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August 21, 2008

Designer Board Games With Specialty Rules

Filed under: Games — vgevge @ 12:00 am

A number of designer board games have a set of very intricate rules, tailored especially for that game itself. Many of these games set themselves up around a theme and have very detailed rules which play into that theme. Following these rules can be a bit confusing at times and care should always be taken to understand these rules as thoroughly as possible. However, the intricate rules are there for a reason and when they are fully comprehended by players, they can provide for an energetic and exciting game for all involved.

Many of these games often seek to explain the story behind the concept of the game. Often, themes can be found for designer board games which are set around certain times or events in history and knowing about the general era can help. Medieval themed games are popular, with themes about expansion of castles, serfs, and royal courts. Often, players with Medieval games will need to compete against fellow players in building the strongest court, making their kingdom into the greatest on the playing space. Rules for these games can tend to be very intricate, as growing crops, training fighters, and gaining gold all can come into play. Being the strongest kingdom available often takes much work, usually down to little details.

Other designer games take place in alternate worlds, universes, or in the future and care must be given in explaining the circumstances to the players. There can be little differences in the setting of the game that can greatly affect the mechanics of the game. Ensuring that all players understand the points being distinguished is a key role in everyone’s enjoyment of playing. Many times, these games are actually quite simple to understand once some of the different elements are fully explained and comprehended.

Some games have players take the role of certain characters. Sometimes, these characters have separate, select abilities available only to that character. This grants each and every character the ability to affect the game in a very certain way, bringing an entirely new dynamic to the game. Players sometimes can choose which character they can be, at other times they are forced to choose a character at random. This brings an element of surprise to the game, as it is never certain what might actually happen. Choosing a strong character can often greatly benefit one’s chances in the game, although stronger characters often have larger drawbacks. The entire game begins to revolve around the dynamic of the specific characters in the game.

All of these special rules can give the games something unique in their format and game play. They allow for very specific, very unique games to be played among players. While, often, the games might take time for players to fully understand and play with ease, they are well worth the effort, for normal games usually cannot provide as interactive and immersible an experience as a specialty designer game might. Players who are tired of traditional board games, looking for a greater challenge, should certainly consider a designer board game with specialty rules, as they can provide a window into a whole new world of gaming

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit designer board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures.

What Makes A Good Movie?

Filed under: Movies — vgevge @ 12:00 am

Art is a reflection of our society and life and movies are often regarded as modern expressions of art. They make us laugh and cry and we often love to quote them. They edify us and enlighten us.

Every year numerous movies are made by the film industries but all are not liked. Some top the charts while others are kicked out of the box office. Some become the hot topic of discussion for the critics while the others just escape their notice. In short, some get a thumps up while others a thumps down.

But how many of these, which get a positive feedback, are actually good movies? Well, it is not that simple to answer, as it seems. The topic is very much subjective. What seems good to some may not be the same for the others. What appears enjoyable to a few might not be enjoyable for others.

Then what exactly is a good movie? To generalize it, we can say that those movies which are liked by the mass and not merely by some class of people, could be considered as a good movie. But what are the traits that are needed for a movie to qualify as a good one. First of all, a movie should provide good entertainment. There are of course others. Let us look at some of them.

A good movie should touch our heart and make us talk or think about it, instead of just being the means for mere time pass. It should have the capacity to teach and inspire us and provoke us emotionally.

It should be educative as well. It should be able to let us know about something new. Nowadays movies are considered to be one of the most effective educational tools used to teach or educate people regarding certain issues. In short a good movie should have some educative value for the masses.

A good movie must also provide some elements of encouragement and inspire people towards successfully overcoming barriers. Movies are regarded as the mirror of life. But this is not all. There are some other factors also which make a movie a great one. The following factors are important.

The Plot: This is the most important part of the movie. Without a good plot a movie fails to attract and retain the viewers in the theaters. Even if they were drawn to it initially for some reasons, people would lose interest sooner than later.

The Characters: The second most significant factor of any good movie are the characters of the story. Without them there would be no story and no plot. Characters should be such that the audience like them.

Actors: We need good actors to make a good movie. Actors, who can justify the characters and make them, come alive in front of the audience. They must be able to portray the characters well so that people say that the characters are made keeping them in mind. They should blend themselves into the characters.

Script: Without dialogues movies look dead. Script is the life of movies so it should be very strong and appealing. A good script can even make people come and see the movie repeatedly. Last but not the least is the visual display of a movie with beautiful scenes.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for used DVDs, used movies, popular movies, award winning movies, good movies, and used car stereos.

The Story Behind The Game Of Chess

Filed under: Games — vgevge @ 12:00 am

Chess has experienced a long trek throughout history, bringing it to the present day. It has experienced a variety of forms from a number of different countries, each putting a unique spin on the game. In its modern incarnation, Chess is derived most heavily from Europe in the late 15th Century, where most of the common rules of the day became established. Since this time, Chess has formed a hold on many of the intelligent minds of each Century, never disappearing from the common view. Many books have been written on Chess from a variety of locations and authors, placing it high in the spotlight of intelligent, popular games which can both entertain and stimulate.

The first game from which Chess came to be born was originated in India in the 6th Century. It was originally called “Chaturanga,” which translates into “four divisions of the military.” These divisions, chariots, elephants, infantry, and calvary, were all represented by pieces much like Rooks, Bishops, Pawns, and Knights respectively. This game was played on an eight by eight board, which while uncheckered, had certain spaces with special marks. The meanings of these marks aren’t currently known today, but do not seem to have special meaning to the game itself. This game, the earliest that has been found, seems to be the birthplace of Chess.

From Chaturanga, travellers carried the game to the Far East. Here, the game began to be played on the intersecting lines instead of the blank spaces themselves. The purpose of the game was to render the opponent’s King, sometimes referred to as a General, as completely useless, much in line with a modern Checkmate. This game shares many elements with another popular game, Go, which also comes from Eastern Asia. The pieces for this version of Chess are commonly flat, marked pieces, much like a traditional checkers set.

Through Persia, the Byzantine Empire, and the expanding Arabic empire, however, the game slowly began to reach Europe. The Norman Conquest of England reached areas which played Chess early on, although the game was unpopular with Northern Europeans at this point. It wasn’t until Chess pieces began to be depicted as they are today- Kings, Queens, Bishops, Knights, Rooks, and Pawns, or men of arms- in the middle of the 12th Century that Chess began to grow popular with the people.

In 1475 AD, however, drastic changes were made to the game, evolving it into the game that Chess is today. The Queen was granted powers that had never been seen on a Chessboard before. Bishops were granted more power as well, allowing the game to begin to focus more on long-ranging attacks which ultimately sped the game up. It is also believed that the transition of the pieces into more courtly images, rather than military ones, helped the game to catch hold in Europe. In the middle of the 19th Century, Chess began to take an even stronger hold, becoming a popular game played among intellectuals. Chess tournaments became popular and every since then, the game has held a place in common public knowledge.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit used board games, chess board history, and dungeons and dragons miniatures.

Inventing An Original Board Game

Filed under: Games — vgevge @ 12:00 am

While there are many different board games out there for people to enjoy, sometimes you can get a little bored with what is available, especially if you are a board game enthusiast. This can be a little off-putting, for board games are one of the best ways to pass the time, as they generally require both brainpower and allow for social interaction. There are ways around this problem, however. You could either take an existing board game and change the rules in some small way which could completely influence the way that the game plays out. Or, perhaps if you are a creatively-inclined person, you could actually be inspired to make a board game of your own design.

It really shouldn’t take much for you to create your own board game. Generally, all you need is a simple idea that can be executed within the realm of a board game. It has to be unique enough to differ from existing board games, to make it worth the effort of creating the game, but it probably should not be too complex for the harder the idea is to execute, the more likely the game is to fail. The first thing you will need to do, when deciding how to construct your board game, is to determine whether the idea is actually feasible.

After you have determined whether making this board game will be worth the effort, you must determine how many players the game is suited for. It is important to remember that most games need to be adaptable for a number of different players, as the sizes of the groups playing them can vary from time to time. Once this is decided, you need to figure out the actual design of the board. While you are able to design your board in any way that you desire, it can be important to remember that the more simple everything is, the more accessible it will be to everyone playing. A cluttered board can lead to mass confusion, it may simply be easier to have a clean design for everyone to experience.

One of the most important factors in designing a board game is to figure out how each player will make their moves. Will there be random movement, such as dice or a deck of cards? If either of these are true, special allocations must be made for them. Spare dice can be picked up at most gaming stores. Decks of cards may be a bit trickier to make, as they will probably need to be hand-drawn. Laminating them after would be wise, as it would help protect them from getting damaged and leaving different marks on the cards which, in turn, could help players identify which cards stand for what.

Tokens are of vast importance when designing a game. How will the players be able to tell which pieces they are and where they are on the board? Tokens needs to be differentiated between each other with ease, usually with different colors, shapes, or sometimes sizes. Whatever the method used, they are all important parts of making your own designer board game. With these few basic steps, you can be sure to have all the very basic pieces together to putting your game in to order. All you need now is concise rules, a little determination, and your very own board game should soon be playable!

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit original board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures.

Hollywood Movies That Are Made From Existing Stories

Filed under: Movies — vgevge @ 12:00 am

Movies and stories have a very old connection. Throughout the history of films, different movies have come from famous stories, novels and plays all over the world. Hollywood movies are not an exception. There is a reason behind this profound love of Hollywood for good stories. Actually, Hollywood is a kind of industry which always wants to tell stories through their films. They always follow a linear way of story telling. To maintain this linear way, they always search for good stories. In this article, we will talk about those Hollywood movies that are made from existing stories.

Making films from stories has some advantages. This system saves a lot of time in the pre-production stage. In this case, the director does not have to appoint a writer for a new story. As the story already exists, he just need to do the script and screenplay.

A readymade story gives the film an extra popularity. If the film is made from a hit tale, then very naturally people will be eager to watch the film version of it. If we check the history, then we will find out that most of those kinds of films have been big box office hits.

If the film is based on the work of a renowned author, then it will ease the work pressure on the director to some extent. A famous book is obviously good writing. Therefore, the director will not have to change a lot of that.

Hollywood films have come from three different categories of literary works. These three are stories, novels, and plays. First we are going to look at the films made from famous stories. Kafka was a writer whose stories influenced Hollywood a lot. However, it is very tough to make a film version of his stories, but still people have tried and in some cases, they have done a very good job. For instance, The Trial directed by Orson Welles was a masterpiece. It was released in 1963.

Many films have been made from the stories of O Henry, the famous American story writer. Gift of the Magi directed by Scott Mansfield and The Last Leaf directed by David Anspaugh had been instant hits. Roald Dahl was a very famous British writer who wrote several short stories and novels. He also scripted some films. Lamb to the Slaughter directed by Nicole Barnette was based on a very famous story of Dahl.

Some very famous novels have been given film versions. For instance, The Accidental Tourist was based on the writing of Anne Tyler. The film was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and was released in the year 1988. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was the film version of the famous Mark Twain novel, filmed by Peter H. Hunt.

Some famous plays have also been transformed into films. For example, Orson Welles filmed Macbeth, the famous play of William Shakespeare, in the year 1950. Franco Zeffirelli filmed Romeo and Juliet in the year 1968.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for used DVDs, Hollywood movies, classics, adapted movies, buying movies, and used car stereos.

Specialized Chess Sets From Around The World

Filed under: Games — vgevge @ 12:00 am

Chess is one of those things which grew organically in different areas around the world over the course of time. Naturally, all of these different versions would be born with variations in them, but over the course of time they have all blended together so that the game of Chess today is uniform the world around. One thing that has not changed about the game, however, is the love that people have for different types of Chess sets. While the board and the Chess pieces used in the game are all typically the same, the design of these sets can be vastly different. This brings each different Chess set a sense of individuality and allows the owner of it to experience a feeling of pride.

The most popular Chess set today is the Staunton Design, first produced in 1849. This design, with a sleek, simple facade, has become the most common face of Chess pieces since its conception and can usually be recognized the world over. The set was born during the early part of the 19th Century when, as Chess was becoming immensely popular, devoted fans began to recognize the need for a simple set of Chess pieces which could be recognized by Chess players all over the world. Interestingly enough, the set was designed by Nathaniel Cook of John Jaques of London and only named after Howard Staunton, who was considered to be the strongest Chess player in the world at the time of the set’s design.

With an endorsement on the set from Staunton himself, originally designed to promote sales, the set took off in popularity and came to be known simply as the Staunton set. This selection of Chess pieces is so popular that in 1924, the World Chess Federation declared that this was the only Chess set which would be used in future tournaments.

The Regency Chess set was another popular selection in the late 18th Century. This set, named after the Cafe de la Regence in Paris, is symbolized with a sleek, stylistic design that doesn’t note its pieces with castle shapes for Rooks or horses for Knights. Each piece grows in its height from Pawn to King and has different ornamentation on itself to distinguish its rank. These sets were extremely popular as they were born out of the famous Cafe where many different world figures all frequently played Chess. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Napoleon, and Robespierre were all known to have frequented this cafe, playing and teaching Chess, and some of them were also known to own a Regency Chess set.

Other Chess sets have come and gone over the years, none of them being particularly more favored than the others. While most of these sets are still available for purchase today, it is easily the Staunton that can be most commonly found. An interested Chess player, looking to buy their own set, should simply consider a few things before making a purchase. Any set design will do, although the simplicity and familiarity of the Staunton set can be considered a bonus. The pieces and board must be manufactured of a good quality, with a little weight to their substance. Other than this, however, a personal Chess set’s design is entirely up to the aesthetics of the buyer, as they will be the ones forced to live with the decision! Any set will do, finding the right one is simply a matter of patience and taste.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit used board games, specialized chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures.

Success Story Of Gone With The Wind

Filed under: Movies — vgevge @ 12:00 am

‘Gone with the Wind’ is a movie that will be remembered by thousands, for its unparalleled drama, action and romance. Known for the breath-taking spectacle and its inspiring acting by the greatest cast ever assembled, it is possibly the most exciting love story to be enacted on screen. It was also the most talked about picture ever made.

The winner of ten Academy Awards, this movie is set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Civil War. It is based on the novel written by Margaret Mitchell whose magnificent historic epic is an unforgettable tale of love and loss. The change reflected in the people due to the mortal division of a nation has been well portrayed in this movie. Above all it is the story of a ruthless lady and a dashing soldier.

Victor Fleming directed the movie. The main cast comprises Vivien Leigh playing Scarlett O’Hara and her prince in shining armor Rhett Butler is played by Clarke Gable.

The film was nominated for the awards for best actress for Vivien Leigh. Hattie Mc Daniel did a wonderful job in the supporting actress part. The best art director and cinematography were also in the list. Finally it won the award for the best director.

In 1989, it won the National Film Registry Award by National Film Preservation Board USA. The film also won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress. It stood apart with an award named Peoples Choice Award for all time Motion Pictures in the year 1989. It was made in the year 1939. That year it also carried away a Medal of Honors of Photoplay Awards in the name of David O Selzvick. The film was also nominated in Oscars for special effects and best effects. It was selected for best sound recording.

The story is about a woman who can deal with a nation at war. It has all the features of an epic tale. The character of the woman is shown growing from a very narrow point of view to a broader horizon with a more evolved personality. She gets a view of life seen from utmost luxury and from absolute starvation and poverty. She finds her way from feudalistic plantation to the war torn streets. We can see all the aspects of friendship, death, love and appreciation all in a military background.

This classic tale narrates the story of love between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler during the American Civil war. She loves Ashley Wilkes but he in turn proposes to her cousin Melanie. They are willing to marry and Scarlett is on her way to produce hurdles on their way. There comes then a point in her life where the original man of her life arises to woo her. He loves her passionately but she proves to be a demanding lady.

It can be viewed as the history of a selfish woman who does not want to admit her feelings about the man she loves and finally loses him. She suffers much heartache including the destruction of her home and the brutality of war. In spite of all these, she finally discovers her true love, shedding her childish ways and maturing to a woman.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for used DVDs, Love and war movies, Awards and dignities, novel and story movies, and used car stereos.

August 20, 2008

Basic Rules On How To Play Razz Poker

Filed under: Games — tcalkins99 @ 12:00 am

If you like playing poker and are a constant at Texas hold ‘em tables, you may consider learning a new game to widen your playing abilities. Additionally, the more games you learn, the quicker you can participate in HORSE tournaments which are common fun alternatives to standard Hold ‘em tournaments given they are a change of pace and a much more aggressive quick tournament than Hold ‘em. One game that composes HORSE but will probably be fairly new to you as it is not so common in the casinos and in neighborhood poker tournaments is Razz. Razz is played with the same traditional 2-8 players, but the objective is to have the lowest set of cards at the end to win the pot. After this point, RAZZ quickly differentiates from standard poker so pay close attention to the instructions if you want to learn.

First off in Razz, there are no straights or flushes, and remember that you do not want the high hand, so any pairs, even if they are high pairs, are going to count against you in the end. Therefore, you will have to kick that initial rise in anticipation after being dealt a pocket pair, because for once, you don’t want them. In Razz, the lowest card is an Ace as it counts as a one, so having one in your hole is a good thing, and if you have to have a pair, a pair of aces is the way to go, so you can still anticipate being dealt a pocket ACE.

As the game begins, each player is dealt their hole, two cards face down. At this point each player will also be dealt on card face up on the table. From this point, the betting commences with the player with the highest face up card has to begin the betting. This is similar to playing with blinds because they are forced to begin bidding, but unlike traditional poker games, if the cards randomly deal in a certain manner, the same person may be forced to start the bidding every round. This is done so that the highest card holder in the first round is never allowed to fold out from the beginning, thus making the game more interesting as strategy has to be employed in a lot greater detail to win a hand.

Now you are considered to have three cards, and after the betting has closed, the fourth card will be dealt face up and betting will commence in the same format. All regular rules of poker, betting, folding, and checking are in place. Next comes the fifth and the sixth deals, but the difference is, not the player who is dealt the lowest card begins the bidding. Finally the seventh card is dealt and after a round of betting players lay down their two hole cards to see who wins the pot with the lowest pot. While it may be confusing at first, after a few rounds you should be able to catch on and have a great deal of fun.

You can learn more rules for poker games at pokerbonustime.com and check out some of the top poker bonuses online.

How the Massive Appeal of Nintendo Wii Game System Compares With That Of the PS3 And The XBox 360

Filed under: Computer Games — Ronsubs @ 12:00 am

When the Nintendo Wii first emerged on the scene, there was such frenzy for it, just as there was with the PS3 and the XBox360. It became hard to find after a hot minute. Its popularity skyrocketed within the first few days. In all three cases, some people wondered why others would be fascinated over a video game system.

With the Nintendo Wii, there are several reasons why:
The Nintendo Wii video game system was made so that people who normally play video games such as those on Xbox360 or PS3 would like it. There was a lot of action like those games. There was quite a bit of excitement in the play.

In the XBox360 and PS3, the games were more fantasy-oriented in many cases. Players took on the identities of imaginary characters and took part in adventures like slaying dragons or fighting battles.

However, the Wii games are different than any of the other games people may have seen. Because of their simplicity and down-to-earth games, Wii game systems sold out very quickly in just a short amount of time. People were hunting all over for them after they sold out.

The Wii video game system appeals to so many people because it is user friendly. Even the person who is not video game literate can get a grasp of these games. Unlike the Xbox 360 or the PS3, the Wii movements are more easily translated from the person’s actions to the images on the screen.

The system comes with the Wii Sports collection. This collection consists of baseball, golf, tennis, bowling and boxing. There is a remote which is used to control the movements of the games. Since the remote is in charge of the movements, people don’t have to concern themselves with getting a sore thumb.

On the other hand, people who are fond of the PS3 and XBox360 like the complex controls. They enjoy the challenge of seeing what they can do by pushing different buttons and turning the joysticks in different ways.

For the most part, the Nintendo Wii remote control uses one hand. Instead of it being bulky and long like a television remove, it is short and slender. It can be used comfortably in either the left or the right hand. There will be no concerns about losing it because there is a strap attached that can be placed around the wrist.

The same strap can be placed around the arm for another part of its uniqueness; when you make a movement with it, then the object moves. It doesn’t matter if you’re swinging, rolling or hitting. There is also a nunchuk, which is a device that is used for boxing and other games.

Of course, the PS3 and XBox player would say that their games are set up to move when they move their controllers as well. The difference is that you do not have to memorize what different buttons do. With the Nintendo Wii, you simply have to move in natural ways.

Before a person can play any of the games, the user has to create a Mii character. The Mii program allows a person to customize your own playing character for the games. It comes with a schedule and a memo pad. Many games on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 do not allow customization.

When playing games on the Nintendo Wii, the person will definitely get a workout. In order to play the game, they have to move around with the remote and swing the arm in a certain direction, depending on what game is being played. This is better than playing Xbox 360 or PS3 video games, where a person is are essentially a couch potato.

An important thing to note is that people should not overdo it when playing games on the Nintendo Wii system. All of that swinging can make a person’s arm tire out. Even though they can be fun and addictive, those arms should savor any strength for another day. In addition to the basic Wii games that come with the package, there is also Wii Fit, which is a separate entity.

There are also fitness games on some of the other game systems, and people can easily get tired out while playing PS3 or XBox360. It is important when playing those games to take breaks and rest your eyes and your mind.

Another reason why people probably hurried to get the Nintendo Wii video game system is because of the price. Nintendo Wii is affordable, compared to some of the others. Xbox 360 and PS3 were costlier.

Nintendo Wii is considered to be cost-friendly for a lot of people. The price range is about $250 - $300.

In the end, the PS3 and the XBox360 are much more advanced gaming machines when it comes to intricate action. The Wii games are challenging, and there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Ron Subs works with Clickinplaza.com as a public relations consultant, more information about video game systems can be found at www.clickinplaza.com

Best Video Game Villains Ever

Filed under: Computer Games — enrico @ 12:00 am

In years gone past video game villains were over the top caricatures of film villains. Often portrayed as a psychopath bent on world domination for whatever reasons, these villains would give the game a reason for being, you played the hero and you must save the world from the villain. As time has passed and the technology used for computer games has come on so too have the characterisation and portrayal of villains into something more akin to their film brethren. In this article I will take a look at some of my favourite video game villains and explain what made them so great.

The G-Man from the Half Life series of games is one of the most iconic villains ever to make an appearance in a game. He takes the appearance of a tall, thin man in a cheap suit, much like a government employee. His qualities are similar to that of the Cigarette Smoking Man from the X-Files TV series. You’re never quite sure of his motives, at times he directly helps you and at others he will hinder your progress. He can often be seen observing the players actions and will talk to you in a cryptic fashion.

Uncertainty is what makes the G-Man such a great villain. You’re uncertain of his motives, his identity, his allegiances, his power and whether or not he is human. He gives the player numerous Hobson’s choices, where you must decide between two seemingly unfavourable options. He remains perfectly calm in times of seemingly high danger so you’re left wondering if all that goes on is entirely down to his plans. Even after two full games and many expansions you’re still left with very little information about the G-Man, and it is this sense of foreboding and uncertainty that makes him such a great character.

A completely unemotional AI is always an engaging villain, just see films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Matrix as examples. The thought of an entity that has absolutely no remorse or mercy can be genuinely scary, and when Valve added a dash of dark humour to their incarnation in 2007 they created an instant classic. GLaDOS was the star of Portal. A sentient AI that seemed genuinely unhinged she would constantly tease you throughout the course of the game. She provided a slew of memorable quotations and an unforgettable final battle. While not intrinsically evil it shows that computer villains can be extremely effective in a cold, heartless way. They don’t hate you, they’re just doing their job, and if that means burning you to a crisp, then so be it.

Another classic villain archetype is that of the fallen hero. Probably the greatest use of this example is in the Star Wars series of films where Anakin Skywalker is corrupted and becomes Darth Vader, a complete transformation from the ultimate good guy to one of the most notorious villains of all time. In Warcraft 3, the character of Arthas suffered a similar fate. Once held up as the perfect hero he becomes corrupted by power and becomes the leader of what was once his enemy. He even leads armies against his former home and kills his father. The sight of one destroying what he once looked to protect was also used in Star Wars, and has significantly more impact that some motiveless villain doing it out of spite.

Of course, no video game would be complete without the ultimate in virtual villains - other players. If you thought that the bosses you faced in Resident Evil were bad then think again, they’re nothing compared to what players will do to you. The anonymity of the Internet creates an interesting environment where no one is accountable for their actions. Because of this people are basically free to act as they wish, and so will use every advantage, cheat, exploit and hack they can get their hands on. You’ll encounter a surprising amount of devious cunning when multiplayer competition is involved and certainly other players are the ‘villain’ that have had me wanting to throw my keyboard out of the window more than any other.

There are, of course, many more great villains that this but I feel that these represent some of the more successful ones in crossing that barrier between film and games in presenting more believable characters with some amount of depth to them. As the technology reaches a point of near realism game designers will have to work harder to create great games and so I’m sure more time will go into characterisation. This should lead to some classic villains in the future, and I look forward to what comes next.

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Birmingham Airport Hotels, Stansted Parking and Pink Elephant Stansted.

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