The Dreamcast, Console of the Avant-Garde by Montfort and Consalvo

Discuss Dreamcast related events and other Dreamcast websites here.

Moderator: pcwzrd13

User avatar
Nz17
St.Jimmy
Posts: 386
Contact:

The Dreamcast, Console of the Avant-Garde by Montfort and Consalvo

Post#1 » Thu Sep 14, 2017 5:18 am

Sometimes, you've really got to like these theses that universities write, such as this 21st of March 2017 paper. :-)

"The Dreamcast, Console of the Avant-Garde" by Nick Montfort and Mia Consalvo

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... vant-Garde

Abstract:
We argue that the Dreamcast hosted a remarkable amount of videogame development that went beyond the odd and unusual and is interesting when considered as avant-garde. After characterizing the avant-garde, we investigate reasons that Sega's position within the industry and their policies may have facilitated development that expressed itself in this way and was received by gamers using terms that are associated with avant-garde work. We describe five Dreamcast games (Jet Grind Radio, Space Channel 5, Rez, Seaman, and SGGG) and explain how the advances made by these industrially productions are related to the 20th century avant-garde's lesser advances in the arts. We conclude by considering the contributions to gaming that were made on the Dreamcast and the areas of inquiry that remain to be explored by console videogame developers today.

Excerpt:
SGGG
Japan 29 March 2001.

“Games are nothing more than mere products!" exclaims a member of Sega's management team. "You examine popular market trends, churn out nearly identical titles, and then you rake in the dough! Imitate our competitor's top-sellers: that's the golden rule! Throw away your emotions and become a mindless
machine. This is how you make successful games." "But I want to make totally innovative games that nobody has ever seen before," your character pleads. "Innovation? How foolish! Who will take responsibility if the game flops?" "But if we do it your way, we'll never attract new customers. Surely it's worth giving a
shot?" "You know nothing about the business, boy! I'll teach you the harsh reality of the corporate world!"

("The Story of Sega's..., 2008, p. 1)

When Tez Okano first proposed this "Sega Simulation" - a game in which the player fights in the near future against a Sony-like company to restore Sega's market share - everyone in the meeting had a good laugh. Then, Okano told them that he was serious. Sega's president eventually agreed to let Okano pursue the project, giving him a small budget. Okano worked for two years in secrecy, fearing that the project might be cancelled at any time. The game was released right after the cancellation of the Dreamcast was announced, and was given a marketing budget equivalent to only a few hundred dollars. Okano spent most of that on a custom wrestling mask which he wore as he went around promoting the game in person. Although odd and low-budget, SGGG is a full-featured 3D RPG with voice acting and cel animation cutscenes done by the studio Toei. The player controls one of two teenagers who wander through the Sega offices trying to recruit a team to develop innovative games to defeat Dogma, a Sony-like corporation. Doing so requires that the player prevail in combat against classic Sega characters.

User avatar
lerabot
blackout!
Posts: 133

Re: The Dreamcast, Console of the Avant-Garde by Montfort and Consalvo

Post#2 » Thu Sep 14, 2017 8:12 am

I did a university essay on hacking and quoted a bunch from this text aswell ;)
I used the Dreamcast hacking scene as a model for hacking online community.

DC forever bb ;)
Image
Indie Game Studio

  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Dreamcast Community”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users