Tag Archives: cope

Coping Strategies

Posted by under Uncategorized

A few months ago while this Cope was on hack-induced hiatus, Adam Freeland released an album called Cope. You know Adam Freeland: he did ‘Fear is the Mind-Killer’, the background track for area 5 in Rez, which is way up in the top ten of most extraordinary levels of any game.

Anyway Cope was a fine album—’Under Control’ is probably the stand-out track, though ‘Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada’ is also sock-rocking. Freeland’s just released a double-disc of remixes of the album’s tracks, which you can grab for a pittance at the Marine Parade Records site. Worth it just for the donk-tastic remix of ‘Only A Fool (Can Die)’ with guest-spot from Gerard V. Casale of Devo. (Devo-heads should also be watching Yo Gabba Gabba, the 00′s answer to the Banana Splits, in which Mark Mothersbaugh draws things. In fact everybody should watch Yo Gabba Gabba.)

Big post coming soon. Just making sure you’re paying attention.

Why ‘Cope’?

Posted by under game design, narrative

I’ve learned a lot from video games, but ‘cope’ is the best lesson: basic, profound and absolutely to the point.

My schooling came from Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 1991), the original, not just a classic but a masterpiece of every element of game design. For those who have never played it, the game starts with a race through the Green Hill Zone, a pastoral loveliness, and moves into the Marble Zone which is slower and more puzzly, involving tunnels, lava and more accurate jumping. Then you’re into the Spring Yard Zone and within five seconds you’ve run into a spring that’s catapulted you off a bumper, onto another spring and you’re hurtling through the air, upside down, completely out of control, completely off the deep end. And there, suspended in the air, is the game-creators’ advice:

sonic1cope

As life-lessons go it beats “Sorry Mario but the princess is in another castle”, don’t you think?