Tasteful Understated Nerdrage/MrBtongue Thread

[TheEntitledOne]

I take a look at the second one, somewhere at the middle. I see dog licking furry's face. Stop watching.

Edit. CLICK 8:10 IN THE SECOND MOVIE. CLICK IT.

Oh god, why did I click it?

 

[sgc_meltdown]

Oh god, why did I click it?

but the scene after that with wolverine carapace armor orc is better

technically excellent costume but I just can't take it seriously at all

 

[Shadenuat]

"Pulling an Avellone"

At the end of Bioware video I almost had one manly tear

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.andykaiser.com/2013/what-happened-to-mrbtongue-a-tasteful-understated-nerdrage-interview/

What happened to MrBtongue? A Tasteful, Understated, Nerdrage interview

2013/01/12

“MrBtongue” is a video mashup creator – you may have seen his series on YouTube, titled “Tasteful, Understated Nerdrage”.

The TUN videos detail his opinions of not only specific video games (it all started with Mass Effect 3, and continues with Dragon Age, Skyrim and others), but also includes his views on the state of the gaming industry, analysis of games’ thematic strengths and weaknesses (including multiple cram courses on what makes good storytelling), and recommendations for making games better.

That last one is big – it’s easy to complain, but how often do you see a “nerdrage” video with intelligent solutions to a problem?

The short summary of all of the above: MrBtongue has released videos that are entertaining, relevant and intelligent, of interest to geeks everywhere.

An even shorter summary is from YouTuber pauliewasson: “MrBtongue is the last, best hope for videogame journalism.”

The below is an interview with MrBtongue, who has graciously donated his time to answer a few questions.

Andy: MrBtongue, thanks for your time today! Let’s start with the big one: What’s happening with you? Some rumors are that Electronic Arts has hired you away to oversee game design in a secluded basement room. Or they’ve gone the other direction, and have hired ninjas to silence you permanently. Are you still alive? Does TUN have a future?

MrBtongue: I always assume there are ninjas nearby at all times, but so far they haven’t done me any harm, nor have I been hired by EA. What really happened is that I had to study for some big tests (the CPA exam) and took a break from the videos to do that. Unfortunately I left a bit abruptly and without much explanation, and I’m sorry for everyone who was left wondering.

I do have plans for more videos – I hope to have one in the next couple of weeks, though experience has taught me not to commit to too much of a schedule, as I do get busy with other things. Just today the trailer for CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk game came out, and that’s the excuse I need to finish up the cyberpunk video.

Andy: Part of TUN is insight and education. You’ve shown in great detail what makes a good game. You’ve taught what “Gesamtkunstwerk” means. Being able to apply such knowledge means more than restating Wikipedia. How did you get to this point? Can you give more detail on your background?

MrBtongue: Spend a decade or so of your life overeducated, underemployed, and with access to the internet, and you’ll develop useless knowledge on a wide range of subjects. In college I studied literature and music, and thought about going into graduate school for literature (though I didn’t). Now I just read a lot (including wikipedia) and learn where I can.

Andy: You have a handle on the state of the video gaming industry. A year ago, one of your videos presents the idea that smaller game companies can and should be able to compete against the massive game publishers like EA, particularly in areas of development costs and creative control. Do you still see this change happening? Where do you see the industry in the future?

MrBtongue: I do think the momentum is going to switch towards smaller developers, though I suspect it’s going to happen frustratingly slowly. The main advantage of the EA/Activision approach was their ability to raise lots of capital, but their financial performance hasn’t necessarily justified the amount they’ve raised, and we’ve already seen their pace of acquisitions and growth slow down.

I should note though that while I know my way around a spreadsheet, I’m not a financial analyst or anything, and not immune to wishful thinking either. But I do think that smaller studios are going to take a more leading role in the future.

Andy: You know what makes a good story and how that ties in with what makes a good video game. Do you have interest in writing or story design work (in or outside of gaming)?

MrBtongue: I do – but of course jobs aren’t easy to come by these days, and especially jobs in gaming.

Andy: Several commenters have expressed interest in giving you money to ensure more quality content. Any thoughts on monetizing the TUN videos?

MrBtongue: I have looked into monetizing them, but the first couple avenues I looked into I didn’t go with for various reasons. Then the whole thing went on backburner with the videos themselves. I’ll probably start looking into that again once I get back into the swing of making them regularly. I’ve been complaining about things so long for free that it’s strange to think of making money from it.

Andy: What do you do when you’re not expressing nerdrage?

MrBtongue: I work at a nonprofit in San Diego part-time, I’m a student part-time, and teach saxophone. I play games too, of course, generally RPG and strategy.

Andy: Anything not covered here you’d like to mention? Any other projects you’re working on?

MrBtongue: Just my next video, ETA two weeks maybe? I have a backlog of subjects – after cyberpunk is MMOs, and then violence in video games. I also have some plans for shorter segments, which are not reviews of entire games but detailed pieces on very small bits of them. Difficult to explain.

Andy: Pretend that EA’s ninjas have marooned you on a desert island. There’s a Kickstarter campaign to save you, but the project won’t close for another couple weeks. You have an Alienware gaming rig, crippled to allow an install of only one game. You have plenty of food and liquids. It’s 2013. What game would you play while you waited for rescue?

MrBtongue: Yeeeeesh that’s hard. Right now I’m playing the Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition and Far Cry 3, which are both good, but I think if I absolutely had to choose only one at the moment it’d be Skyrim. Not necessarily because it’s the best (though it’s very good), but because it’s the biggest and would vacuum up the most time.

Andy: Thanks for your responses!

 

[Sranchammer]

MrBtongue sounds like a bro



/meh on skyrim

 

[Lagole Gon]

He's alive?

Stop having a life and make some videos dude.

 

[Grunker]

Stop having a life and make some videos dude.

 

[Grunker]

We don't need TUN here. Guy thinks Mass Effect has as much literary validity and quality as The Iliad. His videos are interesting, well-made and generally quite good, but his taste in games is horrible and not nearly monocle enough for the Codex.

 

[sea]

We don't need TUN here. Guy thinks Mass Effect has as much literary validity and quality as The Iliad. His videos are interesting, well-made and generally quite good, but his taste in games is horrible and not nearly monocle enough for the Codex.

I don't think he ever compared Mass Effect to the Iliad in terms of quality, only plot points and general story construction. Big difference.

Plus, if he comes to the Codex we can always brainwash indoctrinate waterboard accept him with loving arms and steer him in a more positive direction.

 

[Grunker]

I don't think he ever compared Mass Effect to the Iliad in terms of quality, only plot points and general story construction. Big difference.

He did that as part of the argument that the definition of 'literary quality' changes over time, i.e. Mass Effect will become next year's Iliad. That's idiocy.

 

[Murk]

I don't think that's necessarily something that can't be fixed. I am curious what his palette of gaming consists of? If he is a relatively new initiate into RPGs it's very possible he's not heard of any of the older games and thus has no... hmm shall we say scale?

I donno. Basically, if the guy can exercise logic in a way that is worth while then in time his knowledge can be expanded and he can exercise good logic on good premises. As of now, ti seems like a waste.

EDIT: Retraction: he has PS:T and similar shit in his videos -- I'll assume he's played them given that. Oh well.

Having said that, I give his videos a C+ or a B-.

It's not as profoundly accurate or critical as say... Star Wars Trilogy reviews by Plinkett (old one?) but they're not bad.

I just find it hard to be excited by this kind of stuff because so few of them really say anything new, different, or original. It's kind of like watching a well-written post about why racism is wrong or why you shouldn't rape women.

It's just kinda... well... duh.

But I guess if it gets people away from the fucking cinematic craze in gaming then I'll support it.

 

[Larendav]

I don't think he ever compared Mass Effect to the Iliad in terms of quality, only plot points and general story construction. Big difference.

i.e. Mass Effect will become next year's Iliad. That's idiocy.

Literary standards have declined amongst the general consensus. People will soak up any AAA game that even has a story nowadays because there's even a story. We live in the same world where Mass Effect 3 was praised amongst the general consensus for having a fantastic story & being "emotional" .

 

[Infinitron]

In his "Tale of Two Companies" video, TUN praises "story-driven shooters". Basically the man's ideal game is Mass Effect with a good plot.

Still, he's good for what he is.

 

[Larendav]

I'd also recommend that all of you check out Instig8iveJournalism. He is a part of the incline too, even though he isn't around much.

 

[Grunker]

But I guess if it gets people away from the fucking cinematic craze in gaming then I'll support it.

Anything not a complete decline is an incline at this point. That's the sorry state of affairs.

 

[Murk]

We live in trying times, mein freund.​

This Instig8iveJournalism fellow seems neat. I am going to go through his channel in hopes of seeing some more quality content. I do hope he provides solutions to the problems he poses, but even if not they are well put together videos and with the exception of a few segments (usually near the end of the video) have a good pace of giving content; he doesn't take forever to make his points.

I am somewhat saddened by the lack of content, but alas. 3 solid videos are more than what the majority of youtube commentators can claim.

 

[Rostere]

The guy (MrBtongue) seems to be an apologist for decline. It appears he actually plays all that new shit and even takes it seriously. I'll summarize the Elder Scrolls series in three words for you all: banal, shit, boring. No need to put on your monocle to write that review.

The fact that he goes on for minutes about the story in the Diablo games is really kind of tragic.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

To some, even talking about new games is decline. I know it's the Codex and all, but don't be so radical.

 

[Murk]

Well, he kinda is hammering on pointlessly about a lot of stuff.

He corrects a "misconception" about Diablo that Diablo is about clicking and loot. He then goes on to say that it's about killing enemies and being rewarded for it. Oh, word?

That entire segment didn't even need to exist. He didn't correct anything, he just used different synonyms. People who aren't used to the sad state of affairs for cRPGs and gaming in general might think "huh, that's some insight" but to anyone who's been practicing a rudimentary level of critical thought it's just repeating the same piss-in-the-wind that's been happening for a decade now.

So, like I said -- it's not bad, it's just pointless because there's nothing new.

EDIT: Tho when this kind of neat but derivative critiques garner praise such as "
An even shorter summary is from YouTuber pauliewasson: “MrBtongue is the last, best hope for videogame journalism.”" -- you should maybe think a bit about it.

Last, best hope... what the hell.

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

It's about the pitch. If a dev suddenly decided to go looking for feedback (for some unfathomable reason), who is he more likely to listen to (and finish listening): a whiny, entitled brat who can barely put a coherent sentence together, or someone self-conscious, moderately articulate and knows where to put a joke or two? "Rudimentary level of critical thought" doesn't mean shit for the rest of us if one can't get his "critique" further than spittle on his own screen and a shitpost on a forum board on which no dev would waste their time.
Not saying this guy is a messiah, just that he has a better chance of getting his words to the right ears than 90% of the whiners.

But then he goes on and makes a 30-minute video praising Mass Effect. Fuck him.

 

[Murk]

Well, the thing is that if you're trying to reach Bioware's ear then ... yeah, good luck.

On the other hand, we've seen actual feedback from Codexers be taken by developers. Basically, I think you can make articulate meaningful critical content that isn't repetitive and have it reach the intended target's ear.

MrBtongue, in my most subjective of opinions, does not accomplish that.

 

[Infinitron]

Subjective is right. You're greatly overestimating the intelligence and awareness of the gaming masses. For most of them, the very concept of thinking critically about these things absolutely is "new". These videos are blowing their minds.

Personally, I believe that stating the obvious in an elegant way is something that has a lot of value. "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

 

[RK47]

Oh.. Oh! OOOH! Like.. LIKE THIS:!?

Raw is

Spoiler

shit

 

[Murk]

Subjective is right. You're greatly overestimating the intelligence and awareness of the gaming masses. For most of them, the very concept of thinking critically about these things absolutely is "new". These videos are blowing their minds.

I don't think I am, I am never one to think people are competent as a rule. I am, however, very confident that there's always a naysayer, as I have been in the past, who brings up that games are replacing gameplay for the sake of cinematic awe (which most people may like but is destructive to gaming). I was called an elitist and a contrarian. I suppose I was, in that I wanted games to remain gameplay driven for the sake of them being games.

It just seems that now that the bubble is starting to burst, people are slowly waking up to it leaving room for gamers who previously may have been another part of the "decline" to suddenly stand out and go "this is why ME 3 sucks".

Personally, I believe that stating the obvious in an elegant way is something that has a lot of value. "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Eh, I said as much earlier -- I understand its worth to... well, people who are barely realizing gaming is turning into a cinematic circle-jerk but at the same time I just don't have that fire inside to care as much. I guess I'm jaded.

Still, the thought that some may find this the peak of video game journalism is upsetting to me on a few levels.

 

[Delterius]

Mikayel

Its not as upsetting to me because I'm way too often called an elitist and a contrarian, so finding someone who agrees with me, even on a very basic level, is a relief. This is why I began to lurk on the Codex. But while I can sympathize with your feeling, I believe you provided another reason as to why this isn't a issue.

If the "the bubble is starting to burst" and "people are slowly waking up to it", then MrBtongue is part of the process. Unlike the Codex, which is insular and only really leaves this cave to disagree in specific forums, a youtube creator leaves his opinion on a public forum. Who knows? He might have been the "pinnacle of vidya games journalism", when the "bubble" wasn't as stressed as it is.