game to have captured my attention in technology, the Holy Grail of gaming is, Enjoy. that way - merely the most efficient. of course, total immersion - creating a world so believably realistic as to The sun was shining - it was a beautiful All of us who play games or have played perceptibly blur the line between the day, but I didn’t know it. I’d raced from games have experienced immersion. It’s game and reality. Perhaps some day school to bike to house in record time, the stated goal of many developers, but we’ll get there. If so, I’ll be waiting in barely feeling the physical weight of the is not unique to videogames. Movies, line to grind all of your asses to paste books on my back or the mental weight books, even conversations can be (and, in turn, have my own ground to of the homework assignments I’d no immersive. Where games differ is in the paste) in Halo 237 (or whatever), but intention of completing. I dumped the possible depth of immersion, the sheer until then I console myself during the dumped bike in the yard, my books on scope of the engagement of one’s brain long wait with the knowledge that even a the bed and my troubles out the window in the activity. Whereas television, simple, 8-bit game starring colored In The Escapist Issue 54, “In Spaaace!”, and fired up my Nintendo Entertainment movies and books are passive in nature, blocks can be just as immersive, if not we published an account of the creation System and Tetris. often requiring little more on the part of more so. of Chris Roberts’ popular space combat the consumer than a willingness to sit simulator, Wing Commander, written by Day turned to night. Nine hours later, I still, videogames engage the mind In this week’s issue of The Escapist, “In long-time contributor Allen Varney. In sat up from my chair and could no longer actively, putting the player into the Too Deep,” we explore the subject of addition to becoming one of our more feel my toes. I hadn’t eaten, spoken or experience in a way many other forms of immersion, tackling both the good and popular articles, Allen’s account of Wing moved. My eyes felt glued in place, my entertainment simply can’t. bad aspects of digital escapism. Allen Commander’s first showing at the 1990 head throbbed faintly and my fingers Varney shines the bright light of reason Consumer Electronics Show has drawn were cramped from holding the NES’ As videogames, and the technology on the ongoing debate amongst academics sincere criticism from a number of fiendishly square controller. That night I driving them, have evolved, so, too has over the very nature of immersion; developers involved with Wing would dream of falling blocks as my the nature of video game immersion. Gearoid Ready talks Havok, the leading Commander’s leading competitor in the mind rotated and revolved the events of Fully-rendered 3-D worlds, authentically purveyor of physics technology; Tom space-sim arena, LucasArts’ X-Wing. the past few days in order to fit them textured human faces and emotions, Rhodes wanders back into Arcadia; Lara into place in my psyche. I would even dynamic lighting and environmental Crigger confronts the aftermath of The Escapist once, for lack of sleep, begin imagining effects, surround sound, and more have Hurricane Katrina, DS-in-hand; and yours people as Tetris blocks, and wonder been employed to put the player further truly shares a theory on the fate of To the Editor: I was surprised by some how to go about fitting them, too, into into the game than ever before. The adventure gaming and the creation of the statements in the recent article by Allen proper place. This has been called The inevitable conclusion of this mad drive world’s most popular game. Varney entitled “Wing Leader”. I was the Tetris Effect, but Tetris was not the only for bigger and better immersive producer on Battlehawks 1942 and worked closely with its main creator, Larry article on Wing Leader. I entered the X-Wing owes nothing to Wing Holland, who was responsible not only for industry as a tester at Lucasfilm Games Commander. We were building on a the line of WW2 flight simulators but also in 1991 and at that time Larry Holland successful engine that predated Chris the X-Wing line of games at LucasArts. was working non-stop on completing Roberts’ efforts by 3 years. I think it is Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe (which pretty clear who influenced who. It’s true that there was rivalry between shipped that year). Work on X-Wing did Lucasfilm Games/LucasArts and Origin, not begin until December 1991. I left - David Wessman but it was friendly and full of mutual Lucasarts and joined Larry’s team in admiration. We would go to the June August of 1992 when X-Wing was still Author’s Reply: In my article “Wing and January Consumer Electronics pre-Alpha. Leader,” I mistakenly described Lucasfilm Shows and happily show each other our Games as showing X-Wing at the 1990 latest advances - in fact, often discussing Now the story I’ve heard from a few Consumer Electronics Show, when the technical aspects that weren’t even different sources is that Chris Roberts record shows it was Secret Weapons of public, as there was a strong respect and pitched a Star Wars flight combat game the Luftwaffe. I regret that error. With healthy rivalry between developers at to Lucasfilm and was turned down. It’s that correction, the CES anecdote both companies at all levels. In fact not surprising – he had no experience happened as I related it in my article. there were several discussions about with flight combat games, while Lucasfilm direct collaboration, including a Star already had a partnership with Larry - Allen Varney Wars RPG from Richard Garriott, and the Holland that resulted in 3 very successful possibility of Chris Roberts doing an X- World War II flight combat games. In Response to “You Got Your Race Wing game. So when Allen Varney in My Video Game” from The describes the “fear in the eyes” of the As for the technology in Wing Escapist Forum: I don’t claim to be a Lucasfilm staff, it is specious speculation. Commander, Chris Roberts openly sociology expert or anything, but I do I remember a lot of cross-fertilization of boasted to Larry that he had reverse- have a minor in the field. I don’t think ideas and inspiration, but not fear. engineered the code from Battlehawks race is the most important divider 1942. I’ve heard from former Origin among the real world or a videogame - Noah Falstein coders that this was not actually true, world. Class is way more important in that the engine code was original – just today’s society than race, although we To the Editor: I wasn’t at CES in 1990, that Chris didn’t write any of it. Either hear about race-related incidents but I have to question the veracity of way, it’s not a terribly flattering picture happening in the United States and some of the statements in Allen Varney’s of Mr. Roberts. around the world. It isn’t that nothing is racially charged, but that class classroom might be at a university. But relevant, but totally anecdotal out their matchmaking by age. I know I stratification should be what people games aren’t there to make people observation to add to this, Dean. I yearn for those days of the 360 launch focus more on. better citizens, more moral or ethical. noticed it immediately upon picking up when, “hey, passing on your left, man” They’re there to entertain you. In a way, the Xbox 360 on launch day and logging was much more common than, “bleep - Yadam Siegfried games are similar to prostitutes. You pay on to Xbox live. Perhaps it was the pure your bleeping mom on the wall bleep!” it money, it pleases you without question. joy of unleashing the power of a new In Response to “You Got Your Race system, or some kind of honeymoon - Jacob.pederson in My Video Game” from The - shihku7 period of Xbox Live Love, but whatever Escapist Forum: I’m glad the Escapist the cause, the effect was a kind of eerie published this article, as racial issues in In Response to “You Got Your Race calm. Players were actually nice to each video games is an important topic to in My Video Game” from The Escapist other. Common practice in Project discuss and has for far too long been Forum: Ignorance is bliss and we - as Gotham Racing was to warn your buried. I think we need more talk about gamers - like to ignore issues of race in opponents if you were pulling out of a how political messages are in our games. games so that we might blissfully enjoy draft maneuver to pass them or (gasp) the game itself, free of such concerns. even apologize if you bumped their car My first take on the topic is that this is into a spin on the way by. On two just how capitalism works. If people are - theCardinal occasions I even got into real racist, it is inevitable that consumer- conversations with other players I’d driven media will be racist as well. And if In Response to “iMob” from The never met before. a richer group of people are racist, then Escapist Forum: My big worry is that it’s inevitable that more racist media will people will start forming iMobs for When did this strange calm period end? be produced for them than for poorer offenses not done.