What the heck is a mod? User-created game content–it’s been around since long before YouTube ever made do-it-yourself entertainment a household concept. Old-school gaming nerds crafted game levels, weapons, character models–heck, entire games have been built using the guts of game engines for ages. (In fact, I highly recommend that you check out Mod DB for a huge selection of game mods.) That means lots of extra, free games derived from what you’ve already bought. The mod scene also happens to be a breeding ground for tomorrow’s great game designers. To wit, the 2009 Independent Games Festival recently announced the ten student-showcase winners, some of which are based on mods. However, I wanted to showcase a couple of my own picks. I’ve found some really odd Half-Life 2 mods that, coincidentally, all came from the same academic program: the National Academy of Digital, Interactive Entertainment in Denmark (DADIU, in their native tongue).
Want to play ’em? All you need is Half-Life 2 with Steam, plus the FRAPS video codec to see some of the intro videos (but I don’t believe FRAPS is required). Okay, back to my cab ride…and the rest of the weirdness.
While I think it’s really smart that you never get to see the road as you drive, it might be a little cooler to see the cabbie careening down city streets. As for the music…well, I’m no big follower of the Indian movie scene, but the music here could be a lot catchier. Hey, no slight intended to the crew: You still have a fun game on your hands here–it could use just a little more spice. Eh? Get it? Oh, never mind.
(As a quick aside, last year’s IGF awards had another one of the DADIU’s games on display: Flipside. I strongly recommend you check that one out as well.)
Something Is Rockin’ in Denmark
So what is it about Denmark students and their oddly creative collection of games? Is it something in the water? Kristine Ploug, a spokesperson for the DADIU, explains that the academic program selects only about 70 students a year coming from universities and art schools studying all aspects of computer game production. It’s basically a supplement to their ongoing training from other universities.
Since its inception in 2005, the program has provided hardware, software, and Valve’s Source engine to students. Then the class splits into five or six teams. Each team consists of one game designer, one project manager, one game director (in the sense of a movie director), one audio designer, a number of visual designers, two modelers, two animators, and two or three programmers. Basically the groups form tiny game studios–a little more effective than your average internship–with extremely tiny deadlines. A game must be done within one month. No pressure or anything.
And that’s just one school, with a couple of promising productions. In the coming weeks, as the final IGF awards draw closer, I’m going to see what other original games I can dig up for you from places such as SMU’s Guildhall, DigiPen, and the countless other groups on the academic scene. Until next time…
Casual Friday columnist and PC World Senior Writer Darren Gladstone geeks out over gadgets, games, and odd uses for humdrum tech. In other words, he’s a nerd–and he’s okay with that. Need even more nerdity? Follow gizmogladstone on Twitter for more time-wasting tips.