Issue 053: Gaming

February 6th, 2023

Welcome to the fifty-third issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, about Gaming. In this edition, we review the history of computer gaming and find out where the violence is; in the Library section, we review books about game design and development; and in our Vidéothèque section, we listen to John Romero tell us what happened in 1993.

Insert Coin

by Adrian Kosmaczewski

Even if you are not a hardcore gamer, it is hard to deny the influence of gaming in our modern culture. From Generation X (the one to which the author of these lines belongs) to Millenials, Generation Z, and now to the youngest (at the time of this writing) Generation Alpha, we have all grown using, watching, enjoying, and some, even writing games. This period coincides precisely with the rise of computers, first as a mass product and later as a mass media. Gaming grew to become one of the most visible offsprings of the computer industry and, to a large degree, one of the most violent.

John Romero

by Adrian Kosmaczewski

What happened in the world in 1993? Czechoslovakia separated in a peaceful process into two countries. Bill Clinton became the 42nd president of the USA. A bomb detonated in the basement of the World Trade Center. Janet Reno became the first female Attorney General of the USA. Jiang Zemin became President of the People's Republic of China. The WHO declared tuberculosis a global emergency. A "fan" stabbed Monica Seles in the back. Crowds were protesting against Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade. Andrew Miles solved Fermat's Last Theorem. Miguel Indurain won the Tour de France. The Maastricht Treaty took effect, creating the European Union. And finally, the Hubble Space Telescope took pictures without suffering from myopia.

Books About Game Design And Development

by Adrian Kosmaczewski

Arguably, one of the most common questions all gamers ask themselves at some point (usually in the middle of a space battle or while solving the most intricate of mysteries) is, how do people make games? Fortunately, several of the most fabulous game designers of the past 50 years have written books to enlighten us not only about the algorithms but also the storytelling, the team dynamics, and the economics required to build a ground-breaking game.