PlanHex
Arcane
Explanation featuring popamole from the 80s:Why do people keep talking about this shitty game?
http://youtu.be/VdNhwb7iuI4?t=35m34s
Explanation featuring popamole from the 80s:Why do people keep talking about this shitty game?
Smudboy can be really terrible to watch. It's not that his arguments don't make sense (although sometimes he makes mistakes), but to be comprehensible arguments should flow one after another in natural fashion. His videos often work like that giant list of 100 nitpickings, where he can spend minutes rambling about "the hook is magnetized!", or even "America had F-15's!". Maybe hook can work somehow, maybe America did not get supersonic jets in Bioshock's setting, maybe WW2 was different. Who knows? It doesn't matter when talking about Bioshock's plot. Now, bringing stuff like "grandfather paradox" to it does matter, because parallel universes is what the plot about, and it's right to dismantle the plot using tools like that. When you can't pack your arguments in a 20-30 minutes video and don't edit out unnecessary crap like repetitions (I remember in Bioshock videos he was talking about jets somewhere, let's say in 2nd video, and then again if 4th, like he forgot which points he already made and which he didn't), imo you failed in making an argument, or at least a presentation interesting to watch.
My perspective on storytelling is that it's impossible to make a large audience care through direct manipulation; you can get a few dummies by kicking the dog etc., but overall your job as an author relies upon the faith your audience has in you to remain logically consistent with respect to characters, setting, and plot events. Therefore it's imperative to do your best to define rules that the audience can believe in and have everything you write follow those. Obviously, there are exceptions - but you need to be good at what you do before you can know when to break the rules. Suspension of disbelief - of which emotional engagement is a product - relies on that consistency first and foremost.Smudboy can be really terrible to watch. It's not that his arguments don't make sense (although sometimes he makes mistakes), but to be comprehensible arguments should flow one after another in natural fashion. His videos often work like that giant list of 100 nitpickings, where he can spend minutes rambling about "the hook is magnetized!", or even "America had F-15's!". Maybe hook can work somehow, maybe America did not get supersonic jets in Bioshock's setting, maybe WW2 was different. Who knows? It doesn't matter when talking about Bioshock's plot. Now, bringing stuff like "grandfather paradox" to it does matter, because parallel universes is what the plot about, and it's right to dismantle the plot using tools like that. When you can't pack your arguments in a 20-30 minutes video and don't edit out unnecessary crap like repetitions (I remember in Bioshock videos he was talking about jets somewhere, let's say in 2nd video, and then again if 4th, like he forgot which points he already made and which he didn't), imo you failed in making an argument, or at least a presentation interesting to watch.
When it comes to plot imo it makes lot more sense to try and figure out why A+B does not work, than why just A is wrong. Otherwise you can just ramble forever why a city in the clouds can't exist, ect.
The problem is that Ken Lavine had bigger ambitions, he had to explain things trying to be way more intelligent than he really is. He tought into creating a really complex and multi layed story but delivered a mess because it is obvious that he isn't a talented writer so he had to dail back and used the quantum bullshit to hide the fact that he gave up on making the story of this game coherent. In reality, the story of this game is just a bunch of random things, many times contrived things, that are stitched together with quantum bullshit.The audience can accept bullshit, so long as you're consistent with your bullshit. It's the reason why (at least early) Star Trek gets a pass these days despite most of the technological innovations are simply impossible in the real world, same thing with Bioshock. Infinite tries for this route, but at the same time basically constantly resorting to the "It's quantum mechanics/tears, I don't have to explain shit". If your explanation of how all this works is fucking bullshit, just go for the Star Wars route of avoiding discussing them altogether.
Gamespot retroactively gives Bioshock Infinite a 4/10:
http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bioshock-infinite-a-fan-scorned/1900-6415464/
My perspective on storytelling is that it's impossible to make a large audience care through direct manipulation; you can get a few dummies by kicking the dog etc., but overall your job as an author relies upon the faith your audience has in you to remain logically consistent with respect to characters, setting, and plot events. Therefore it's imperative to do your best to define rules that the audience can believe in and have everything you write follow those. Obviously, there are exceptions - but you need to be good at what you do before you can know when to break the rules. Suspension of disbelief - of which emotional engagement is a product - relies on that consistency first and foremost.Smudboy can be really terrible to watch. It's not that his arguments don't make sense (although sometimes he makes mistakes), but to be comprehensible arguments should flow one after another in natural fashion. His videos often work like that giant list of 100 nitpickings, where he can spend minutes rambling about "the hook is magnetized!", or even "America had F-15's!". Maybe hook can work somehow, maybe America did not get supersonic jets in Bioshock's setting, maybe WW2 was different. Who knows? It doesn't matter when talking about Bioshock's plot. Now, bringing stuff like "grandfather paradox" to it does matter, because parallel universes is what the plot about, and it's right to dismantle the plot using tools like that. When you can't pack your arguments in a 20-30 minutes video and don't edit out unnecessary crap like repetitions (I remember in Bioshock videos he was talking about jets somewhere, let's say in 2nd video, and then again if 4th, like he forgot which points he already made and which he didn't), imo you failed in making an argument, or at least a presentation interesting to watch.
When it comes to plot imo it makes lot more sense to try and figure out why A+B does not work, than why just A is wrong. Otherwise you can just ramble forever why a city in the clouds can't exist, ect.
Therefore I don't see smudboy's videos as "just nitpicking". We need people to nitpick the shit out of everything, because it does matter - because a plot hole is a plot hole no matter how small, and if the author did his/her job correctly, it shouldn't exist. Doesn't matter whether mass audiences don't pay enough attention not to notice, or if it doesn't really impact the overall story too much - it's still there. As someone who has worked creatively on a variety of writing-related projects and occupations, I very much appreciate that kind of bitter asshole that's ready to call me out on all my shit - it helps me learn, makes me better, and lets me fix problems that much more easily.
I said that pacing of his videos is ass, and you are giving me a preaching on plot holes and suspension of disbelief Sea. Existence of ancient Egyptians does not equal a plot hole for Bioshock Infinity, and many of his arguments are just about his own disbelief into things. I remember he stated that audio logs from original Bioshock made Rapture more believable for him, while in gaming sense the whole underwater city was a bunch of strange neon bathed ruins filled with psychos, vending machines and other crap, and no audio logs would make me personally believe that somebody ever lived there. You could point out the problem and say that Bioshock Infinity does not take a job to explain itself properly, or does not lend player any instruments to do so (like "?" option in System Shock 2's interface, for example), but instead guy just wonders "why are there balloons everywhere". This mix of good arguments and his constant search what more he could stick himself to is just not very interesting to watch, while there are other people who point out game's problems a lot faster and more accurately.
I'd gladly discuss with you if bitter asshole approach is valid or not as I have my opinion on that (I believe that it's not worth it), but the goddamn asian chick just freaks me out and I just can't focus myself when you Stare at me from page with her avatar, fuck -
like he forgot which points he already made and which he didn't), imo you failed in making an argument, or at least a presentation interesting to watch.
Smudboy's major issue isn't nitpicking, it's that he doesn't use a through-line argument in an essay that is an hour long. He should be consistently stating how each of his points relates to his overall themes. But he doesn't, because I guess he's expecting everyone will simply follow the logic of his arguments. Which is wrong wrong wrong.I said that pacing of his videos is ass, and you are giving me a preaching on plot holes and suspension of disbelief Sea. Existence of ancient Egyptians does not equal a plot hole for Bioshock Infinity, and many of his arguments are just about his own disbelief into things. I remember he stated that audio logs from original Bioshock made Rapture more believable for him, while in gaming sense the whole underwater city was a bunch of strange neon bathed ruins filled with psychos, vending machines and other crap, and no audio logs would make me personally believe that somebody ever lived there. You could point out the problem and say that Bioshock Infinity does not take a job to explain itself properly, or does not lend player any instruments to do so (like "?" option in System Shock 2's interface, for example), but instead guy just wonders "why are there balloons everywhere". This mix of good arguments and his constant search what more he could stick himself to is just not very interesting to watch, while there are other people who point out game's problems a lot faster and more accurately.
I'd gladly discuss with you if bitter asshole approach is valid or not as I have my opinion on that (I believe that it's not worth it), but the goddamn asian chick just freaks me out and I just can't focus myself when you Stare at me from page with her avatar, fuck
See this article I wrote on this topic:The audience can accept bullshit, so long as you're consistent with your bullshit. It's the reason why (at least early) Star Trek gets a pass these days despite most of the technological innovations are simply impossible in the real world, same thing with Bioshock. Infinite tries for this route, but at the same time basically constantly resorting to the "It's quantum mechanics/tears, I don't have to explain shit". If your explanation of how all this works is fucking bullshit, just go for the Star Wars route of avoiding discussing them altogether.
So, doing the most cliched stuff possible is now "perfect and martefully executed". Cool.The opening scene alone is pitch perfect film noir and masterfully executed. Booker’s office is almost completely in shadow, the only light coming from the blinds, its tendrils reaching through the dust motes that hover heavy in the air before striking the far wall. Elizabeth – exquisitely manicured – comes through the door and stands by the window, her face hidden in shadow until she asks for a light and Booker provides it with a click of his fingers. It’s a wonderful reveal and the dialogue that follows is every bit as hardboiled as you’d expect from the setting.
What's with the thimble? Am I missing something?
Some things are too much for me.
The character Elizabeth in the video game BioShock Infinite uses a thimble to cover her severed little finger.
The character Elizabeth in the video game BioShock Infinite uses a thimble to cover her severed little finger.