The Project

(originally written by Pariahpism, July 10, 2009)

Well it started with a conversation about the recent phenomena of videogame journals.  I tried my hand at it with a couple freeware games that are more based on random level generation and consistently random experiences rather than story.  I find these have a better potential to tell their own story rather than the one already given, if one even existed; which in these it didn’t.

The dark tale about a merchant murdered got The Villain pondering how to make a video game.  This was something he’d never thought of and something I’d never expect him to say.  He will soon be finishing his software engineering degree which taught him to expertly create a mortgage calculator in some common programming languages.

Other than the mortgage calculating game he was so familiar with, he was a total novice to the videogame world.  It’s something that never held his interest.  If he was serious, which he is, it was to be a trial to ease him into our culture.  We videogame folk are a serious and bitter sort.  Angst and resentment go with or morning cereal and mocking humor with tuna are our lunch.  An unlearned couldn’t walk in and understand us any better than the large corporations who make most of our games; basic trends of what sells better over what is actually better.  He would be sniffed out and quickly excommunicated by our purists.  I wouldn’t let my friend walk alone in our prison yard.  His ass would not be sold for pruno.

Basic instructions ensued of the basic types, what’s good, what’s bad, what’s out there now, what’s out there no longer and the trends and history of it all.  In my mind I saw this gaming venture working, but only very basically.  I was hoping to do some artwork while he did the coding and we’d both contribute to the story and while I kept a stalwart presence that we’d break no unwritten covenant.  I foresaw a couple awesome stories made playable with some visceral visuals and maybe we’d win some Indie Game Awards.  Maybe.

Then this brilliant bastard his me with something I didn’t consider: Something new.  Being an avid studier in the origins and designs of evolution, he hits me with Thomas Ray’s virtual evolution project where he created virtual viruses.  In 1989!  The Villain’s idea was to use the engines of evolution to program elements in games.  After mild discussion, I told him that this is something that has never before been done.  It would be singular in design and in competition.  And only knowing that this website is never visited that I feel comfortable posting these ideas freely.