The Battle For Brazil’s Game Future – Feature Article by Arthur Protasio at Gamasutra

18 10 2011

On the 13th of october, the well-know and respected website, Gamasutra, published an article I wrote about the Brazilian games industry. As coordinator of the R&D project, CTS Game Studies, and IGDA Rio de Janeiro chapter leader, I put together a piece that analyses the connection between games, the market, and freedom of speech in Brazil.

Although progress is evident that games are growing as a medium, the article goes into detail regarding the impact of judicial decisions, anti-game legislative bills, and the government-run age rating system. Aspects debated include the current perception of games in the country and specific cultural and economic challenges that keep games from being recognized as a vital medium in the developing economy.

The discussion is intrinsically related to the importance of  games legally classifying as art, as well as the influence of narrative, and how all of this affects sales and the development of the the Brazilian games market.

The publishing of this article is very important due to the international exposure of the Brazilian scenario and future developments can only arise through the dissemination of information.

You can read my article here: The Battle For Brazil’s Game Future or download the pdf file.





Narrative Reincarnation at Well Played 3.0: Video Games, Value and Meaning

17 08 2011

The Well Played publication (from ETC-Press at the Carnegie Mellon University) has always been a source of inspiration and admiration to me. In fact, I used it as reference for my law school final essay on Games and Free Speech.

The idea of uniting a diverse range of authors – all the way from developers to journalists and researchers – to promote in-depth readings of games is simply ingenious. It is what effectively illustrates that games are a medium of expression, after all each and everyone of the articles reveal different views about numerous aspects that games touch upon.

In its 3.0 volume, Well Played included my article “Narrative Reincarnation in the Way of the Samurai 3″, which discusses the important role that narrative plays in the game by allowing the player to tread through many different short story paths. It is an honor to be featured, along with other authors, in this publication.

You can read my article here: Narrative Reincarnation in The Way of the Samurai 3

Or check out (and buy) any of the Well Played books here: Well Played 1.0 Well Played 2.0Well Played 3.0





Entrevista: Ken Levine – Diretor Criativo de Bioshock

14 07 2011

Dessa vez, eu colaborarei com as Girls of War, especificamente a Rebeca Gliosci, em uma entrevista sobre Bioshock (incluindo o Bioshock Infinite) com o diretor criativo do jogo, Ken Levine, da desenvolvedora Irrational Games.

Foi um papo muito interessante que seguiu desde tópicos como a identidade da série Bioshock, a importância de se ter banheiros em um mundo de jogo e a conexão com filmes como Alien e O Iluminado. Eu e a Rebeca também tivemos a oportunidade fazer perguntas relativas à narrativa da série, inclusive abordando a temática objetivista e as questões morais do jogo.

Agradecimentos especiais vão para Rebeca e o Ken Levine pela fantástica conversa. Abaixo você confere o vídeo da entrevista e em seguida uma transcrição/tradução realizada pela Rebeca (vulgo, Bebs). Se você ainda não jogou Bioshock, prepare-se: spoilers o esperam.

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Interview: Ken Levine – Irrational Games’ Creative Director

6 07 2011

This time, I collaborated with the Girls of War, specifically Rebeca Gliosci, on an interview about Bioshock (as well as Bioshock Infinite) with the game’s creative director, Ken Levine, from Irrational Games.

It was a really interesting chat that went all the way from topics such as the identity of the Bioshock series, to the importance of having bathrooms in the game world. Me and Rebeca also had the chance to ask questions regarding the series’ narrative, including objectivist and moral issues from the first game.

Special thanks go to Rebeca and Ken Levine for the opportunity. If you haven’t played the games yet, be warned: spoilers ahead.

Read the rest of this entry »





Interview: Emil Pagliarulo – Lead Designer and Writer for Fallout 3

30 05 2011

Few months ago, I collaborated with the Girls of War on an interview about Fallout 3 with the game’s lead designer and writer, Emil Pagliarulo. It was an incredible opportunity to finally ask what I had in mind regarding the game’s narrative and its revolving issues. I contributed with the four final questions (9,10, 11, and 12) and opted to focus on morality, character development, real life reflection, and modding; respectively.

Special thanks go to Vivi Werneck and Rebeca Gliosci for the opportunity. If you haven’t played the game yet, be warned: spoilers ahead. Read the rest of this entry »





Smack My Bones Up

27 05 2011

Smack My Bones Up is a short “game-music video clip” I decided to create as a homage to the Mortal Kombat fighting series, the Mortal Kombat theme song, and The Prodigy. As a fan of the of all three, it was hard to resist not coming with something up after listening to the remix. In fact, I posted the video a response to the original remix, which is also available on Youtube. The main objective was to make a short video (between 1 and 2 minutes) comprised of Mortal Kombat 9 game footage in sync with the main beats of the song. I realized the high pitched scream from Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up would serve a nice cue for images of pain or characters screaming. However, since I didn’t plan on having Sindel screaming every 5 seconds, the x-ray combat moves served an ideal purpose. Not long after editing, the pun-like title came to mind and below you can check out the result. Let me know what you think and enjoy!

Smack My Bones Up é um curto “video clipe musical de jogo” que eu decidi criar como uma homenagem à série de jogos Mortal Kombat, à música tema do filme Mortal Kombat e à banda The Prodigy. Como um fã de todos os três, foi muito difícil escutar ao remix utilizado como faixa sonora e não pensar em alguma ideia. Inclusive, eu postei o vídeo como uma resposta ao remix original, que também está disponível no Youtube. O objetivo principal foi fazer um curto vídeo (entre 1 e 2 minutos) composto de cenas do jogo Mortal Kombat 9 sincronizadas com as principais batidas da música. Eu percebi que o grito agudo da faixa Smack My Bitch Up cairia muito bem com imagens de personagens sentindo dor ou gritando. No entanto, como eu não planejava ter a Sindel aparecendo a cada cinco segundos, me dei conta de que os golpes raio-x cumpririam essa meta de maneira ideal. Pouco depois de editar o vídeo, o título-trocadilho me veio à mente e abaixo você confere o resultado. Me diga o que achar e divirta-se!





The Hun

2 09 2010

In uncharted plains
Beyond the sun
Lives a creature
By the name of Hun

Its glaring big eyes
Remain closed.
For in its cave
No threat is posed.

Hidden inside,
Hun’s treasures reside.
A large collection of clocks
And a silver pipe as his main prize.

With its big fat paws
And large fluffy ears,
It yearns for entertainment
After many lonely years.

As darkness arrives,
Hun exits its lair.
Creeps silently in the night
And enjoys the fresh air.

Dressing a mischievous smirk
And faking obedience,
The Hun is missing to many
Who always say “Good Riddance”.

But when its eyes flash
And its stomach growls,
This creature enjoys dinner
And the taste of savory owls.

Its snake-like tongue,
Its razor sharp teeth,
Keep his mouth clean
But the smell still reeks.

Better yet is the taste of the young.
Plump toddler flesh
Still screaming and fresh
To fill the tummy of Hun.

It isn’t fun
This is no pun
You should run!
Welcome the Hun.

“The Hun” was a macabre nursery rhyme I wrote to be used as inspiration for Larissa Fuchs‘ animation project, “Nhac!”. Check out her preview below:








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