…gosh, I can’t wait to be talking about OTHER THINGS again like a real human being and stuff. If it helps, I’ve just cleaned the fridge out a bit because it’s decided to get all drippy? Does that help?

Anyway, DRM. Where am I up to. NEARLY DONE-TO is where I’m up to and I’m super happy with that.

Putting it out in certain places for feedback has been an experience. I’m happy to say that most responses have been positive, other responses have thrown things down that have made it a better game in the end and I’m super happy for that. Some other responses gave me some stuff to try to see if it worked because you never know. Some of it never made it into the game but I’m still super happy with the feedback because it was worth a try. It’s been a fun week really and mega thanks to everyone who’s had their grubby mits on it. DRM is a better game because all of you.

It’s also an infinitely better game thanks to two other folks but more on that in another blogpost in a day or so.

I will admit though, I’ve had a bit of a giggle at some of the feedback that has, rightfully under normal circumstances, tried to guide DRM to be a deeper shooting experience. I’ve had some fantastic suggestions thrown at me that were I writing SYNSO3 right this very second, I would be stealing LIKE THAT. No blinks. Nothing. Totally having off with it and running away with the suggestions.

Honestly, this is one of the joys of being a person who writes their own games and gets feedback from other people who write their own games and who write brilliant games too. You get amazingly smart feedback and suggestions from incredibly smart people who I respect with all my heart. I love that and all my games have been better for them, y’know?

Anyway, midway through reading a lot of this feedback, I realised I’d failed to truly communicate exactly what DRM is. And that’s fine, right? I like big handwavey things and to be fair, this isn’t really going to be any less handwavey a description either.

This is what DRM is. DRM is a popsong.

This is what DRM is. DRM is razor sharp in its dumb.

This is what DRM is. DRM is your child flashing a light in your face, screaming at you whilst you listen to this.

This is what DRM is. DRM is Snake Plissken.

DRM is an attempt at stripping out every last vestige of videogame bullshit and boiling it down to the SHOOT THINGS, FLASH LIGHTS, MAKE NOISES. It’s an attempt at finding the 2 1/2 minute single in a videogame (it lasts more than 2 1/2 minutes, promise). It’s the kill-all-the-fucking-hippies of games.

DRM is not deep. It’s not profound. It’s SHOOT IT, SHOOT IT, SHOOT IT, STRIKE A POSE, PULL SHAPES, DANCE:The Videogame. It starts, stuff happens, it ends. You get a score. It’s bits of all these things and some other things that only exist in my head.

DRM is videogames. Yes, that’s what it is.

There we go. That explained that! Phew. Everything is much clearer now. DRM is videogames. Yes.

Ah, I see what happened now…