Tim Rogers (writer)
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William Timothy Rogers Jr. (born June 7, 1979) is an American
video game journalist Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...
, developer, and
video essay A video essay is an essay presented in the format of a video recording or short film rather than a conventional piece of writing; the form often overlaps with other forms of video entertainment on online platforms such as YouTube. A video essay al ...
ist. His work is associated with mid-2000s
New Games Journalism Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...
, a style of video game journalism that emphasizes the author's subjective and personal experiences in relation to the game world. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' cited his 2005 opinion piece "Dreaming in an Empty Room: A Defense of '' Metal Gear Solid 2''" as a core example of the genre. Rogers is additionally known for his
verbose Verbosity, or verboseness, is speech or writing that uses more words than necessary. The opposite of verbosity is succinctness. Some teachers, including the author of ''The Elements of Style'', warn against verbosity. Similarly Mark Twain and ...
writing style and his video game reviews website ''ActionButton.net''. He has also written for '' Next Generation'', ''
GamesTM ''GamesTM'' (styled as ''gamesTM'') was a British multi-format video games magazine. The first issue was released in December 2002 and the magazine was still being published monthly in English and German up until the last edition was published on ...
'', ''
Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
'', ''Game Developer'', and ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
''. He later edited videos for ''Kotaku'' before resigning from the site and becoming an independent
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
. Rogers co-founded Action Button Entertainment, where he designed games including ''
Ziggurat A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude'), ( Persian: Chogha Zanbilچغازنجبیل) is a type of massive ...
'' and '' Videoball''. The four-person studio specializes in simple aesthetics and controls, following from Rogers's own video game aesthetic and minimalist
esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
interests. He compared the studio's design philosophy to the spartan menu selections of '' Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares''.


Video games journalism

Rogers is a video games journalist known for his verbosity. Danny Cowan of ''IndieGames.com'' described him as "infamous" in
New Games Journalism Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...
, a style of subjective video game journalism in which authors emphasize their personal experiences in relation to the game world. ''The Guardian'' cited Rogers as one of the "unmissable examples of New Games Journalism" in 2005 for his ''Insert Credit'' piece on '' Metal Gear Solid 2'', "Dreaming in an empty room: a defense of ''Metal Gear Solid 2''". Gaming journalist
Kieron Gillen Kieron Michael Gillen (; born 30 September 1975) is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for his creator-owned series such as '' Once & Future'' (2019–2022), '' Die'' (2018–202 ...
called the article "highly discussed and fairly brilliant". Jim Rossignol of ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' ...
'' recommended "Who Killed Videogames?", a new Rogers essay, as another standout work.
Simon Carless Simon Carless is a video game industry businessperson and former game designer and editor. Simon is the founder of GameDiscoverCo, a video game discoverability consultancy firm, and previously worked overseeing the worldwide Game Developers Confe ...
, remarking on an 80,000-word Rogers essay, described the author as "the
Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist and critic. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines and was also a performing musician. The music critic Jim DeRogatis called ...
of video games" for his "disruptive and iconoclastic" approach to games writing. As an originator of New Games Journalism, Carless wrote of Rogers, online communities were both fascinated with and dismissive of his work. Rogers started ''ActionButton.net'', a video games reviews website, in early 2007 as an outgrowth from ''Insert Credit'' and its forums, SelectButton. At the time of its launch, Simon Carless praised its "great writing" and signature "self-conscious metacommentary" style. ''GamesRadar'' called 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" in '' Super Mario Bros. 3'' and how it was used in Rogers' own ''
Ziggurat A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude'), ( Persian: Chogha Zanbilچغازنجبیل) is a type of massive ...
'' and '' Videoball''. ''Edge'' described Rogers as a "polarizing author of so much 'publish-now-edit-never' brain spew". In 2013, Rogers was selected to publish in the first round of digital books on games criticism published by Press Select. Rogers has also written for ''Insert Credit'', '' Next Generation'', ''
GamesTM ''GamesTM'' (styled as ''gamesTM'') was a British multi-format video games magazine. The first issue was released in December 2002 and the magazine was still being published monthly in English and German up until the last edition was published on ...
'', ''
Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
'', ''N-Revolution'', ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
'', ''Atomix'', and ''Game Developer'' magazine. He later edited videos for ''Kotaku''. As of June 2016, ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' ...
'' reported ''ActionButton.net'' to be "dormant". Rogers translated the 1997 PlayStation game '' Moon: Remix RPG Adventure'' into English for its 2020 re-release on the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
. In February 2020, Rogers announced via Twitter that he was resigning from his position at ''Kotaku''. He currently creates long-form video reviews under his Action Button channel as an independent
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
, such as a six-hour video review of ''
Tokimeki Memorial is a dating simulation series by Konami. It consists of eight main games in addition to many spin-offs. The games are notable in the dating sim genre for being highly nonlinear. Their nickname amongst their fans is the contraction ''TokiMemo'' ...
'', which has been credited by games journalists with generating greater interest for the title in the West. In October 2022, ''The Guardian'' described Rogers' 2022 video review of ''
Boku no Natsuyasumi is a 2000 adventure video game developed by Millennium Kitchen and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was directed, written, and designed by Kaz Ayabe. The game follows the summer vacation of Boku, a city-dwellin ...
'' as "a meditation on art’s capacity to give meaning to life," praising the narration and animation commissioned for the video.


Action Button Entertainment

Rogers is a co-founder of Action Button Entertainment, 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 from ''Ziggurat'' through ''Videoball''. Their games are consistently simple in their aesthetics and controls, following from Rogers's own video game aesthetic interests. His interest in minimalist
esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
and simple games parlays into his design philosophy, which he compared to '' Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares'', a show in which Ramsay advises failing restaurants to improve by trimming their menus to a spartan few great dishes. Rogers also felt simple games were "less work". 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 (including ''
Panzer Dragoon ''Panzer Dragoon'' is a video game series developed and published by Sega. The first three games — '' Panzer Dragoon'' (1995), '' Panzer Dragoon II Zwei'' (1996), and '' Panzer Dragoon Saga'' (1998) — were produced by Team Andromeda for ...
'', ''
Cave Story ''Cave Story'' is a 2004 Metroidvania game for Microsoft Windows. It was developed over five years by Japanese independent developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya in his free time. ''Cave Story'' features 2D platform mechanics and is reminiscent of the ...
'', ''
Canabalt ''Canabalt'' is a one-button endless runner designed by Adam Saltsman for the Experimental Gameplay Project in 2009. The 2D side-scrolling video game was originally written as a Adobe Flash, Flash game, then ported to iOS, Android (operating sys ...
'', and his favorite, '' Out of This World'') was minimalist aesthetics with no overt story to tell other than through game mechanics, Rogers wanted ''Ziggurat'' and 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" on ''Ziggurat'' made and distorted from his guitar and based on sounds made by eccentric Japanese musicians whose records he owned. He also called ''Ziggurat'' a descendant of his hobbies: the video game '' Ibara: Black Label'' and the Rubik's Cube. Rogers also became known for producing promotional "
infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...
-style trailers".


''Ziggurat''

''Ziggurat'' is a retro-style
arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...
shooter video game Shooter video games, or shooters, are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is on the defeat of the character's enemies using ranged weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range weapons, an ...
where the player fights off incoming aliens 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-bit
chiptune Chiptune, also called 8-bit music (although not all chiptune is 8-bit music), is a style of electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video gam ...
soundtrack. Rogers co-founded Action Button Entertainment while working on ''Ziggurat'', which began with an idea Rogers had while playing ''
Angry Birds ''Angry Birds'' is a Finnish media franchise created by Rovio Entertainment, and owned by Sega. The game series focuses on the titular flock of colorful angry birds who try to save their eggs from green-colored pigs. Inspired by the game ''Cr ...
'' about 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 of ''
Phantasy Star II is a science fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was released in Japan in 1989 and North America and Europe in 1990. It was later ported to a variety of different platforms. An updated remake ...
''", and Action Button artist Brent Porter replied in under an hour with an entry Rogers called "incredible". 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 documentthis game would become ''Ziggurat''. Rogers contacted an Internet acquaintance who had previously mocked up a design idea from Rogers's ''Kotaku'' column, 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 the ''Ziggurat'', which was released in February 2012 for iOS platforms. ''Edge'' related the "unexpectedly poignant" red screen and sound effect that flashes upon the player's death to Rogers's personal interest in
noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
. They called it a "beguiling personal signature".


''TNNS''

''TNNS'', pronounced "tennis", is a brick-breaking
action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...
where players use a paddle along the screen's left side to bounce a ball towards breakable objects on the right side of the screen, and to avoid getting the ball in their goal. It was released with little advanced notice in November 2012 for
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
as a universal app playable on
iPhones The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at M ...
,
iPads The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. Since then, the iPad product lin ...
, and iPods. Danny Cowan of IndieGames.com compared it with Sidhe Interactive's ''Shatter'' and ''VG247'' called it a rendition of '' Breakout''. ''Pocket Gamer'' likened it to both and further compared it with ''Alleyway'', ''Arkanoid'', and ''Super Hexagon'' with a "telekinetic power" to alter the ball's direction apart from the panel (as in ''Shatter'').


''10Ă—8''

''Ten by Eight'', stylized as ''10Ă—8'', is a
puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...
where players match tiles. Players align similarly colored blocks and trace the path they create when aligned. Star blocks act as
power-ups In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chose ...
that extend combos. Rogers produced an "
infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...
-style trailer" for the game, which ''
VG247 Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'' called one of his signature moves and that IndieGames.com called "glorious". It was released on July 31, 2013, in North America for PlayStation Mobilethe
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
and compatible devices. Around the same time, Rogers presented at the GDC 2013 Indie Soapbox, where he told the story of how he "went indie".


''Videoball''

In ''Videoball'', players use solely one
analog stick An analog stick (analogue stick in British English), also known as a control stick, thumbstick or joystick, is an input method designed for video games that translates thumb movement into directional control. It consists of a protruding stick mo ...
and one button to control triangles that shoot projectiles to knock a circular ball into the opposing team's endzone. 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. Rogers, the game's designer, describes the game as "an abstract minimalist electronic sport". Its development began as a dare from '' QWOP'' developer
Bennett Foddy Bennett Foddy is an Australian video game designer based in New York. Raised in Australia and trained as a moral philosopher on topics of drug addiction, Foddy was a bassist in the electronic music group Cut Copy and a hobbyist game designer wh ...
, Rogers's friend, to make a "one-button ''
StarCraft ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance amon ...
''". Rogers compared the game's design process to '' Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares'', where Ramsay convinces failing restaurants to provide fewer menu options and to make those dishes well. Rogers acknowledged the role of noted basketball-like strategy in its playtests, and the difficulty in crafting a minimalist game with a high importance on nuanced detail. He livestreamed prerelease sessions of ''Videoball'' via
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
and broadcast gameplay from Twitch's booth at
PAX East PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, and Melbourne. Previously, it was also held in San Anton ...
2014 with indie publisher Midnight City. The game released in 2016.


Personal life

William Timothy Rogers Jr. was born on June 7, 1979. He graduated from
Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...
in 2001 with a degree in East Asian languages and cultures. He is a guitarist in his rock band, Large Prime Numbers.


References


External links

*
"Videos By Tim Rogers" playlist on Kotaku YouTube

Rogers' "Action Button" YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Tim 1979 births Living people Action Button Entertainment American male journalists American video game designers Indie game developers Indiana University Bloomington alumni Video essayists YouTube critics and reviewers Video game critics