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Roqua
High Emperor
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 897
Location: rump |
| History of video games documentary |
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Sunday night on the Game SHow Network there was a video game documentary hosted by Toni Hawk. It was pretty good and I definitly recommend watching it if you can.
Some highlights were Romero in a net shirt so you could see his nipples. Donkey Kong was originally translated as Stubborn Gorilla and the guy that made it used his japanese to english book and found "donkey" under stubborn and "Kong" under Gorilla. The same guy (obviosly) invented Mario (he is in Donkey Kong), but originally had a different name for him and changed it to MArio because someone Named MArio made him angry. That guy also likes playing the banjo.
Also Steve Jobs originally worked for Atari and made sure that their first computer was very video game friendly.
The Kings Quest lady made her husband come up with ways to fit large amounts of pictures on a floppy disk when it supposedly couldn't be done, and that started compter text adventure games with graphics. She also made her husband to come up with a way to use more than six colors with the first color IBM. Also sound. His name was Roland, so I'm thinking that is were Roland sound cards came from.
Another interesting fact on there was that 41% of computer gamers are female and the number is growing. This was said to be due to the large community aspects the computer offers.
Very intersting show. I want to watch it again also because having a crying baby in your arms makes you miss a good chunk of what you are watching.
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Vegitarian is the Indian word for lousey hunter. |
Wed Mar 31, 2004 3:28 am |
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Jaz
Late Night Spook
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 9708
Location: RPGDot |
| Re: History of video games documentary |
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quote:
Originally posted by Roqua
Some highlights were Romero in a net shirt so you could see his nipples.
Sounds like a must-see then ^_^, although I'd preferred to see his head on a stake instead. - Wait. I did see that already...
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Jaz |
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Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:32 pm |
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goshuto
Wanderer
Joined: 29 May 2002
Posts: 1142
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| Re: History of video games documentary |
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quote:
Originally posted by Roqua
The Kings Quest lady made her husband come up with ways to fit large amounts of pictures on a floppy disk when it supposedly couldn't be done, and that started compter text adventure games with graphics. She also made her husband to come up with a way to use more than six colors with the first color IBM. Also sound. His name was Roland, so I'm thinking that is were Roland sound cards came from.
Roberta Williams' husband is named Ken. When Sierra was developing King's Quest 4, Ken brokered a deal both with Adlib and Roland (two of the first sound card makers, before even Creative hit the scene). The deal said that every game after, and including, KQ4, was going to support both sound cards. Sierra in turn would act as a reseller of those cards and thus keep some of the profits, if I recall correctly.
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"Tree stuck in cat. Firemen baffled."--Simcity 3K
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."--Soren Aabye Kierkegaard |
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Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:46 pm |
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Roqua
High Emperor
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 897
Location: rump |
ah, that makes more sense gushuto, do you know what kind of changes she had her husband make with the sound cards? Like I said I was trying to comfort a crying baby so I didn't hear everything well. ANd when I only hear part of a sentence I make up the rest in my head.
Either way, you should definitly watch it seeing as you seem to know and like the history of video games. I garauntee you will like it. Even if I spelled garauntee wrong.
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Vegitarian is the Indian word for lousey hunter. |
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Wed Mar 31, 2004 5:09 pm |
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goshuto
Wanderer
Joined: 29 May 2002
Posts: 1142
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Unfortunately, I don't get Game Show Network. 
As far as I know, Sierra was one of the first companies to adopt sound cards, in the late 1980s. Before that, PC games only used the PC speaker, which can only make beeps and some other very limited sounds. With those early sound cards, it was possible to have high-quality music (in Roland's case) or synthesized FM sound & music (in Adlib's case). It made for a much better gaming experience. Sierra even got carried away and hired some well-known composers and band members to write some of the music for those games.
_________________
"Tree stuck in cat. Firemen baffled."--Simcity 3K
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."--Soren Aabye Kierkegaard |
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Wed Mar 31, 2004 5:20 pm |
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piln
High Emperor
Joined: 22 May 2003
Posts: 906
Location: Leeds, UK |
quote:
Originally posted by goshuto
Before that, PC games only used the PC speaker, which can only make beeps and some other very limited sounds.
Oh yeah... I remember Maniac Mansion (the version hidden inside Day Of The Tentacle). As far as I could tell, there was no way to turn off the PC Speaker sound (and music! *shudder*), and no other sound option... it was unbearable!
I'd like to see that documentary too, but fat chance of it showing in the UK any time soon. I'd have liked it to contain footage of Miyamoto using his banjo to remove Romero's teeth, but I guess you can't have everything. |
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Thu Apr 01, 2004 2:24 pm |
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Roqua
High Emperor
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 897
Location: rump |
No GSN? That stinks. You guys are missing a good show called Lingo hosted by Chuck Willerbee. He's a hotty.
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Vegitarian is the Indian word for lousey hunter. |
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Thu Apr 01, 2004 4:42 pm |
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piln
High Emperor
Joined: 22 May 2003
Posts: 906
Location: Leeds, UK |
lol... the sex-change takes another step towards completion 
So it was bang up-to-date then, this documentary? Did it mention the Sims? I hear that game is responsible for bringing a lot of female gamers into the scene, and the company employs a lot more women than is common in the industry. |
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Fri Apr 02, 2004 10:01 pm |
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goshuto
Wanderer
Joined: 29 May 2002
Posts: 1142
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quote:
Originally posted by piln
lI hear that game is responsible for bringing a lot of female gamers into the scene
Last I heard, over 60% of The Sims players are female. Judging by the number of female members of The Sims forums around the Internet, I believe that statistic....
_________________
"Tree stuck in cat. Firemen baffled."--Simcity 3K
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."--Soren Aabye Kierkegaard |
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Fri Apr 02, 2004 10:19 pm |
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Roqua
High Emperor
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 897
Location: rump |
Yes, it had sims. Was up to date. I am now officially a woman. Hear me roar.
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Vegitarian is the Indian word for lousey hunter. |
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Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:34 am |
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xSamhainx
Paws of Doom
Joined: 11 Sep 2002
Posts: 2192
Location: San Diego |
Geez, I hate the Sims almost as much as I hate Myst or roller coaster tycoon. Even tho I guess a rising tide lifts all boats, I guess. Yes, I guess it is good to get teeny-boppers into the gaming scene, maybe it'll burn some logic and actual thought process into their heads. Maybe it'll help shore up the gaming industry as a viable economic force. Those games which i utterly hate, seem to always be the standard-bearers for the industry. Housewives, sisters, and girlfriends seem to be the essential stealth casual-user "swing voters" along with effeminate males, that drive such lameness to the top. What self-respecting guy plays the Sims anyway?
Just like pop-punk tho, the Sims is a gateway game. The kid who listens to Good Charlotte or Blink 182 or something is likely to be listening to Minor Threat or something later. Likewise, the Sims player today very well may be the cleric in DAoC or something healing you tomorrow.
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“Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that's on its mind and can't make itself understood, and so can't rest easy in its grave, and has to go about that way every night grieving.”-Mark Twain |
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Sun Apr 04, 2004 5:18 am |
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hollaholla
Guards Lieutenant
Joined: 19 Aug 2003
Posts: 161
Location: at my computer desk!~ |
damn..really wished that i got the game show network. i would love to learn all of that. do you think they might have it on DVD..maybe i can rent it. oh, and thanks for sharing a bit. I really think how the Mario and Donkey Kong guy came up with the names is funny. I am sure that there is a lot of stuff like that in video games that we do not even know about.
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**I just chose a new avatar because I just saw the characters for the new Final Fantasy and got ....excited!!! |
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Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:30 pm |
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Roqua
High Emperor
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 897
Location: rump |
My wife just told me that the guy named MArio who pissed the Japanese guy off was the landlord of the building they rented or something like that.
_________________
Vegitarian is the Indian word for lousey hunter. |
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Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:32 pm |
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