Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Console Games and Flash Games... The Lines Blur

The line dividing the TV and the internet have been blurring for awhile now. This is not news... it has been very apparent with examples such as Pandora, Hulu, netflix, etc. However, a couple articles jumped out at me today that suggest that the line between console games and Flash games are also blurring.

First off, head over to 8BitRocket and read about a Flash Game making into Time Magazine's top ten games of 2008. To me, that is huge news. A flash game being put in the same list as GTA, Star Wars, Rock Band, Spore... are you serious? That is incredible. It brings some legitimacy to Flash gaming platform that is mostly known for its casual games and possibly even its advergaming (sorry, had to throw that word in there, just learned it this week while chatting over at 8Bit).

Second off, check out the Papervision's recent blog post about a flash microsite that ties into Little big Planet. Basically you can customize your character for the PS3 hit and display it on the web. Nothing too crazy there, but then I read that they plan to integrate the avatars you create into the ps3 game itself. That would be amazing. The ability to have Flash integrate into the console gaming world could be an incredible boost to the Flash gaming world. This could lead to possibly unlocking things in the game by completing achievements (Kongrgate) online and vice versus. This would open up a slew of marketing and social avenues.

Its an exciting time to be into Flash development... as all these different digital worlds collide.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I have defiantly found this true in my life, going to school for 3D animation and leaving with a high interest in flash/AS, but now the line between the two are defiantly blurring. The question is does someone need to be a jack-of-all-trades or do clients need to hire multiple people for a higher end project?

Ickydime said...

I think you bring up a great debate.

From a company's perspective I see the jack-of-all-trades being used in two ways. 1. In a freelance capacity for a project with a smaller budget... too small for a large team. 2. In a full or part time position to fill the gaps between teams. Someone who is a jack of all trades can sometimes turn into a "specialist" since no one else has their skill set.

From the "Jack's" perspective, he can follow two paths. 1. He can continue to keep his feet in as many pools as he can and continue to be the jack of all trades... either via freelance or as a full time compliment to an existing team. Or 2. He can use his foundation of knowledge and become a specialist in one area.

I think with time and experience most Jacks become specialists in one area. Its hard to keep in touch with everything, plus eventually you figure out exactly what you enjoy doing and you pursue it more than the rest.

Anonymous said...

I have defiantly found this true in my life, going to school for 3D animation and leaving with a high interest in flash/AS

Unknown said...

If your looking for some tutorials on Papervision you can check out http://hubpages.com/hub/Papervision-3D-programming-tutorial-Depth-of-Field and http://hubpages.com/hub/Papvervision-3D-programming-tutorial-Casting-Shadows

softnos said...

I have defiantly found this true in my life, going to school for 3D animation and leaving with a high interest in flash/AS

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