Bring blue skies back to games!

By Ellie Gibson Published 15 November, 2005

By supporting UKR's campaign.

Eurogamer's favourite gaming site that isn't Eurogamer, UK Resistance, has launched a new campaign to bring blue skies back to games.

As explained on the campaign page, UKR believes that "Games need BLUE SKIES! Games need BRIGHT YELLOW SUNS! Games need RED AND BLUE THINGS in them!

"We want to play in a HAPPY PRETEND LAND, not a sh-- version of an American slum full of mixed-race gangsters wearing licensed sportswear!"

The Blue Sky In Games campaign has the full backing of Eurogamer, especially the bits about roast chicken, red shoes and plinky-plink music. We're bored of games about guns and drugs and prostitutes. Yes all right The Warriors was quite good but let that be an end to it. Bring back blue skies! Also can we have a DS version of New Zealand Story. Thanks.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (48) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Darkedge #1 7 years ago

    New Zealand Story rocked..

  • kangarootoo #2 7 years ago

    Not sure that the "mixed-race gangsters" comment has any relevance (which I guess is what you are referring to Balor), but aside from that its all good.

  • [maven] #3 7 years ago

    Trackmania Sunrise!

  • regmund #4 7 years ago

    /agrees
    the best levels in Sonic, for example are those with blue skies and green grass..

  • kangarootoo #5 7 years ago

    "the best levels in Sonic, for example are those with blue skies and green grass.."

    I know they were implying more than just literally blue skys and green grass, but I'm all for that particular aspect. Corridors suck, open areas with visible sky rock. I have "savanna complex", a well documented design preference relevant not just within the field of games.

  • Carlo #6 7 years ago

    "No more gangs in games!"

    I don't think I've ever bought one of them anyway (Yes, even GTA!). I've also avoided all those 'war' FPS games (Unless they're in the future) like Call of Duty, and all that bollocks :)

    I like my games, like I like my films: I want ENTERTAINMENT and escapeism.

    A good game (for me) is entertaining, addictive and escapist. Realism, as you can see from that description, is not in the list.

    /looks forward to mariokart...Where it never rains (I think).

  • PinkSpider #7 7 years ago

    I agree 495q32523q52%!

  • Ecanem #8 7 years ago

    Hear here.. or hear hear.. or is it here here?

  • mal #9 7 years ago

    It's "Hear hear"

  • StarchildHypocrethes #10 7 years ago

    Hooray for pretty colours!

    Pretty, shiny things and jolly tunes make me a happy boy, and a happy boy makes a happy gamer, and a happy gamer buys more games, and when more games are bought it makes more money for the game companies, and their oodles of money can then be used to create prettier and shinier colours and make me even happier than I was before, and so on....

    It one big, colourful, visciously happy circle.

    /skips out of comments, humming a plinkity plonkety tune

  • Fatfish #11 7 years ago

    @Carlo - +1. I totally agree - especially with the war games. As if it wasn't bad enough the first time round, we now get to re-live it in gorey detail while sat in our front rooms. And we have Rememberance Day for what reason exactly?? Escapism and entertainment - suspension of belief and altered realities - that's why I play games.

    @ Balor - Did you know that the original Aryan race were in fact Asian/Indian in origin? Still with the blonde hair and blue eyes though. It was only Hitlers twisted mind that warped the concept to fit his Nazi ideals. Another useless fact - the Swastika has been used in many religions for thousands of years, but usually the opposite way round to the way the Nazi's had it. It was often used to signify or worship the Sun or sun gods. I believe it's documented as far back as the early indiginous South American Aztec tribes and has also been seen in Egyptian hyroglyphic carvings. And here ends History 101 for today.......

  • SirScratchalot #12 7 years ago

    *Raises hand in support of "Blue Skies in Games Bill 102"*

  • ProfessorLesser #13 7 years ago

    Guns are alright, as long as they are nice green plasma beams, orange power beams, purple wave beams, blue ice beams...

  • Sko #14 7 years ago

    Not sure I agree with the new Prince of Persia as a good example, given PoP has switched it's allegiances to angsty-teenrock?

    *would not be surprised to find a chariot modding blacksmiths in the new game*

  • Mirkan #15 7 years ago

    The Two Thrones are bringing SoT storytelling back.

  • Eraysor #16 7 years ago

    This is so damn true.

  • kangarootoo #17 7 years ago

    Ah I see.

    ManicMinerUK casts Good Explanation of Well Made +2. Kangarootoo feels refreshed.

  • stephen #18 7 years ago

    Every single map that shipped with day of defeaut source has a bright shiny sun and clear blue sky \o/

  • Ghetto-lapin #19 7 years ago

    Meh.
    I'd take San Andreas over Mario Sunshine any minute.
    "Blue skies videogames" means more childish stories, because you know, we don't care, "gameplay is everything" and all that nonsense.
    Games have evolved, so as much as I hate the copy/paste gangwar game publishers tend to release these days, I want evolved universe AND gameplay.
    Escapeism works very well in San Andreas, Morrowind, Farenheit, or Metroid Prime, because, you know, they have an interesting universe.
    Interesting universe and banana-collecting, hmmmm, I'm doubtful
    Edited by Ghetto-lapin at 15/11/05 @ 18:29

  • twinbee #20 7 years ago

    Animal Crossing: Wild World should make 'em happy with one screen filled with a big blue, happy sky :).

  • nachohat #21 7 years ago

    Go UK resistance! San Andreas was good, but when 50 cent got his own game, that was step over the line. The banner will fly above the heavens! And if not, through the tyne tunnel! and if not that, then from my bedroom window!
    Edited by nachohat at 15/11/05 @ 18:44

  • Fozzie_bear #22 7 years ago

    / Votes for proposed Bring Blue Skies Back bill

    Also can we have a DS version of New Zealand Story. Thanks.

    /launches Ellie Gibson for PM campaign (or head of Taito, at least).

  • Xerx3s #23 7 years ago

    I agree totally. Less GTA crap & more 2d platform games plz. We demand quality now! GAMERS RIGHTS!

    /Votes for proposed Bring Blue Skies Back bill

    /forms gamers liberation army for blue skies. ^_^

  • stx #24 7 years ago

    Regarding Prince of Persia, the accompanying quote reads "We want to fight WEIRD MONSTERS not drug-dealing criminals!".

  • gamingdave #25 7 years ago

    blue blue skies :)
    Edited by gamingdave at 15/11/05 @ 20:33

  • PinkSpider #26 7 years ago

    I don't think Ghetto-lapin understands this campaign much

    I bet he is a little insecure.

  • Aysir #27 7 years ago

    For escapism and non-blue skies...Shadow of the Collosus.
    I don't think brighter colours necessarily need to be introduced, darkness like in Ico and SOTC has its place. I do agree though that the whole gangsta' thing is getting reeeal old.

  • Milk #28 7 years ago

    UK:R for teh win!

    /waves at UK:R people reading these comments.

  • Markusdragon #29 7 years ago

    This reminds me of the Ku Klux Klan's environmental program.

    "Keep the artic white"

    (Yeah, okay, so I stole that from Bill Bailey...)

  • Sko #30 7 years ago

    For as much as I love UKR and as much as I realise they're not exactly keeping a straight face while waving this particular banner, they're pushing a bad plan. I'm all for choice. Who cares if it's based in the streets of New York or GiggleWiggleland (although, that sounds like an entirely different adult game setting, probably also in New York...). A good game is a good game.

  • rodpad #31 7 years ago

    New Zealand Story - best platformer ever. Full of secrets, easy yet hard, cute yet very evil in an odd way.

    *raises glass to NZS

  • Dr_Actually #32 7 years ago

    "I like my games, like I like my films: I want ENTERTAINMENT and escapeism.

    A good game (for me) is entertaining, addictive and escapist. Realism, as you can see from that description, is not in the list. "

    And other assorted cliches...

    I also suspect much of the author's attitude is down to his well documented sublimated fear of black culture.

    That being said of course there are too mnay urban me-too games...50 Cent being the nadir.
    Edited by Dr_Actually at 16/11/05 @ 09:19

  • Fatfish #33 7 years ago

    Ghetto-lapin?!?! Doesn't that translate to 'deprived city area rabbit'?? Doesn't sound quite so 'gangsta' now does it!! ;)

  • kangarootoo #34 7 years ago

    @All_Action_Hero

    "predictable whining comment day or what?"

    fixed.

  • Ghetto-lapin #35 7 years ago

    Explaining my alias would be, errr, too long... Nothing to do with gangs or actual ghettos, though. It's about ghettoblasters....
    Anyway, I'm not insecure, it's just I don't want to go back to 16-bit gaming anymore than I want to play 25 to life or 50-cent. Eurogamer are quite good at distinguishing between good modern/realistic/gritty (GTA) vs mediocre (too many to count).
    Would it be too much to also say I'm ok with psychedelic games like Katamari, but can't stand the childishness of the stories, universes and characters in Mario Sunshine Wind Waker or Sonic Adventure 12 ?

  • Genji #36 7 years ago

    Yes. Yes, I think that would be too much. It implies that you cannot look past the cosmetic aspects of a game and appreciate what really matters.

  • Ghetto-lapin #37 7 years ago

    My point exactly.

    "Gameplay is everything" theory. So we have to put up with evil bosses lines like "mwahahahaha", plots like "Ganondorf has stolen the triforce and plans to use it to control the world", etc., etc., etc.

    Let me be even more precise : I LOVE most of Zelda gameplay. I just think that people playing it are aged 10 to 35 at least, and even the youngest of them read Harry Potter, not fairy tales... So why are all the stories so rubbish and one-dimensional?

    To get back to the point of the story, going back to megaman-sonic-mario era, we'd lose all the innovations in storytelling, gameplay, voice acting, world-creating that those "darker" games have brought to us with this generation of consoles...

  • MoFo #38 7 years ago

    I was never really in to the happy-hippy drug-endused games of the 80s/90s but I can see they had their place. I for one love real-life type games where I can do stuff that I would never actually get away with in the real world. I mean who can honestly say they wouldn't mind being Bill Murray in Groundhog day - well ok maybe just for a short while and you could choose when to get out, but man could I have some fun!

  • Genji #39 7 years ago

    I don't play all games for the story. A lot of the time, I don't even care about the story. The simple story of a Zelda game doesn't bother me in the slightest, because that's not what I'm interested in. Nintendo knows this. I never want them to give Mario a gun.

    Simple can be good, sometimes.

  • Ghetto-lapin #40 7 years ago

    Kids don't get the irony in GTA plots, dialogues, directing, etc., which can be enjoyed on lots of degrees. That's a shame but that's not the point.
    Zelda is an adventure game, I want a good story and universe, not what I got in Wind Waker (Ocarina was a bit better regarding this).
    Think what we would have if Miyazaki was art director of a Zelda game, and you'll see what I would want (NOT NOT NOT Link with a gun).

  • Ghetto-lapin #41 7 years ago

    ManicMiner : Them who ? Totally confused by your last post....

  • Genji #42 7 years ago

    If Miyazaki was an art director for Zelda, we would be looking at a magical world filled with strong, quirky design... oh, wait, we already have that. His movies hardly have the most complex storylines (maaaaybe Princess Mononoke, but it has a simple greenie message at its heart)

    Anyway. I like irony and complexity every now and again, but I also find simplicity refreshing in many games. There is a place for new, darker storylines, but they shouldn't be shoehorned into games that don't require them. Simplicity is not something I want gone from games.

  • AFX #43 7 years ago

    I read this as a dig into the latest Need For Speed games which I totally agree with. Only the other day I was fondly recalling the beautiful courses the older games in the series. Bring back blue skies!

    It all went downhill from when The Fast and The Furious was released ;)

  • Ghetto-lapin #44 7 years ago

    Ok if you just can't see the difference in originality, perversity, depth, between Miyazaki's monsters and Zelda's, then indeed Ganondorf (AKA generic evil boss number 721) is enough for you.

  • Genji #45 7 years ago

    I thought we were talking about storylines, not main villain/monster design! I love Miyazaki as much as any sane man, but most of his movies are simplicity itself, in terms of storyline!

    The worlds and characters he creates are some of the most imaginative and beautiful things I've ever seen, and yet his stories are simple fables. That's why I love them! Take a look at My Neighbour Totoro as proof that you don't need a complex plot, or multi-faceted characters, to create a compelling animated movie (or game, for that matter). You need imagination, and I think the worlds of Mario and Zelda have that in spades.

  • Stoatboy #46 7 years ago

    Personally I'm just fed up of seeing the vast number of games that strive to be so soul-achingly rooted in the real world. We have vast amounts of graphical horsepower to throw at creating fabulous exotic worlds that can only exist in our wildest imagination, and yet the vast majority of games that come out look like they're set in Slough.

    IMO, we should be creating fantastic worlds with towering spires of irridescent crystal and obsidian plains beside lakes of shimmering moondust, rather than downtown Catford.

    Blue skies would be nice, but a bit of imagination and a decent art style would be better. Maybe I'll start the "Pink skies with 4 moons in" campaign.

  • smelly #47 7 years ago

    Whereas i agree with the sentiment.. Sonic is, was, and always will be, crap.. regardless of 2d or 3d.

    Compared to the Mario platformers at least...

    (cue some fanboy telling me that mario is a sell out who's appeared in lots of crappola non platform games).

  • doctor_nick #48 7 years ago

    Fascinating thread, as always...

    www.thatcloudgame.com is getting some more attention - it's quite relaxing. Have a go.