In this episode of The Reboot, host Rio Pesino speaks with video game recruiters from Bungie, LucasArts, BioWare, Ubisoft, THQ and FullSail about the hiring process, what they look for in a candidate and some insiders’ advice on how to break into the industry.

1up made this list of the top 5 games to play when you’re drunk in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

5. Breakout - Atari 2600

For some, the average Atari 2600 game loses its luster within the first 15 seconds. And while 2600 graphics are, to the sober mind, dated and blocky, to the sloshing brain the graphics are alive, immediate, and contemporary. I know for a fact that you can play Breakout boozily, because I’ve witnessed it. Once, I walked out of my living room just as a friend hit the reset switch on my 2600. When I walked back in, there he was, sitting on the floor with his eyes kind of misty, the paddle control in front of him. He’d beaten Breakout. “I’m a genius!” he told me. Breakout is a very twitchy game that requires fine, precise movements and astute snap decision-making. In that regard it’s practically a sobriety test. Of course alcohol hadn’t improved my friend’s hand-eye coordination (but don’t tell him that). However, he was in the Zone, in that Zen mindset where patterns and trajectories begin to make a strange cosmic sense. Also, a PBR had temporarily turned my friend into a struttin’ cock of the walk, which surely helped his game. If you don’t have Breakout at hand (and if you aren’t yet in your 30s, I can’t fault you), challenge your friends to Arkanoid. If you’re feeling really competitive, do Pong.

4. Rez HD - 360

Perhaps games like Breakout benefit from alcohol consumption because they do rely on visual abstraction. Modern shoot-em-ups like Rez also seem to benefit from beer buzz: The half-awake, primal brain focuses on nothing in particular, and yet, as if automagically, you manage to rack up a phenomenal score. “Have you ever experienced shooter Zen?” Scott Sharkey once asked. “It’s that trancelike state you slip into, where your mind merges with the game and no matter what it throws at you, you’re going to survive because you’re freaking Superman.” Mike Bracken of GameCritics elaborates: “To become a true shmup master, one must enter a Zen-like state wherein the gamer becomes one with the controller and his onscreen avatar.” Now they call trance music “trance” for a reason, and Rez is one of the few games that inexplicably combines lightning-fast action with vegetativeness (which is a real word; I checked). We’re not telling you to booze yourself into Buddha — but if you’re of age, gellin’ like Magellan can make Rez even more engaging and rhythmic. Just ask Mizuguchi. If you hate electronica music, we recommend Geometry Wars.

3. Guitar Hero - PS2, 360, Wii, Mac

With “beatmatching” rhythm games and alcohol, there’s a dramatic bell curve. You’re invincible after a beer, but after one too many, you’re so kicked out of the band. The reason you can play games after a whiskey is actually the same reason you don’t drive after a whiskey: Slightly impaired judgment means you’re more confident, more daring. Your score in Guitar Hero may markedly improve after a drink if only because, for instance, you wouldn’t ordinarily attempt that really difficult solo. There’s a fine line between taking risks and getting stupid, though, and it generally coincides with getting your toy guitar taken away. Waning, boozy attention spans might tire of Guitar Hero’s music catalog; in that case, we recommend Audiosurf as a viable alternative.

2. WarioWare: Smooth Moves - Wii

With alcohol, it’s easy to coerce your friends into doing things they would never ordinarily do. Turn that negative into a positive! Nothing feels quite so right as finding four of the burliest, manliest dudes you can, moving the Hummel figurines out of arm’s reach, and bringing out the Wii Remotes. In an event like this, many partygoers prefer WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Your friends will look silly playing any movement game, irrespective of whether it stars Wario, but WarioWare includes a lot more hopping, ducking, and flapping than tennis does. And if booze is good for anything it’s making you unafraid to look like an ass. Don’t forget the camcorder! In a pinch, you could make your friends play Wii Sports, but if coordination becomes a problem, why not bring out SingStar or Karaoke Revolution instead?

1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - DS

So, you’re drinking alone. No, no, don’t explain. I am loath to admit I completed Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney with, literally, one eye open. And while you might not think booze and detective work go together (although, come to think of it, there is a certain Sam Spade appeal there), the truth is, point-and-click adventure puzzles seem to go down a little easier with a glass of wine. Especially when they’re mysterious. But why is that? Alcohol doesn’t necessarily improve your acuity or powers of deduction — not by any stretch! — but it does make you more brash, more determined. With point-and-click adventures, in which the only real adversary is your own sense of frustration, brash tenacity is a virtue worth rewarding. If courtroom battles aren’t your thing, settle into your easy chair with a pipe and a decanter and check out Professor Layton and the Curious Village to see how the juice affects your holmesian intellect.

[source]

Are you a fanboy or just a spirited debater? Our six-point guide will put you on the path to self-discovery.

There are two types of fanboys in the world: those who passionately support a team, product, company or organization in a balanced way, and those who passionately support something to the point of becoming an irrational, spitting tornado of anger. The first type is normal and is the result of a healthy competitive nature. The problem, however, is when a person becomes unwilling to objectively criticize what is being rooted for; criticism that is in the best interest of both the consuming individual and the “team” in question.

The last thing the world needs is another article on fanboys. To highlight them is to encourage them; something most try to avoid. However, we think it’s important to admonish their culture in the hopes of changing it. Once that happens, video game culture can only improve. So the next time you’re staring at your face in the mirror, ask yourself this question: does this list apply to you?

1. You become upset when something you like is questioned.

Fanboys almost universally interpret criticism as a bad thing, generally responding with hostility. The irony of this is that unbridled enthusiasm benefits no one in the long run. When consumer products are blindly followed without criticism, improvement is frustrated and buyers ultimately get the shaft. It’s in everyone’s best interest to honestly evaluate what’s being sold, be that a system made by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo.

2. You are intellectually dishonest.

If you truly believe you are always right and can never be wrong, you — my friend — are intellectually dishonest. Common side affects include an unwillingness to hear out opposing arguments, an overlying fear of facts, a rejection of the truth, and opining without requisite context or knowledge (even worse, without thoroughly reading the issues being discussed!).

3. You resort to personal attacks during debate.

Fanboys let their myopic revelry define who there are. Pinning your very existence on the success of a mass market product like the Xbox 360 or PS3 can be a scary thing. Thus, personal insecurity often drives fanboys to spew trite insults and hateful speech when engaging with others in a discussion. The Urban Dictionary aptly describes the occurrence, “[They] put down people who don’t like whatever it is they like and will disregard any factors that differ from their point of view.” If you have a tough time separating emotion from discussion, you might be a fanboy.

4. The defeat of your enemy is more rewarding than your victory.

Rooting for the success of a “team” is one thing. In fact, millions of Americans do this daily for professional sports teams, favored products, even company stock. But relentlessly celebrating the loss of another in place of your own victory is problematic. I’m not talking about cheering when the Yankees lose; I’m talking about finding pleasure in spamming rival console forums, sabotaging Wikipedia entries, and disrupting the peaceful assembly of others.

5. You bring nothing new to a conversation.

Shipped consoles versus sold? We’ve all heard that tired argument a thousand times. Does it really matter? If you feel strongly about a subject, make an informed, creative case while backing it up with facts and cross-references. Look to enlighten the argument, not rehash the same points ad nauseum. Better yet, try a different approach if you feel you’re not being heard. If “you suck” is the best counter argument you have, you’re not even trying.

6. You are anti-fanboy.

Don’t get me wrong — no one likes a troll. But if you’ve made it your life’s work to counter and antagonize fanboys, you’re only adding to the problem. Anti-fanboys regularly accuse others of being fanboys in derogatory fashion. It’s a vicious cycle. The name gets loosely thrown around yet tells more of the individual using the term than the person it’s directed at. Calling someone a fanboy without proper cause is merely evidence of a weak mind trying to get noticed.

No one is completely devoid of bias, and everyone has a little fanboy in ‘em. But extremes should be avoided. Ultimately, fanboyism is just blind consumerism most commonly found during one’s formative years; the driving force largely being irrationality. So take heed, gamers. And embrace the idea of a world with a lot less aggravation.

[source]

Prof. Dmitri Williams, one of the leading academics in the gaming space, who was an expert witness at the U.S. Senate on the constitutionality of game banning laws, held a roundtable on game addiction at GDC. Williams referenced Carnegie Mellon University A. Fleming Seay’s research on addiction in an MMO context.

The addiction, defined as “problematic use” by Seay, is when an entertainment product dominates and displaces other behavior,
causes conflict and not playing causes anxiety. Seay found that self regulation (self monitoring, self evaluation and self consequence) was difficult for certain people. This seems obvious, but like anything in academia, if somebody hasn’t done the research it isn’t legitimate. The other thing Seay found was people’s affinity for a game caused their problematic use — but the interesting part was that those with “problematic use” were those who didn’t like the game they were playing. They would do the same actions over and over again, didn’t find pleasure in their actions and got stuck in a rut.

Williams thinks now is a the time to start looking into the ideas of “gaming addiction” and “problematic use” before it gains traction. He says, “Coming up with a solution to that, is better than sitting in front of Congress in ten years.”

[via joystiq]

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