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Off the Grid: Thanksgiving edition (or industry favorites)
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor. Between the launches of the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii, we're just about up to our ears in digital game coverage. So I've taken it upon myself to balance things out a bit with some analog lovin'. Fail to secure the hottest consoles on their launch dates? Looking for something a little less expensive to get you through the week? Or are you just jonesing for something other than Zelda? No need to worry; Off the Grid's got you covered.This week, in honor of Thanksgiving in the States (ok, not really), I've asked a few developers and industry personalities what their favorite non-digital games are. Like a great big turkey dinner with your relatives, let's dispense with the formalities and just dive right in.At present, it's probably Alan Moon's TICKET TO RIDE, a railroad game. Multiplayer, simple rules set but with surprising strategic complexity, playable in less than an hour, and sufficient randomness that games are not monotonously similar, but not so much that luck overwhelms the better players. I first played it in a wood-stove-heated country house in the depths of a Finnish winter night, but these days play it more often with my kids.-- Greg Costikyan, Manifesto GamesMy GO anecdote is actually stolen from Mahk LeBlanc, ex-Looking Glass guy. Mahk said that when the aliens finally land, and we learn to communicate with them, and then we describe Go, they'll reply, "oh yeah, we have that game". It's the uber game. Most complexity and subtlety and beauty from fewest rules. It will never be bested. After that, it's a long way down, but maybe Sid Sackson's DOMINATION?-- Chris Hecker, EA/Maxis
Off the Grid: Digital killed the analog star
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor. It is an awesome time to be a gamer! We're already being wowed by the Xbox 360's impressive online integration, as we (im)patiently await the coming of the powerhouse PS3, and the très chic, über-unique Wii. Our PC's constantly need upgrades to handle the latest and greatest titles, but we happily oblige. It's worth it when we see the footage online, promising us the fully immersive experience we've come to feel we deserve. And when we're tired of being grounded by our consoles and computers, we can go anywhere with our PSPs or DSs. Even our mobile phones are slowly proving themselves to be viable platforms for our playing pleasures. As gamers, we are drowning in new technology, and we are loving every minute of it.And why shouldn't we? In a little over a decade, the video game industry has defined itself as an international influencer. Its games are constantly pushing the envelope, inspiring technological innovation and sparking paradigm shifts in this plugged-in, net-ready culture.For the latest generations of gamers, it's no longer even a question: To be a gamer is to stare at a screen; Board games are laughable, and passé at best; When we think of our roots, we think of a joystick. But why did this happen?Why did digital kill the analog star?
