PC Gamer Article

[Matt Frith]

As some of you know, after seeing the reference to Pleughburg in PC Gamer's August issue, i have written an article on amatuer adventure gaming, with some reference to AGS.  I just want to post it here first before i send it, jsut so i can make sure it is allright and make sure i ahve not offended anyone in this , or and other Adventure Game Community.  Anyway, here goes:

                  ~Going Deeper Underground~

I  noticed you wrote a small article on a game called Pleughburg in August's Issue.  I am just writing to say that I also create amateur Adventure Games like this (although not as good) using the same games engine. I use an engine called Adventure Game Studio (AGS).  There are many quality games created with it, and although they are not the best graphics, they have excellent plotlines and puzzles.  

Many people believe that Adventure games are a dying genre, but I disagree.  There is limitless potential for the types of games that can be created as long as the creator has some sort of imagination.  Is the main reason why it is a dying genre because they are boring to play?  I think not.  I have seen some amazing puzzles in amateur adventure games, such as the afore mentioned Pleughburg.  I fact, I have been playing it for a while, and I still, occasionally, get stuck.  

Another great thing about the underground adventure gamers is that we don’t have to wait around for adventure games to be released in the commercial market, and to be fair recent examples, such as Escape From Monkey Island wasn’t exactly the most polished game ever.  We have the ability to create our own games, without needing to wait, and we can also re-create the style of the classics over yester-year, such as Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island 2 and of course Sam and Max (which I might add, I am looking forward to the sequel, although it would have been better in the old style).

The best thing of all about creating your own games is the self satisfaction after all the hard work of scripting, animating, and background drawing is done.  Although it takes a lot of effort, the end product is amazing, even if the game is not the best in the world, but we don’t get paid do make them, so they are not going to be the best.

Communities of game creators often team together to make ‘game companies’, such as the featured gaspop software.  I would like to tell everyone about some other websites which offer amateur games of good quality, to prove my point that adventure games are still out there, even if they are not up to with top genres such as FPS or RTS.   I would advise people to play these games as they are amongst the best amateur games around, well the ones that I know of.  http://ilb.notrix.net/ ,
http://www.hello.to/tullesworld  and http://gac.gamespage.com/ are just a few of the top quality websites that produce some excellent games.

To sum up, adventure games are not dead; they have merely retreated underground where they may well have found a better home.  I  reckon this is where they will stay as the other, more dominating genres, have sapped away gaming classics which should never be forgotten.  In the words of a certain character in a certain pirate game: “Look out, behind you”.

Matthew Frith

Tell me if i need to change it, and i gladly will
Sorry if its rubbish

[Barcik]

Add www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk somewhere.

[Pumaman]

No, please don't. If they are interested enough, they will find a link through the websites that are mentioned.

[Las Naranjas]

Hehe, I know a kid called Mathew Frith. He looks like an egg.

[Evil]

Send photos...

[Scummbuddy]

Paragraph 0:
jsut so i can make sure it is allright
just .... alright    

Paragraph 2:
I fact, I have been playing it for a while, and I still, occasionally, get stuck.

change to "In fact,"

Paragraph 4:
but we don’t get paid do make them, so they are not going to be the best.

I disagree with that... just because a game has a large budget to spend, doesn't mean that the game will automatically be great.

Because we don't get paid to do them, we can make them at our own pace, and we don't have someone curbing our inspiration, stlye and direction.

Other than that, I'd say its fairly decent, and go ahead and send it.   Although, I'd stay away from phrases like "I reckon"

[I dunno you]

August issue? This august? What page?

[Matt Frith]

Page 61

[Shattered Sponge]

Something that PCG will almost certainly jump on is the fact that you mention getting stuck as eveidence of imaginative puzzle - they would pretty much be guaranteed to say that that could just be a sign of unfairness, so I suggest you evidence your point in a different way.

Nitpicking, though - it's a pretty darndiddly good letter, I've seen much worse make it into the mag (though it's perhaps a bit long).