“6 mad game concepts by kids that actually became games” plus 1 more |
| 6 mad game concepts by kids that actually became games Posted: 26 Jan 2011 04:50 AM PST During the late 90's, back when I had to ask my Dad's permission to use the internet and it cost about fifty quid a minute and you had to feed the machine coins and everywhere was fields and everyone knew everyone and you could leave your front door open and linesmen weren't all women, the only way I could digest gaming news, reviews, features and titbits was through the medium of print. One of my favourites was Computer & Video Games Magazine (CVG). It was a great magazine overall, but one section that I really loved was called 'Melting Pot', where readers sent in their game ideas, usually accompanied by highly-detailed concept art.
I fancied having a peek at these again so I went digging into the internet with my web-shovel and unearthed the old magazines, helpfully scanned and uploaded onto www.retromags.com. To my astonishment I noticed several ideas that were strikingly similar to games released a couple of years later and even some that sounded a lot like games from the current generation. Here are six examples that I think bear the most resemblance to real-life games. The concept: Wasp (Third Person Shoot 'Em Up) Here's the idea in its original form: So, apart from the fact the protagonist is a mosquito and he doesn't fire missiles like wasps do (apparently), I would say this was pretty darn similar to Mr Moskeeto. It's even 'totally interactive' just like young Ste had envisioned. Humans in Mr Moskeeto will fight back if you get caught biting them and the game is set in a 'house and garden' JUST like Micro-Machines! Oh and here's the highly detailed concept art to go with it: Actually, this looks better than Mr Moskeeto. The concept: Sim Allotment (allotment sim) Here's the idea in its original form: If only young Jonathan Magnet had bigger ambitions and didn't just target the older generation he seems so keen to snag, he'd have a global sensation like Farmville on his muddy hands. He'd be able to expand the series with sequels such as Sim Farm, Sim Plantation and then probably a prequel, going back to basics, back to the roots of the original - Sim Shed. The concept: Inter-Time Death Bandit Smasher (FPS with time-travel) Here's the idea in its original form: This was a really good idea and even though TimeShift and Singularity don't quite let you have as much freedom as young Ed's idea suggests it's still eerily similar. Perhaps Ed had a time machine and went to the future and saw these games for himself? Who knows? Although if he did have a time machine, then going to the future just to see a couple of games, one that was mediocre at best and one that was better but largely overlooked, would be a complete waste of… time. Ha. The concept: School Yard Scraps (3D school-based fighting game) Here's the idea in its original form: Ok, so the idea is principal-ly a fighting game but you can imagine this being the seed that grew into a fully formed game such as Bully. I liked the idea of different types of teachers having different special moves and weapons. I also think the selectable characters is a brilliant idea as I've always wanted to be a school caretaker, I mean, who hasn't, right? All those keys. All that power. All those mop heads and brown overcoats. Perhaps the guys over at Wendholt & Barnes can school Rockstar in some additions to the next Bully game. The concept: Super Wars: The Battle of The Hypermen (Customisable Superhero online action game) Here's the idea in its original form: Unwieldy title aside, this submission had a lot of cool ideas that crop up in the superhero MMO's that are currently on the market. I wouldn't say this is a wholly original idea as it's quite general, which is evident by the fact that there are three big games already out there. It's probably just been bouncing around for years, waiting for the technology to catch up to it. I stuck this one on my list because it was one I remember reading and getting absurdly excited about. Just the thought of possibly playing a game like this in the future made me fill with glee and tremble with happiness… Saying that I haven't even bothered to play them yet, my 12 year old self would be furious! I wonder if Mr Guise has played DC Universe Online and if it lives up to his high expectations? Not sure any of the real games feature Erectile Man or Star Tits though, so he may be disappointed. The concept: Assassination (Assassin Sim, Assassim?) Here's the idea in its original form: Again, quite a tenuous one this as it's such a general idea, but the assassin genre is still one of my favourites and I actually remember reading this and wishing there would be a game like this and now there are two great ones out there! Yay! The original idea still sounds grittier than any of its real-life counterparts, especially if it involves killing your local MP, which seems a bit too ruthless really… What could a local MP do to deserve this? Unless they change recycling day and don't notify anyone in which case they deserve to be riddled with bullets! And here's one I made earlier I always wanted to send in my own ideas but I couldn't think of a good enough idea, luckily I'm now in the position to fulfil a childhood dream and have my idea appear on the prestigious GamesRadar.com. So here goes… Kinect Stare-Out: Eyes of Steel (Stare sim) Using the technology of the Kinect I have designed a game that would be perfect for it. It's a stare-out sim that is online and is 1v1 and is awesome and has high-scores and is online. You stare into the camera and using the high-tech facial recognition it can tell if you blink or not. You would play your friends and games will last as long as you can keep your eyes open. You compete until one of you becomes the "Staremaster". Also maybe at a later date there would be DLC allowing three-way triple threat stare-outs with three people, yes three! Also there will be customisable backgrounds like woods or golf course or a forest. BEST GAME EVAR! LOL. Not all the ideas were as prophetic as these - some were terrible like Spice Girls Strip Poker or Pets Win Prizes: The Game. Then there were just downright sick ones, like a game where you play a surgeon who must kill his patients and make it look like an accident called No Nurse, I Said Prick His Boil. I'm sure there any many young budding game developers out there, so why not share your ideas below and who knows, if you're lucky you may end up in a retrospective article such as this in 10 years time! January 26th 2011 This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Forget relatives — take the kids to a holiday destination Posted: 26 Jan 2011 07:00 AM PST Wouldn't it be nice? No holiday cooking (unless you want to) much less washing piles of dishes. No lumpy sofa beds in your sister-in-law's family room. No squabbling, impossible-to-please kids bored with too little to do in too small a place. No running out of clean towels and hot water. It's not wishful thinking — even in this economy. All you need to do is gather the gang at a vacation destination rather than a relative's house for the holidays. According to American Express, 40 percent of consumers plan to travel this holiday season, most of them staying in the United States. This year, AAA expects more of us to hit the roads and skies for Thanksgiving.
If you're going to drive four hours or fly across country anyway, you might as well go somewhere fun. It will be a lot easier than hosting the gang at your place and a lot less stressful than cramming everyone into your brother's house. The good news is that getting away for the holidays can be a lot more affordable than you might think. You'll be surprised at the number of deals out there with plenty of holiday cheer (think Santa tucking the kids in), especially if you can travel before Christmas. Book a flight and hotel together on Expedia.com and save up to $450. Even better, book a flight for travel by Jan. 3 and you qualify for Expedia's "Holiday Bonus," a $200 travel coupon for use in the first quarter of 2011. If your gang — like mine — can't wait to hit the slopes, you'll find plenty of early-season deals from Vermont to California. In southern Vermont, Stratton Mountain Resort (www.stratton.com) lets kids 17 and under ski and stay free. They get free rentals too, if adults are renting gear, and you might spend under $250 a night for a family of four to stay, ski and gear up. In northern Vermont, through the holidays, Bolton Valley (www.BoltonValley.com) offers a ski-and-stay package just $139 for adults and $30 for kids that includes lodging, breakfast, skiing, and even a torchlight parade, fireworks and party on New Year's Eve. In the west, Jackson Hole (www.jacksonhole.com) — where you can tour Yellowstone in winter, as well as hit the Wyoming slopes — buy three plane tickets and get the fourth free. Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado (www.crestedbutte.com) is celebrating its 50th anniversary early season with half-off lifts and deeply discounted lodging. Ask about the Friends and Family fly free deal — a free ticket for every two you purchase. "There are many more deals than last year all season, including during the holidays, offering things like free nights, free days of skiing, room upgrades and resort credits," says Dan Sherman of ski.com, which posts some 900 deals. My tip for ski country: Go the week before Christmas for the best deals and to avoid the crowds. The kids will get more attention in ski school, too, and there already is plenty of snow in many places.
There are plenty of warm weather options too. All-inclusive Barcelo Hotels & Resorts (www.barcelo.com) in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic promise a 30 percent savings on stays between Christmas Eve and next spring, as long as you book by Nov. 30. And 10 Marriott Hotels & Resorts in Florida are offering a $100 Activity Credit now through Jan. 30. The deluxe, all-inclusive Azul Sensatori Hotel (http://www.karismahotels.com/resort/azul-sensatori-hotel-karisma), just 20 minutes from Cancun, offers free connecting suites for teens if you book by the end of November and travel through Dec. 22. (Azul is great for babies, too. They provide everything from a baby monitor to strollers and they'll even deliver the latest Fisher-Price toys to your suite!) And if you are traveling with grown kids, as I will be, Loews Coronado Bay Resort (www.loewshotels.com) a short drive from San Diego, offers a new Big Boomerang package with 30 percent off a second room, spa or surfing, sailboat or motorboat rental. Room rates start at just $169 for the first room. If the extended family nixes the idea of a vacation holiday, gather your kids and slip away for a pre-holiday getaway — even for a weekend. You can find all kinds of holiday events just a short drive from your home. Head to Colonial Williamsburg (www.history.org) and travel back to 18th-century Christmas where a three-day, two-night Christmas Bounce Package will only set you back just $379 for a family of four. It includes lodging, breakfast and tickets to Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area and Busch Gardens' Christmas Town. Head to the White Mountains of New Hampshire the weekend of Dec. 10 when the Appalachian Mountain Club (www.outdoors.org) hosts its 8th Annual Gingerbread weekend with gingerbread house decorating, family hikes, nature walks and fireside games — all under $400 for a family of four, including lodging, most meals, activities and even use of the L.L. Bean Gear Room. Have the elves tuck in the kids at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo., (www.cheyennemountain.com/) where room rates are under $100 a night and you can take the Pikes Peak Cog Railway along with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Your kids can get a personal visit and story from Santa at Sandestin Beach and Golf Resort and Spa in Florida (www.sandestin.com), where condo and villa rates are significantly discounted for the holidays, or get your own tree delivered to your room at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort (www.swandolphin.com) where rooms start at just $122 a night and you can get up-close and personal with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Zip through the trees on the TreeTops Canopy Tour with Adventures on the Gorge in West Virginia (www.adventurewestvirginia.com) where you can rock climb, hike, mountain bike and more — all with deals as much as 50 percent off. Slip away yourself with a couple of friends for a de-stressing weekend shopping, museum hopping or playing tennis. A friend of mine just went to Chicago to see "The "Oprah Show." I'm spending an upcoming weekend with friends in San Juan. Forget the mall. I'll be on the beach. For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. © 2010 Eileen Ogintz ... Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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