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PBS' Game/Show probes the endless popularity of Smash Bros.
Multiplayer mascot fighter Super Smash Bros. is one of Nintendo's biggest franchises and only seems to be growing in popularity with each new entry, but why? The latest episode of PBS' thoughtful YouTube series Game/Show aims to answer that question. The footage above offers numerous possible reasons for the series' swelling fanbase, from the unintentional foresight of introducing one of the first major crossover games to an industry that would soon fall in love with the notion, to Nintendo's efforts to create a fighter that's less reliant on memorization and tight execution than Street Fighter or Tekken. In just over nine minutes, Game/Show offers a wide range of solid, objective reasons why the Super Smash Bros. series remains a massive hit, but the truth is that the popularity of these games has a different origin for everyone. Some enjoy Smash Bros. because it allows them to recall fond memories of late night battles against their siblings, while some just like to see Mario get punched in the face. If you're a Smash Bros. fan, what's your reason for remaining loyal to the series? Leave your responses in the comments below. [Video: YouTube]
PBS Game/Show examines net neutrality and its effect on games
PBS' YouTube series Game/Show is generally apolitical, instead focusing on lighter topics such as the morality of cheating and our collective Hylian nostalgia, but in its latest entry Game/Show tackles net neutrality, and more specifically, how it impacts gamers. For those unaware, net neutrality refers to the idea that Internet service providers allow all web traffic, regardless of its source, to reach consumers with the same urgency. A lack of net neutrality would allow ISPs to offer certain content creators preferential treatment, most likely by setting up a fee structure. If, say, Google wants its search results to reach consumers in a timely manner, it would have to pay these fees to avoid having its traffic throttled. While large corporations would, in all likelihood, be able to afford such fees, smaller content creators could be priced out of the market, removing the freedom that's been an inherent component of the Internet since its creation. Of course, the end of 'net neutrality would also impact anyone hoping to play games over the interwebs. Though Game/Show is only focusing on a small slice of this volatile debate, it's a slice that's particularly relevant to our readers - and unlike your Internet service provider, PBS has no direct monetary interest in the topic. [Image: PBS]
PBS Game/Show offers a defense of cheating, even in multiplayer
No stranger to courting controversy, the latest episode of PBS' thought-provoking YouTube series Game/Show posits the idea that maybe cheating in video games isn't such a bad thing after all. First, the video draws a distinction between those who repeatedly flout the rules to ruin a game for others, and those who exploit a game simply to enhance their own enjoyment. The former group is commonly known as "griefers," and the video makes no attempt to defend what they do. However, it argues that the remainder are people attempting to create "optimal strategies" for the game, which then contributes to the overall evolution of said game. As an example, the video highlights the practice of quick-scoping in first-person multiplayer shooters. While this exploit allows practiced snipers to use their high-powered rifles with the same speed and accuracy as a pistol, the video points out that quick-scoping has become so prevalent that it is now regarded as just part of the game. Though once decried by fans, the technique has become ingrained and altered the way the game is played on a fundamental level, much like the slam dunk in professional basketball. Watch the video, see what you think, then leave your thoughts in the comments below. Alternately, skip the video, leave a comment anyway, then smugly pat yourself on the back for cheating on this video about cheating. [Image: PBS]
PBS Game/Show asks 'Are Angry Fanboys Bad for Games?'
PBS' Game/Show is back again, and this time we're going to sit and talk about our feelings, m'kay? Specifically, host Jamin Warren wonders if our feelings of anger and disapproval toward games we don't like are harming the industry. Warren points out how negative attitudes toward creators have propagated thanks to the internet, and cites the departure of several high-level industry personnel as evidence that something in our lines of communication is broken. We all get angry, frustrated or disappointed with our games every now and again, but are we expressing that properly? "We should support our favorite creators for how they create, not always for what they create," Warren argues in the video. "In film, you might be a fan of Kathryn Bigelow or Quentin Tarantino, but that doesn't mean that you expect them to make 10 sequels to Point Break or Pulp Fiction. ... It's important that we give game designers the exact same latitude." Check out the episode, consider the behavior being talked about, and tell us what you think in the comments. [Image: PBS]
PBS Game/Show probes link between nostalgia, Zelda's success
In its most recent entry, PBS' Game/Show YouTube series wonders if Nintendo's beloved Legend of Zelda series is only so beloved due to an incessant reliance on player nostalgia. While Game/Show doesn't offer an answer to this question – the series is aimed at prompting discussion, not taking any one stance – the points it makes are intriguing. How many of you are immediately transported to the gleeful whimsy of childhood on hearing the Legend of Zelda overworld theme? How often have we seen new entries in the series directly reference prior games, much to the delight of fans? How many times can players explore the Lost Woods before the cartographers of Hyrule finally decide maybe that mysterious grove of trees isn't so lost after all? Watch the above footage, take in its arguments, then post your own thoughts in the comments below. [Image: Nintendo]
PBS Game/Show asks: Can permadeath teach us to live better lives?
The latest episode of PBS' ongoing Game/Show series poses an interesting question: Does DayZ and other permadeath games teach us how to live better lives? Game/Show thinks so, positing that the threat of a permanent end to a gaming experience ultimately adds more weight to the time within that experience, creating even more moment-to-moment tension. Of course, the downside is death anxiety, the awareness that our end will come at some point. But video games are unique in that they allow us to confront our own demise at any time and learn from it – which isn't something we can say about life. Yet?
