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Tim Rogers (writer)

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William Timothy Rogers Jr.(born June 7, 1979) is an Americanvideo game journalist,developer,andvideo essayist.His work is associated with mid-2000sNew Games Journalism,a style of video game journalism that emphasizes the author's subjective and personal experiences in relation to the game world.The Guardiancited his 2005 opinion piece "Dreaming in an Empty Room: A Defense ofMetal Gear Solid 2"as a core example of the genre. Rogers is additionally known for hisverbosewriting style and his video game reviews websiteActionButton.net.He has also written forNext Generation,GamesTM,Play,Game Developer,andKotaku.He later edited videos forKotakubefore resigning from the site and becoming an independentYouTuber.

Tim Rogers
Rogers in 2018
Born
William Timothy Rogers Jr.

(1979-06-07)June 7, 1979(age 45)
United States
Other names108
Alma materIndiana University Bloomington
Occupation(s)Video games journalist (formerly), developer, YouTuber (currently)
Known forNew Games Journalism,Action Button Entertainment

Rogers co-foundedAction Button Entertainment,where he designed games includingZigguratandVideoball.The four-person studio specializes in simple aesthetics and controls, following from Rogers's own video game aesthetic and minimalistesportsinterests. He compared the studio's design philosophy to the spartan menu selections ofGordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Video games journalism

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Rogers is a video games journalist[1]known for his verbosity.[2][3][4]Danny Cowan ofIndieGamesdescribed him as "infamous" inNew Games Journalism,[1]a style of subjective video game journalism in which authors emphasize their personal experiences in relation to the game world.[5]The Guardiancited Rogers as one of the "unmissable examples of New Games Journalism" in 2005 for hisInsert Creditpiece onMetal Gear Solid 2,"Dreaming in an empty room: a defense ofMetal Gear Solid 2".[6]Gaming journalistKieron Gillencalled the article "highly discussed and fairly brilliant".[6]Jim RossignolofRock, Paper, Shotgunrecommended "Who Killed Videogames?", a new Rogers essay, as another standout work.[7]Simon Carless,remarking on an 80,000-word Rogers essay, described the author as "theLester Bangsof video games "for his" disruptive and iconoclastic "approach to games writing.[8]As an originator of New Games Journalism, Carless wrote of Rogers, online communities were both fascinated with and dismissive of his work.[9]

Rogers startedActionButton.net,a video games reviews website, in early 2007 as an outgrowth fromInsert Creditand its forums, SelectButton.[10]At the time of its launch, Simon Carless praised its "great writing" and signature "self-conscious metacommentary" style.[10]GamesRadarcalled Tim Rogers "loquacious" and "a character" as profiled in Cara Ellison's "Embed With..." profile series, where they discussed "sticktion" as the role of "sticky friction" inSuper Mario Bros. 3and how it was used in Rogers' ownZigguratandVideoball.[11]Edgedescribed Rogers as a "polarizing author of so much 'publish-now-edit-never' brain spew".[12]In 2013, Rogers was selected to publish in the first round of digital books on games criticism published by Press Select.[13]Rogers has also written forInsert Credit,Next Generation,[9]GamesTM,Play,N-Revolution,Kotaku,Atomix,[14]andGame Developermagazine.[15]He later edited videos forKotaku.[16]As of June 2016,Rock, Paper, ShotgunreportedActionButton.netto be "dormant".[17]

Rogers translated the 1997 PlayStation gameMoon: Remix RPG Adventureinto English for its 2020 re-release on theNintendo Switch.[18]

In February 2020, Rogers announced via Twitter that he was resigning from his position atKotaku.[19]He currently creates long-form video reviews under his Action Button channel as an independentYouTuber,[20]such as a six-hour video review ofTokimeki Memorial,which has been credited by games journalists with generating greater interest for the title in the West.[21][22]In October 2022,The Guardiandescribed Rogers' 2022 video review ofBoku no Natsuyasumias "a meditation on art’s capacity to give meaning to life," praising the narration and animation commissioned for the video.[23]

Action Button Entertainment

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Main article:Action Button Entertainment

Rogers is a co-founder ofAction Button Entertainment,[24]a four-person studio that consists of Rogers, Brent Porter, Michael Kerwin, and Nicholas Wasilewski, who together have built all of the studio's four games fromZigguratthroughVideoball.[25]Their games are consistently simple in their aesthetics and controls,[25]following from Rogers's own video game aesthetic interests.[12][26]His interest in minimalistesportsand simple games parlays into his design philosophy, which he compared toGordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares,a show in which Ramsay advises failing restaurants to improve by trimming their menus to a spartan few great dishes.[25]Rogers also felt simple games were "less work".[25]

Rogers has said that he aspires for Action Button Entertainment to make games that share his preferred gaming styles and his hobbies. In finding that the common link between his top 25 video games (includingPanzer Dragoon,Cave Story,Canabalt,and his favorite,Out of This World) was minimalist aesthetics with no overt story to tell other than through game mechanics, Rogers wantedZigguratand future games to live up to those expectations and used his gut to fine-tune design decisions. The games also reflect aspects of Rogers's personality, such as in the "scream sound effect" onZigguratmade and distorted from his guitar and based on sounds made by eccentric Japanese musicians whose records he owned.[26]He also calledZiggurata descendant of his hobbies: the video gameIbara: Black Labeland theRubik's Cube.[26]Rogers also became known for producing promotional "infomercial-style trailers ".[24][27]

Ziggurat

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Main article:Ziggurat (video game)

Zigguratis a retro-stylearcadeshooter video gamewhere the player fights off incoming aliens[1]as the world's last human from atop a ziggurat. The player uses simple touch controls to charge and shoot the enemies away, and dies if hit by an enemy. The game has 16-bit graphics style and an 8-bitchiptunesoundtrack.[12]

Rogers co-founded Action Button Entertainment while working onZiggurat,which began with an idea Rogers had while playingAngry Birdsabout pushing back a swarm of bats by shooting projectiles at them. He decided that he could not make the game alone. Rogers put out a call for artists on Twitter with a submissions request of "fan art of the Japanese box art ofPhantasy Star II",and Action Button artist Brent Porter replied in under an hour with an entry Rogers called" incredible ".[26]In mid 2011, Rogers decided to work on an iPhone game for a few weeks as a break from a larger project. Rogers said the team was convinced by his design document—this game would becomeZiggurat.Rogers contacted an Internet acquaintance who had previously mocked up a design idea from Rogers'sKotakucolumn, programmer Michael Kerwin, who came through with a rough draft within a week. Andrew Toups converted a soundtrack created by Rogers's rock band into an 8-bit soundtrack. After six months of hiatus and working at a social games company, Rogers rekindled development and the team finished theZiggurat,[26]which was released in February 2012 for iOS platforms.[28]

Edgerelated the "unexpectedly poignant" red screen and sound effect that flashes upon the player's death to Rogers's personal interest innoise rock.[12]They called it a "beguiling personal signature".[12]

TNNS

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Main article:TNNS

TNNS,pronounced "tennis",[29]is a brick-breakingaction gamewhere players use a paddle along the screen's left side to bounce a ball towards breakable objects on the right side of the screen,[30]and to avoid getting the ball in their goal.[25]It was released with little advanced notice in November 2012 foriOSas a universal app playable oniPhones,iPads,andiPods.[30]Danny Cowan of IndieGames compared it with Sidhe Interactive'sShatter[30]andVG247called it a rendition ofBreakout.[31]Pocket Gamerlikened it to both and further compared it withAlleyway,Arkanoid,andSuper Hexagonwith a "telekinetic power" to alter the ball's direction apart from the panel (as inShatter).[29]

10×8

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Main article:10×8

Ten by Eight,stylized as10×8,is apuzzle video gamewhere players match tiles.[32]Players align similarly colored blocks and trace the path they create when aligned. Star blocks act aspower-upsthat extend combos.[32]Rogers produced an "infomercial-style trailer "for the game, whichVG247called one of his signature moves[24]and that IndieGames called "glorious".[32]It was released on July 31, 2013, in North America forPlayStation Mobile[24]—thePlayStation Vitaand compatible devices.[32]Around the same time, Rogers presented at theGDC 2013Indie Soapbox,[33]where he told the story of how he "went indie".[34]

Videoball

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Main article:Videoball

InVideoball,players use solely oneanalog stickand one button to control triangles that shoot projectiles[25]to knock a circular ball into the opposing team's endzone.[35]The triangle shoots a projectile, which charges the longer the button is held, such that a charged "slam" shot can sail across the full screen.[36]Rogers, the game's designer, describes the game as "an abstract minimalist electronic sport".[35]Its development began as a dare fromQWOPdeveloperBennett Foddy,Rogers's friend, to make a "one-buttonStarCraft".[35]Rogers compared the game's design process toGordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares,where Ramsay convinces failing restaurants to provide fewer menu options and to make those dishes well.[25]Rogers acknowledged the role of noted basketball-like strategy in itsplaytests,and the difficulty in crafting a minimalist game with a high importance on nuanced detail.[36]He livestreamed prerelease sessions ofVideoballviaTwitch[25]and broadcast gameplay from Twitch's booth atPAX East2014 with indie publisher Midnight City.[37]The game released in 2016.[17]

Personal life

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"Gentlemen, Start Your Clown Shoes" by Rogers's rock band, Large Prime Numbers

William Timothy Rogers Jr. was born on June 7, 1979.[38]He graduated fromIndiana University Bloomingtonin 2001 with a degree in East Asian languages and cultures.[14]He is a guitarist[2]in his rock band, Large Prime Numbers.[39]

References

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  1. ^abcCowan, Danny (February 21, 2012)."Mobile Game Pick: Ziggurat (Action Button Entertainment)".IndieGames.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  2. ^abCarless, Simon (May 12, 2008)."GameSetLinks: Rock The Action, Rogers And Out".GameSetWatch.Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2016.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  3. ^Robinson, Martin (March 9, 2012)."App of the Day: Ziggurat".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on August 20, 2012.RetrievedMay 25,2014.
  4. ^Gillen, Kieron (November 9, 2009)."J. Nash Watch: Or Something Launches".Rock, Paper, Shotgun.Archivedfrom the original on May 15, 2014.RetrievedMay 25,2014.
  5. ^Stuart, Keith (February 22, 2005)."State of play: is there a role for the New Games Journalism?".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on September 17, 2014.RetrievedJune 14,2014.
  6. ^abStuart, Keith (March 3, 2005)."Ten unmissable examples of New Games Journalism".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on September 18, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  7. ^Rossignol, Jim(October 2, 2011)."The Sunday Papers".Rock, Paper, Shotgun.Archivedfrom the original on May 26, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  8. ^Carless, Simon (February 15, 2007)."Timsplosion Saturates Insert Credit x 80,000".GameSetWatch.Archived fromthe originalon October 11, 2012.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  9. ^abCarless, Simon (March 10, 2006)."The Fascination Of The Rogers".GameSetWatch.Archived fromthe originalon February 7, 2016.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  10. ^abCarless, Simon (March 31, 2007)."Rogers Hits The Action Button, Minds Dissolve".GameSetWatch.Archived fromthe originalon July 16, 2012.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  11. ^Sheridan, Connor (April 5, 2014)."Off Radar: The Best Stories You Missed This Week – Read… Embed With Tim Rogers".GamesRadar.p. 5.Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  12. ^abcdeEdge Staff (February 27, 2012)."Ziggurat review".Edge.Archived fromthe originalon May 27, 2014.RetrievedMay 25,2014.
  13. ^Lien, Tracey (August 21, 2013)."Press Select launches to publish long-form games criticism".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  14. ^ab"tim rogers".LinkedIn.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  15. ^Carless, Simon (December 10, 2010)."Game Developer December Issue Showcases Splinter Cell: Conviction Postmortem".GameSetWatch.Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2016.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  16. ^McCarthy, Caty (March 18, 2020)."Remember When… A Final Fantasy 7 Tech Demo First Baited Fans Into Wanting a Remake".USgamer.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2021.
  17. ^abSmith, Graham (June 9, 2016)."Videoball's Final Trailer Heralds July 12th Release".Rock, Paper, Shotgun.Archivedfrom the original on June 10, 2016.RetrievedJune 9,2016.
  18. ^Kohler, Chris (September 16, 2019)."22 Years Later, A Major Milestone For RPGs Is Finally Coming West".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on September 16, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 8,2020.
  19. ^Rogers, Tim [@108] (February 3, 2020)."announcement: as many of you have decoded from my recent videos, i have decided to step away from full-time work at @Kotaku effective today, in order to focus on @ActionButton's #TRUCKHECK, other Exciting Endeavors, and my health"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  20. ^Hall, Jacob (October 29, 2020)."The Quarantine Stream: 'Action Button' Reviews Video Games on YouTube Unlike Anyone Else Reviewing Video Games on YouTube".SlashFilm.RetrievedJanuary 1,2022.
  21. ^Walker, Ian (February 11, 2022)."Konami's Iconic Dating Sim Is Finally Being Translated Into English, Just Not The Version Everyone Wants".Kotaku.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  22. ^Van Allen, Eric (March 7, 2022)."Dating sim classic Tokimeki Memorial has a fan translation out now".Destructoid.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  23. ^"From The Banshees of Inisherin to Taylor Swift: a complete guide to this week's entertainment".The Guardian.October 22, 2022.RetrievedNovember 3,2022.
  24. ^abcdHillier, Brenna (July 31, 2013)."10×8 out now on Vita, PS Mobile devices".VG247.Archivedfrom the original on September 30, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  25. ^abcdefghLien, Tracey (February 19, 2014)."It's a sport, it's four to five flavors on a plate, it's Videoball".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  26. ^abcdeRogers, Tim(February 22, 2012)."Introducing ZiGGURAT".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on December 18, 2013.RetrievedMay 25,2014.
  27. ^Alexander, Leigh; Smith, Quintin (November 22, 2012)."Hey Baby, Do You Dyad? A Letter Series".Gamasutra.Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2013.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  28. ^Pinsof, Allistair (February 20, 2012)."Review: ZiGGURAT".Destructoid.Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2014.RetrievedMay 25,2014.
  29. ^abBrown, Mark (November 5, 2012)."ZiGGURAT developer's TNNS is Breakout by way of Super Hexagon".Pocket Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2015.RetrievedMay 25,2014.
  30. ^abcCowan, Danny (November 12, 2012)."iOS Release: TNNS (Action Button)".IndieGames.Archivedfrom the original on November 30, 2012.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  31. ^Hillier, Brenna (November 6, 2012)."TNNS is the new game from ZiGGURAT dev".VG247.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2013.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  32. ^abcdPolson, John (August 4, 2013)."Release: ZiGGURAT, TNNS dev's puzzle addiction for PS Vita - Ten By Eight".IndieGames.Archivedfrom the original on August 24, 2013.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  33. ^Gamasutra Staff (July 8, 2013)."Video: Game developers sound off from the Indie Soapbox".Gamasutra.Archivedfrom the original on May 10, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  34. ^"Indie Soapbox".Game Developers Conference.2013.Archivedfrom the original on August 12, 2014.RetrievedJune 14,2014.
  35. ^abcFenlon, Wes (February 25, 2014)."Hands-on with Videoball: a local multiplayer electronic sport for the living room".PC Gamer.p. 1.Archivedfrom the original on March 6, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  36. ^abFenlon, Wes (February 25, 2014)."Hands-on with Videoball: a local multiplayer electronic sport for the living room".PC Gamer.p. 2.Archivedfrom the original on July 31, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  37. ^Tach, Dave (April 8, 2014)."Here's what indie publisher Midnight City is bringing to PAX East 2014".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on May 16, 2014.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
  38. ^Rogers, Tim(June 25, 2014)."Tuffy the Corgi Out Now on PlayStation Mobile".PlayStation Blog.Sony Computer Entertainment America.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2014.RetrievedJuly 14,2014.
  39. ^Totilo, Stephen (September 22, 2006)."Where Does A Game Called 'Mother' Outsell 'Halo'? Check Out Tokyo's Coolest Street".MTV News.Archived fromthe originalon May 28, 2014.RetrievedMay 25,2014.
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