Black & White at 25: how Lionhead's hairbrained, stoner-powered game design became the harbinger of modern AI

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www.eurogamer.net/black-and-white-lionhead-pete…

Peter Molyneux, Google DeepMind’s Richard Evans, and more on the making and legacy of Black & White as it turns 25.

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This headline makes no sense to me.

In B&W you played a god essentially, and you’d have a sort of pet. Not your avatar, but something independent that you had to sort of slightly motivate to do things.

It probably had some “AI” in it and the author is now trying to assert his ideas led to AI, despite him probably copying as much for his code as any coder today.

I genuinely don’t know I can’t be arsed to open it but I’m guessing something something those lines. Someone will come along and tell me how wrong I was.


Not being able to parse it only makes sense when it contains words like “hairbrained”, “stoner-powered”, and “AI”

Isn’t it supposed to be “harebrained”?

[sic]

“Hairbrained” is better anyway

Idk man do you live where hares do? They all constantly look like they’re on meth






That’s a fucking stretch.

This has Peter Molyneux all over it. It’s exactly the hyperbole he’s known for.

I vaguely remember him announcing a new game, so this is just SEO’ing his name back into the AI hype cycle.

Very strong points.




Okay, now finally make it available and playable again. There is a reason that it is the most requested game on GOG.

I haven’t heard about it in soooo long that I’ve forgotten.. but is the issue with getting B&W on Steam/whereever is because the IP owner is more or less unknown? Kinda like No One Lives Forever 2?

Honestly, at that point just distribute it. If there is an owner he will speak up. (I wish ownership rights / copyrights would account for such cases better)




Comments from other communities

*harebrained

I like the idea that inside their skulls is just hair

Wrong homophone, they’re talking about a hulked out bunny.



I know that’s the original, but I prefer hairbrained. The mental image of someones brain growing hair is way better than just small brains.



Great game. Loved it


became the harbinger of modern AI

Referring to how its IP ownership somehow created the worst of all possible worlds?


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