress, or where you go, you are more likely to meet them.

Consoles are just one way of advertising who you are. I still wouldn’t say that they’re any more social than D&D, a deck of cards, scrabble, actually playing sports, or joining a debating society.

– FavouredEnemy

In response to “The Game Design Game” from The Escapist Forum: Great read, really amazingly insightful.
“Once I’ve made a game, there is no joy in playing it. Or at least the joy is a shadow of what I get from playing someone else’s game. Part of enjoying a game is discovery and surprise. Having made the game, there is none of that. Mastery is another principle pleasure of gaming. After testing it for several hundred hours, I’ve mastered the whole damn thing.”

That’s true for writers as well. Faulkner, Lytle…none of those guys ever re-read their books after they’d spent months writing and revising. So much so that Faulkner couldn’t remember the characters from all of his books after a while.

– L.B. Jeffries

I can relate to the concept of creation requiring more than one man – my group and I have been devising a 13-part drama series for the 2nd year Uni project, and it really opened my eyes to the way an idea evolves and grows.
It was a little disheartening to hear some of the comments by professionals about who can and can’t make a good designer, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

– Surggical_Scar