Got news?   tips@destructoid.com  |  Never miss a story:   RSS + Twitter + YouTube
Hey! New here? Destructoid is a gaming discussion community, updated nearly every 20 minutes. Make a quick avatar to comment and enter our contests. Take the tour!

 


Home Monthly Musing updates

Monthly Musings: Good Idea, Bad Idea

1:28 PM on 02.05.2008, Anthony Burch 35 comments

     Monthly Musing

erere

If you don't know what the Monthly Musings are, go here and educate yourself.

This month's Musings topic is a little something I like to call "Good Idea, Bad Idea." Basically, you take one or more individual gaming mechanics -- double jumping, context-sensitive cover, dialogue trees, what have you -- and discuss the merits or faults of each mechanic. Ideally, the two mechanics would come from the same genre, so as to provide a solid base for comparison and contrast. 

For example, say I'm interested in third-person tactical shooters. I might talk about how I love the alternating first and third person views in Rainbow Six: Vegas (good idea), but how I hate the context-sensitive use of the A button in Gears of War (bad idea), and why.

This is your opportunity to show your critical eye for game design: what do you think works or doesn't work, and why?

For a further explanation of the theme, and directions on how to submit your article for consideration, hit the jump.

While this theme may initially seem very restricting, you've got a lot of wiggle room and can play around with the format.

For instance, instead of comparing and contrasting different mechanics from different games, I could take just one mechanic I've frequently seen -- let's say, Quick Time Events -- and discuss how that mechanic has been used really well in some games, but pretty poorly in others before analyzing why. So long as you're doing some sort of comparison/contrast between game mechanics which are related in some way, you're fine.

You can start writing theme-related community blogs now, and we'll be accepting (and hopefully posting) submissions until the end of the month. Apart from the requirement that you follow the theme, there really aren't too many ground rules for the Monthly Musings: just be sure to title your cblog "Good Idea, Bad Idea: _________" and you're fine.

Be as creative, angry, or analytical as you wanna be; the goal here is to start discussion of any sort. Get some interesting debate going, and you'll be promoted to the front page.

 Any questions? Ideas? Hit the comments. Otherwise, make with the musings.


Next page: More Monthly Musing stories




DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 02/05/2008 13:35
I'll be contributing for sure.
elsiluro's Avatar
elsiluro at 02/05/2008 13:38
Hah, I immediately thought of Animaniacs when I read this as well.
BlackSheep's Avatar
BlackSheep at 02/05/2008 13:38
good idea: monthly musings
bad idea: punching your boss because your contributing on HIS time.
Kryptinite's Avatar
Kryptinite at 02/05/2008 13:39
oh this is going to be goooooood.
ZargonX's Avatar
ZargonX at 02/05/2008 13:39
Is the "Bad Idea" having a 30th of February?
Phanman's Avatar
Phanman at 02/05/2008 13:41
@Dexter

I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of that.
Snaileb 's Avatar
Snaileb at 02/05/2008 13:44
@Zargon

hahahahah good call!
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 02/05/2008 13:54
Animaniacs ftw.
Anthony Burch's Avatar
Anthony Burch at 02/05/2008 13:59
Well played, Zargon. Well played.*

*I would have never imagined I would one day type that sentence.
Knives's Avatar
Knives at 02/05/2008 14:01
@Dexter
I miss Animaniacs =(
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 02/05/2008 14:03
Good Idea Bad Idea from Animaniacs is the best thing EVAR
vexed alex's Avatar
vexed alex at 02/05/2008 14:08
@ Dexter
Thanks. Now I'm nostalgic and hate my life. God, Animaniacs was sooo good.

@ Blog post

This looks awesome. I may contribute.
ZargonX's Avatar
ZargonX at 02/05/2008 14:11
@Reverend Anthony:

It's ok... we all say a lot of things on here we never thought we'd have to say!
OtakuMan25's Avatar
OtakuMan25 at 02/05/2008 14:31
I'm in!

~Otaku-Man
Sphinx 13's Avatar
Sphinx 13 at 02/05/2008 14:36
Great Idea
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 02/05/2008 14:43
I'll hopefully be writing one of these when I get the time. That said, I'm a little confused by your first example. What does alternating first- and third-person cameras have in common with a context-sensitive button? Your only contrast there is that you think one is good and the other is bad.
BoXDoS's Avatar
BoXDoS at 02/05/2008 14:53
Nice. An animaniacs reference. Plus this sounds like a great idea. I'm all in.
Neonie's Avatar
Neonie at 02/05/2008 15:37
Ahhh that brings back memories. SOOOO many memories <3333
PrinceofCannedPeaches's Avatar
PrinceofCannedPeaches at 02/05/2008 15:38
February is definitely a bad idea. Who the fuck can pronounce February?
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 02/05/2008 16:04
I have a few ideas for Good Idea, Bad Idea. Some are epic.
Fading Star's Avatar
Fading Star at 02/05/2008 16:06
Awesome.

Animaniacs!
Teta's Avatar
Teta at 02/05/2008 16:17
Dexter you win the internets.
Animaniacs was one of my favorite cartoons of all times, and that seccion was so good.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 02/05/2008 16:26
Aw, Dexter beat me to it. I love Animaniacs — I watched it like crazy back in its mid-90s heyday, and I own all three volumes of the show on DVD.



Assuming I can find the time, I’ll definitely throw at least one article into the fray.
Urashima's Avatar
Urashima at 02/05/2008 16:43
Ah yes, Good Idea, Bad Idea. Fond memories of Animaniacs.

Also, more to the point, this sounds like a great idea. I'll definatley try and contribute.

I wonder if next month's Monthly Musings topic will be "The Wheel of Morality?"
DanMazkin's Avatar
DanMazkin at 02/05/2008 16:48
Sounds great, should get some interesting debates and some hilarious flame wars!
Kryptinite's Avatar
Kryptinite at 02/05/2008 16:49
Quick Suggestion:

There be a easier way to look at the post rather than doing a search for them. I love that you added a new tab for Friends but maybe we should have a Monthly Musings Tab as well. Quick and Easy access for the win!

Plus I would like to read everyone's thoughts on the unified topic.
Eschatos's Avatar
Eschatos at 02/05/2008 18:25
Will try to remember.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 02/05/2008 18:47
Mr. Skullhead FTW!
Anthony Burch's Avatar
Anthony Burch at 02/05/2008 20:45
Necros:
They both belong to the same game genre -- third-person shooters.

Your good and bad mechanics can be related in any way, be they in the same game (dialogue trees vs realtime fighting in Mass Effect), or different games of the same genre, or different games of different genres which both have the exact same mechanic in question.
Anthony Burch's Avatar
Anthony Burch at 02/05/2008 20:47
Kryptinite:
Niero has told me that there will be some sort of new CBlog addition which will put the Monthly Musings in some permanent or easily accessible place.
johpan's Avatar
johpan at 02/05/2008 22:18
I shall get cracking on this.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 02/06/2008 01:56
Okay, thanks for the clarification. After that, I've got an idea for at least one article.
Y0j1mb0's Avatar
Y0j1mb0 at 02/06/2008 08:12
I just may partake..see you on the front page.
prev next

Returning Dtoiders: login now to post a comment

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just Create an avatar now - it's fast and free: PLUS you also get your own gaming blog and begin posting stories and uploading videos in our open community area that may also appear on our home page. Sign up and we'll guide you through it, it's easy and 100% anonymous.




 Original Videos

 Reviews
Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack
Overlord II
Yosumin Live!
Let's Tap
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Wii)
View all Game Reviews

 Community blogs -   39774 Dtoiders!

This month's theme: Untapped Potential

New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide


 Originals

How Pokemon Red is blatantly better than Pokemon Blue











more original Destructoid stories



 Popular now more













Destructoid is:
Nick Chester
Editor-in-Chief
Jim Sterling
Reviews Editor
Dale North
News Editor
Hamza Aziz
Community Manager
Anthony Burch
Features Editor
Rey Gutierrez
Video editor & director
Niero
Founder, publisher
Letters to the editors
tips@destructoid.com
Associate Editors
Ashley Davis Jonathan Holmes
Brad Nicholson Jonathan Ross
Brad Rice Jordan Devore
Chad Concelmo Matthew Razak
Colette Bennett Tom Fronczak
Conrad Zimmerman Topher Cantler
Dyson Samit Sarkar
Contributors
Adam Dork
Ben Perlee
Daniel Lingen
Joseph Leray
Joe Burling
Mikey
Will Maddock
Stella Wong




get involved

register or login
post a blog
post a forum
enter a contest
discuss a review
contribute a news tip
write a guest editorial
support

new member's guide
login assistance
tech support
report abuse
email our editors
read our dev blog
nuclear crisis?
keep in touch

RSS feed
Twitter
Facebook
Myspace
Flickr
Game nights
Meet-ups
seriously

about us
advertising
terms of use
privacy policy
jobs at MM
buy our crap
our network

Tomopop
Japanator




Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press
living the dream since March 16, 2006