When Hatsune Miku, the first Japanese Vocaloid2 program, was released on August 31, 2007, she was like God’s gift to Sprouting-type moe fans on YouTube and Nico Video.

With “her” easy-to-use interface and cutesy vocal stylings, users could re-imagine any song they wanted, set it to some video - or even just a still image - and voila!  Instant audio/video contribution to dazzle fellow otaku.  You don’t have to be able to sing (though the “I tried to sing it” genre is huge on Nico Video these days), you don’t have to have much musical talent, and you don’t have to have your own recording equipment, but you can still give the world some “new” music.

Just a quick search for 初音 (the kanji for Hatsune) on YouTube pulls up around 14,000 results for Miku-mixes of all kinds of songs, from Nanoha openings to the Kefka boss fight music (the best part is at 2:37).

Meanwhile, more machinima-minded otaku have had their toy since January 2007 - the home version of THE iDOLM@STER (yes, that’s the official spelling, and yes, it makes me sad whenever I have to write it out).  With its impressively expressive cel-shaded characters, a multitude of camera options, energetic dance moves, and ultra-Sprouting costume choices (I was a big fan of the Iron Mask, but I may have been the only one), it practically begged for anyone with a good video card to make music videos with it.

And they have been at it for over a year now, producing everything from brief, soulful ballads to full-length denpa dances.  If you’re of a mind to blow some time at work and want to see what the minds of otaku can do when combined with decent video capture cards, you could do worse than the 6,000-plus iDOLM@STER (god, I had to write it again) videos on the ‘Tube.

Anyone have any favorite performances from the Vocaloids or the iDOLs they want to share?  I’m getting pretty bored at work these days…

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Thought I’d lead this off with an exerpt from a 2005 interview by user ”Cacophanus” for a U.K. gaming mag, <a href=”http://forums.insertcredit.com/viewtopic.php?p=281726#281703″ mce_href=”http://forums.insertcredit.com/viewtopic.php?p=281726#281703″>with Kazuma Kujo</a>, of IREM (R-Type III, Delta & Final, Bumpy Trot)

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Q: “Would you deem games as an artform, if so why?”
Kujo-san: “I think defining Art itself is difficult, but I prefer to call games as public entertainment, or something enjoyable. Viewing games this way, I think, fit better. When I am working on a game, I try to prepare something users want to see or touch rather than conveying my opinions to others. And if such game can surprise users, that would be best.”

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Interesting viewpoint!  And, admittedly with this author being a crazed shmup fan, it’s always good to hear from the sages.  Anyways, I’d like to find more creator quotes and words from industry professionals instead of relying on random conjecture and shaky definitions.  People like David Jaffe (God of War), Lorne Lanning (Oddworld series), Toru Iwatani (PacMan) or Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Lumines) all have very different ideas about both what constitutes a game, and where that intersects with the arts. 

I leave the investigations to you, readers.  Got a game you stand by as ‘art?’  Heard or read a philosophy that speaks to you as a noble direction for game development?  Or should I say, did a game director just say what you were thinking?

Give us some feedback!

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Dood, it’s President Nixon’s birthday today!  Hahah, I rock!  I turned 30 today too!

</double V sign from Airforce One>

So, I was thinking… I’ve been an artist all my life, and for 60 to 75% of that time, I’ve been a gamer…  And with the current culture of gaming, striving and scraping for the legitimacy of film and music and television, I think to myself…

 ”Games aren’t art!”

How could they be?  They’re… games!  Yes, they rely on a level of artistic direction; visual and audio media create the sensory palette in which the game world is painted, directors live or die (figuratively) by their command over the narrative and the interactive…

But… art is something fundamentally different.  And games, no matter the aesthetics, bring a very different sensation than art does.  The development process addresses different goals & obstacles; the intention of a game can be almost directly opposed to what art attempts to achieve.  Even the words (even THESE words) carry contexts that gamers or artists don’t see eye to eye on.

Or at least, that’s my position.  And as something I’ve thought of very heavily, I figure this would be the perfect forum to voice that position, or give way to a change in opinion.

So, from here till doomsday or next wednesday (whichever comes first), let’s think about this for a minute…

Video games… art?  What do you all think? 

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“A moment of silence, for Optimus Prime, who gave his life in 2005…”

And that was how my new year of 2008 was kicked off.  A nice social gathering and a toast at midnight, with that reminder that here we are, still at the dawn of the 21st century.  And eight years in, we’ve not (yet) been assailed by robots from a robot planet, subject to some  time-shattering horror clawing up from the Earth’s core, and STILL we’ve not had the request for flying cars or giant space elevators satisfied… (Well, we’re at least DAMN CLOSE to a modern Babel Tower. Thanks United Arab Emirates!)

Readers rejoice, for science fiction (hard or soft, whatever your fancy) is slowly but surely making a ressurgence!  We’ve had plenty of time to enjoy all that the Lord of The Rings trilogy spawned, and I’m sure all the spoilers for Harry Potter have been spoiled.  Magic and swords and fightin’ polar bears continue to be cool, but it’s about time for classic space opera revivals, dimensional super powers and the dependability of plot-holes-via-time-travel-dysfunctions. 

We have the here-and-now monster movie jangling of Cloverfield, a new Star Trek revamp in production (Sylar as Spock?!  Choice.)  The Terminator is on prime-time television (and hey, that beats a generic Bionic Woman remake!), and even next-generation games like Too Human, Starcraft II and Everyday Shooter are making headlines and whetting appetites.

Rock/Mega Man celebrated his 20th anniversary this past Christmas too – that should immediately warm the steel-plated geek’s heart!   And for the Gradius fans out there, hey another (spinoff) game can’t hurt!  Of course, there’s also the venerable Transformers on Cartoon Network… in one form or another.  Be glad though.  It’s not Master Force.

 But, again rejoice and celebrate!  2008 looks to set the pace for another glimpse into the future, be it tomorrow or 2356AD.  And something to look forward to is always, always a good thing.

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Man, what a difference a week makes, eh? Crybringer here, for your Wednesday update.

It’s really tough to pin down any one thing to talk about, since a number of events and activities are centered around this time of year. It’s a funny sort of gravitational effect, from the cemented traffic lanes, crowded stores, busy busy busy blog posts, new releases, re-releases, private and personal get-togethers, and then of course the Big C. I mean, Comiket. Did I mention how excited I was for Comiket?!

So, coining my blog stylings from the esteemed Sports Guy of ESPN, here’s a geek’s bullet list of random events and points-of-interest. I might actually use text bullets!

• Last weekend was an EXCELLENT movie double-header. “I Am Legend”, starring Will Smith was a sensationally bleak ride for the first half. Although purists who were expecting Vincent Price, The Omega Man or a cinematic transcription of the book have plenty to boo about, the movie actually manages to command a degree of subtlety that most disaster or post-apocalyptic movies lose in the sturm-of-FX and drang-of-bad-dialogue. I think this review encapsulates the feeling. Spoiler-free, methinks. But following that was a rediscovered little brit-crime gem; “Layer Cake”, starring James Bon– I mean Daniel Craig. Bloody cool and visually sleek, just like the dialogue, but with smart pacing and a few legitimate twists. Excellent work, considering we never learn the lead character’s name. You can find it on DVD for a reasonable price and I DEFINITELY recommend it as a movie buff stocking stuffer this season.
• While everyone else in the gaming world is Rock Band-ing out, the nostalgic charm and soulful stylings of old arcade games still gets me moving. As a die-hard shoot ‘em up fan (You kids don’t know the meaning of “mob” unless it consists of 200+ projectiles ALL AIMING AT YOU!) , this “Shooting Game Historica” just makes my heart swell two sizes. A palm-sized Vic Viper? You shouldn’t have, Santa.
• One of my favorite artists, “o_8″ I rediscovered recently, was really generous in allowing me to join in some networked doodling sessions over OpenCanvas. It’s a slick little program, and for those artistically inclined, it’s far and away better than simple text chatting. For best results, use a tablet (another gift suggestion, AMIRITE?)
• A holiday tradition of mine, I’m actually breaking this year. It was this time, five years ago that I made a pact to read a good book over the holidays. I mean, I was at my parents house, adrift and far far away from a solid internet connection, quiet spot to draw or even a decent cellphone signal! What else was there? (oh yeah food.) Bruce Sterling’s “Holy Fire” kicked things off, then it was a double dose of Mark Roger’s “Samurai Cat” series. Did a run through some old Robotech/Macross US novelizations too! Now, I’m without a heavy dose of cyberpunk or satirical pop-culture slaying to drown out the Christmas carols! Who’s got some winners?!
• Lastly, let me wish you all the best this coming holiday — I’ll be back per usual on BOXING DAY, the worst single day of any retail grunt’s existence. Don’t let the horror stories fool you about Black Friday. It’s the returns after Christmas that carve a trail of tears into a part-timer’s soul. So please everyone, be safe, be happy, be Merry, and be extra nice and understanding to both your friends, family and those downtrodden soldiers of the cash registers! Their sacrifice might get you a replacement Rock Band!

(Be back with a festive pic in tow later today! >_<)

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The holiday season has arrived, readers! Wake up with a lighter step! Take things with a warmer stride! And do your part to fight back against the Christmas-can-die-in-a-fire callousness.
(Seriously folks, you get semi-free stuff and certainly free food! Lighten up!)

But I’ll tell you, I personally am looking forward to something better than my Amazon Wish List. (If I had one anyway:)

COMIC MARKET 73* is on Dec 29th through the 31st in Tokyo! A motherlode more than your existing motherlode of doujinshi awaits!!!

*[The quick & dirty explanation is that Comic Market (Comiket) is a bi-annual Japanese small press convention of independant comic creators & cosplayers, offering primarily independent comics called “doujinshi.”]

As an artist & manga fan, I’m reminded around this time of year just how lucky we are to be able to reach media like this. Even if one hasn’t set foot in Japan, to think that one can actually sample, buy and communicate with the myriad creators at Comiket courtesy of the Internet is just mindboggling! And more so than before, there are individuals like the writers at Heisei Democracy, bold bloggers like Danny Choo, or able-bodied and strong willed artists and fans who are making their way to Comiket and experiencing the event firsthand. Someday, I hope to join them, and see the faces behind my favorite circles as well. I’ve GOT TO meet Himukai Yuji.

But, for now as I approach a real milestone of my life (30 years on this planet!) I look to Comiket news all over the net, steeple my fingers and itch for deliveries to my favorite mail order catalogues, and prepare to do what comes natural to me — geek the heck out. Add on the defensive buffs of Christmas holiday fever (+5 Happiness, Luck & WellWishes) , New Years Eve drunken schenanigans (+10 charisma, -6 agility) and my birthday to cap off the winter (30% critical up), and I personally can’t help but be a bit… jolly!

Likewise, more than new Iphones or 1080p TV’s… what events this holiday season are you all looking forward to?

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You know the old saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all?” That philosophy may be a bad one in the real world, but in the world of webcomics I believe it to be downright damning.

Bad reviews are necessary for things like books, movies, comics and video games because they serve to warn us not to spend our money on something that’s crappy. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve been swayed away from buying a comic or a movie ticket because “I heard it wasn’t supposed to be very good.”

That sort of thing doesn’t work in webcomics because a bad review is still a review, and a review of any kind directs attention to a webcomic, and attention is what webcomics need to survive. With a metric ton of webcomics floating around the internet it’s so very easy to go unnoticed, but with someone going out of their way to single you out and talk about your work, good or bad, it generates interest. Most bad reviews of webcomics provide links to the strip they’re trashing, and it takes very little effort for someone to just drag their mouse over the link and click it, and with every visit that webcomic has a chance to get a new reader. Bad reviews may actually be helping webcomics in that regard.

Ninety-five percent of all webcomics are free anyway, so there’s no money to be wasted in checking out a bad webcomic. A bad review isn’t going to deter someone from at least reading it. It may prevent people from buying merchandise, but there are lots of webcomics I love that I’ve never spent a dime on.

If you really want to deter people from a webcomic you think is awful, don’t say a word about it. Lack of interest on the internet is death. If there are no links, no mentions of a name, no nothing, there will be no readers. I’ve been doing Dominic Deegan for five years and I have a pretty substantial audience, and hearing “your work sucks!” doesn’t hurt at all, but hearing “I’ve never heard of you” can be discouraging.

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You know what
*ba-ding*
Bugs the hell out of
*ba-ding*
me?
*ba-ding*
It’s when people talk to each other
*ba-ding*
on an instant messenger
*ba-ding*
and type only three or four words
*ba-ding*
at a time.
*ba-ding*
It’s bad enough that the internet
*ba-ding*
has already taken away grammar, spelling
*ba-ding*
and punctuation.
*ba-ding*
But now whenever I’m online
*ba-ding*
and someone IMs me
*ba-ding*
I discover that the internet
*ba-ding*
has now taken away
*ba-ding*
full and complete sentences.
*ba-ding*
Does life on the internet move so
*ba-ding*
fast that it cannot wait for that
*ba-ding*
archaic thing called a “paragraph?”
*ba-ding*
Not to mention that the rapid-fire
*ba-ding*
sound of the IM “ba-ding” makes me
*ba-ding*
want to kill myself.
*ba-ding*
So please. I beg you.
*ba-ding*
The next time you’re online and
*ba-ding*
IMing someone, take the time to
*ba-ding*
not only bring back, grammar, punctuation
*ba-ding*
and spelling.
*ba-ding*
Let’s make an effort to bring back
*ba-ding*
full and complete
*ba-ding*
sentences.
*ba-ding*
Or else I’m going to kill myself.

*ba-ding*

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The short answer? Wikipathing.

The long answer? Wikipathing. But with an explanation as to what the hell ‘wikipathing’ is.

Long, long ago, in a galaxy… wait. Wrong explanation.

Okay, so one day, a couple of years ago, I noticed that one of my best friends, Player 2, had been on my other computer for hours, unmoving. That in itself wouldn’t have been strange, but he didn’t have a game controller in his hand, like he often did.

I asked him what he was doing, and he mumbled, “Wiki.”

I looked over, and there he was, reading an article (I don’t remember what on) intently. As I watched, he got to the bottom, then scrolled back up and clicked on a link somewhere in the body. I watched for a bit longer (well, not the whole time, I went back to my desk and came back every so often) and noticed that he kept going to other Wikipedia articles.

I asked him how long he had been doing this, and he said, “A couple of hours.” He then explained that he just felt some kind of compulsion to click on interesting links that kept him in Wikipedia.

I’ve talked to other people about it since then, and many of them mentioned similar habits. I myself have occasionally gotten caught up in the info-fest that is Wikipedia.

I know that the original name for the web, “World Wide Web” was supposed to reflect the idea that a person would go from one page to another, but I have to wonder how often that is the case these days. CNN and other commercial sites rarely link to sites other than their own, and understandably so – why give competitor’s sites the hits?

And so, that day, I came up with the term Wikipathing – to reflect the strange trail of information a person blazes when they hit good old Wikipedia.

So, what’s the strangest Wikipath you’ve ever gone down?

* I don’t know if this path is actually possible, but you never know.

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