This post is not about video games as art themselves but what kind of creativity comes AFTER the game.  For those of us who aren’t game developers or graphics artists what is it that we can do to make the gaming experience more personal?  Sometimes we spend countless hours playing these games with nothing to show for it other than a few gamerscore points.  This got me thinking…should I try to make the gaming experience a little more personal?  Gaming is something I’ve loved to do for as long as I can remember and it might open the door for me to make something cool in the process. 

I can tell you from first hand experience that creating and building replicas of video game weapons or armor is difficult and very time consuming.  Not to mention expensive.    It is something I would like to get better at and it’s cool to see something come to life from one of my favorite video games.  

 http://volpinprops.blogspot.com/2009/11/aquarium-photoshoot.html

 (This is a real Big Daddy costume created by Harrison Krix.  The photo shoot was set in the Georgia Aquarium.) 

 Last year I finished an ODST helmet from the Halo games (Thank you 405th!).  This photo was taken mid way through the building process.  I haven’t taken a photo of the finished product yet.  It turned out pretty good for my first one.  For this years project I’m beginning to build my son an Iron Man helmet.  My biggest concern with this project is that I hope this one fits.  I tried it two Halloween’s ago and it was way to small (like baby doll head small).  I think this time I’ll start with the faceplate and see if that is even big enough.  Live and learn right?

 What is it you enjoy most about the experience of gaming.  Is it the story, the score, graphics, replay-ability?  I know it’s a mix of all of the above, but is there one thing you as a gamer gravitate toward in how you pick your games.  If you were to own a piece of the game what would it be?  Would you be willing to re-create it to make it a more personal relationship between you and this world that you’ve come to enjoy?

If this post has sparked your inner artist and have questions about building props let me know.  I might be able to steer you in the right direction.

(Oh, and I’ll post a photo of the finished helmet when I get the visor on.)

B.E.

Allow myself to introduce…myself.

Game one started with Trust Company spawning at the second point armed with ACRs and one sniper rifle. Reaper Crew rolled with a versatile arsenal that included a shotgun, a sniper rifle, and what looked like a sub-machine gun. Two of the Reapers took to the bunker as T Co moved carefully around the radar tower. ClumsyG scored the first kill of the night by taking out a prowling Crazysnowbdr while hiding behind some barrels for cover.

Optic blast!

Housekeeping!

Seconds later in the hangar, AM Woody3 silently shotgunned Trustbreaker as the T Co member reached for his rifle. Hiding near a doorway, Truss No One 25 pounced on AM, knifing the Reaper from behind. Footsteps alerted Truss to another Reaper, Crazy, about to come through the door. A missed knife opened up an opportunity for Crazy to stick one into Truss and take the lead.

Follow the bouncing betty!

ClumsyG moved into the bunker narrowly avoiding triggering a bouncy betty which helped him take out unsuspecting Reaper Crew team leader womblemk3 as he waited to score a sniper kill from the bunker window. One minute into the game, the score was tied 300 to 300. Crazy went for another two kills opening the lead for the Reaper Crew with a score of 500 to 300. The game remained close as the teams traded leads. ClumsyG built up his killstreak calling in an attack helicopter at the 6:56 mark. He scored the highest streak of kills in the game with eight. The chopper couldn’t down a target before getting destroyed by AM. Moments later, Truss took out the entire Reaper Crew within six seconds to extend Trust Company’s lead to 600.

Hewwo!

With the least deaths on the Reaper Crew, womble sneaked through the map earning his way onto Trustbreaker’s kill list. Womble managed to kill Breaker five times within one life before Breaker returned the favor. Trust Company kept the lead though Reaper Crew stayed in contention until the ending of the game. T Co won the game 3800 to 2700 with the highest lead coming with the final score.

Hide and Go Reap

Achoooooo!

The Reaper Crew started game two off with a 300 to 0 start. Teams started in the same place, and ClumsyG made it to the bunker on his second try. Looking across the walkway, he found womble looking for targets to snipe. Failing to score a longshot, Clumsy backed away from the window and found himself surprised to get an explosive kill. Apparently, some of Clumsy’s shots hit a barrel that exploded throwing womble back.

Assured mutual destruction.

Action was sparse once again with the score tied 700 to 700 at the 6:51 mark. UAVs served T Co well as they searched for the Reaper Crew who dared T Co to come find them. Leads changed several times as the lead for each team stayed within 200. With the score at 900 to 1100, womble and Truss tossed each other a grenade sending the other player reeling.

AM spent a good portion of the match hiding near the holding tanks. He placed a tactical insertion which gave T Co a two for one special. With the game very close, T Co opened up a 300 point lead at the 2:04 mark that kept increasing until the final score of 3400 to 2400.

Are We Safe?

Ma! Look what I found! Can I keep it?

The Reaper Crew scored first on the third game, but Trust Company took the lead and began to walk away with it. At 8:09, Crazy shot down Trustbreaker to pull RC within 400 of the lead as the score crawled to a 700 to 300 score. T Co managed to build up a lead of 800 before losing a drop package carrying an AH-6 Overwatch.

My other ride is a killer whale.

RC took advantage of T Co’s loss, and their hijacked Ah-6 took three victims before being shot down. RC pulled within 200, but they couldn’t close the gap any further. With the score at 3300 to 2300 around the 2:00 mark, T Co once again called in a drop package, this time managing to secure it successfully.

Dropping bombs.

A precision airstrike called in by Truss killed one putting T Co up by 1100 with 1:36 left to go. The lead, widening at one point to 1300, was too big to overcome, and Trust Company completed a sweep with a final game score of 4000 to 2800. The MVP of the day was ClumsyG whose 43 kills and 14 deaths were the match’s best. ClumsyG also got the highest streak of kills with nine. He ended with a positive +29. Truss also ended positive with a +14 for the match.

Thanks to Reaper Crew for playing. It was later discussed that there was a bit of lag due to womble hosting the game in a time zone five hours past EST which might have helped T Co. With the next match between the teams hosted by a member in the states, the tables may turn.

Thanks again, Reaper Crew!

Games:

Call of Duty: Black Ops $22.00  Gamestop: $29.99

Grand Theft Auto 4 $10.00  Gamestop $17.99

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 $10.00  Gamestop $17.99

Fighters Uncaged (Kinect Game) $10.00  Gamestop $17.99

MX vs ATV Reflex $8.00  Gamestop $17.99

Action started hot and heavy with the scores getting tied at 500 a piece. That’s when Trust Company broke away and didn’t look back going on to a lead of 1600-600. The first game ended with the night’s biggest gap — a score of 5900 to 3800.

Things didn’t get easier for Trust Company as Team 4 leader Manny26 stalked his way to the night’s highest kill count of 33 in the second game. Trust Company started the game trailing Team 4 with a score of 300 to 800. A 5-0 run tied them at 800, but Team 4 pushed to a lead of 1200 to 800.

Trust Company caught up again and took the lead after the teams were tied at 1400. With the game being closely contested, Team 4 tied the game at 2200 at the 5:28 mark. Trust Company pulled away again, this time for keeps, and lead as much as 1700 during the final seconds.

The final game started with Team 4 looking to get its first win as Team 4 captain Manny26 went on a tear with his team’s first 7 kills. He was finally stopped after his eighth kill when Trustbreaker found Manny26 hot on the heels of ClumsyG. Team 4 lead with a 900 to 300 score before Trust Company began roaring back. Despite being behind for most of the first half of the match, Trust Company tied it at 2100 and 2200 before it began pushing a lead. They lead for as much as 500 when the score was 3300 to 2800, but Team 4 tied the game at 3500 and 3600. They never caught up again, and Trust Company opened the game up to a 1200 point around the 0:37 mark with the score at 5300 to 4100.

Manny26 ended the night with 93 total kills, leading both teams. MVP for the night, Trust Company’s Truss No One25, ended with a 48-6-28 score leaving him with a +20. All of Trust Company’s members ended with a positive K/D with ClumsyG at +15 and TrustBreaker at +9.

Hope to have another good turn out for the next Frag Night!!!

Here are some excerpts from www.operationsports.com

Kinect for Xbox 360 Integration –Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 will be the first-ever Kinect for Xbox 360 sports simulation title, tracking full body movements to create the most advanced and authentic swing to date on the virtual golf course. Controller-free and voice-enabled controls provides for a unique, never-before-seen sports gaming experience. More details will be revealed about Kinect for Xbox 360 integration the week of January 24.

Total Swing Control – Taking its most significant leap forward in swing mechanics in over a decade, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 revolutionizes the virtual golf swing. Golfers will take full control over their swing with all-new tempo, swing plane and shot power controls along with an adjustable shot setup, allowing players to address the ball in a number of ways to create limitless shot types with just one club.

Cougar’s Corner is an experimental project on a-gamer.com. Used to help bring gaming and tech news stories from the web to our audience. Please leave comments and feedback below!

Supporting Links:

1. http://www.a-gamer.com/2012/01/02/current-contest-slogan/
2. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fable:_The_Journey
3. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act