Every once in a while I get an invitation to get early access to a game. Sometimes this means coming to an office in The Netherlands, but sometimes this also means traveling to some part of Europe. Much to my delight I was asked to come and see Rockstar’s new sandbox game Red Dead: Redemption. In London I got to see an extensive playthrough of three missions followed by the opportunity to ask any question I wanted. To be honest, I was somewhat skeptical about the game. Cowboys? How can an openworld game in the Wild West be interesting and provide some kind of meaningful play?

My first impression has been a good one. Similar to Grand Theft Auto 4 a year ago, Red Dead: Redemption has some serious potential. Even better, this is a game I would like to play, which, in my world, is the golden standard. Dagblad De Pers published the story yesterday: “Dwalen door de eindeloze leegte van het Wilde Westen” (.pdf see page 13). The story came out exactly the way I had it in mind. My main angle was to focus on the openness of the game and to give the reader a hint of the incredible scale of the project. With the help of my editor the story came out exactly the way I envisioned it. Up to, hopefully, the next exclusive!

A very worthwhile op-ed piece in the New York Times “End the University as We Know It“. A good read, not only fingerpointing, which we all know is very, very easy, but also six practical solutions. Struggling with my own PhD (as every PhD student does) I agree most with solution numero 4:

4. Transform the traditional dissertation. In the arts and humanities, where looming cutbacks will be most devastating, there is no longer a market for books modeled on the medieval dissertation, with more footnotes than text. As financial pressures on university presses continue to mount, publication of dissertations, and with it scholarly certification, is almost impossible. (The average university press print run of a dissertation that has been converted into a book is less than 500, and sales are usually considerably lower.) For many years, I have taught undergraduate courses in which students do not write traditional papers but develop analytic treatments in formats from hypertext and Web sites to films and video games. Graduate students should likewise be encouraged to produce “theses” in alternative formats.

Making a game out of my PhD? I should have done that.

Always wondered how the business of game server hosting ‘works’? I did, so I wrote an article on it for today’s Dagblad De Pers. The article is based on an interview with i3D.net‘s marketing manager and deals with issues such as the low entrance barrier for new companies and the importance of an online community. Read the article online here: “Gameservers – Verhuurder van digitale trapveldjes“. In addition I did a review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine: “Beter dan de film“.

On a totally unrelated note. This Thursday is the annual CSN conference. I won’t be a speaker, but I will attend and the program looks interesting. Urs Gasser from the Berkman Center will be there (author of the book Born Digital), and Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester. There are still tickets, so if you don’t have plans, do drop by.

It’s not that big of a secret that I am, was and probably will be a huge Metallica fan. Starting out as a bass player for a Metallica cover band and rising through the ranks to become the bass player of the best blues band Holland has ever seen: the Blueband (a.k.a. the Masters of Blues). Those days are long gone. And to get my musical fix, I still rock out every now and then on my plastic surrogate bass guitar. Much to my delight Activision announced, Guitar Hero: Metallica. After playing Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which was very mediocre i.m.h.o., this was a typical case of “please don’t suck, please don’t suck”. And sucking it didn’t.

For Dagblad De Pers I had a fast but informative interview with Guitar Hero: Metallica’s lead designer Alan Flores about him being a fan (of Metallica), about the job of so called ‘note trackers’ and about his favorite bands (Slayeerrrrrr!). I had as much fun writing this piece as I had playing the game. And if the past is any indication I will get my old band members together and have some fun headbanging and annoying the neighbors.

Much to my surprise, the editors didn’t change my semi-lame title (w00t!), which is somewhat untranslatable. The piece is online here: “Nog geen metaalmoeheid voor Guitar Hero serie” (.pdf, see page 13). Because of Dodenherdenking (WWII remembrance day) the piece was published on a Tuesday instead of ‘my’ regular Monday. The article is accompanied by a short review “Saaie geschiedenis voor puristen” on Konami’s take on Guitar Hero (yes that’s not a very historically correct remark); Rock Revolution. I didn’t like it.