Image gathered from the Tough Coded IV Live press kit

It would be untrue to state that seeing new things in video is a rarity. There are always new things being done. New art styles, new stories, new ways to interact with your enemies, and new battle systems with which to engage them. There’s always plenty of “new” to be found in gaming. What *is* difficult to find are games that provide an experience that’s tuly unlike any other.

(Video link from Tough Coded Live press kit)

In case the video wasn’t clear, Tough Coded Live is a live show in which any two players play the game while Little Nando does everything in his power to make their experience tough and outrageous as possible. You see, in this scenario Little Nando’s role is that of, what he calls, a “video game jockey”. Never heard of a “video game jockey”? Don’t worry, not many have. Just as a DJ’s job is to direct and enhance the music playing with their own input and flair, a video game jockey’s job is to provide their own personal touch to the game being played. To quote the project’s website: “Little Nando generates power-ups, enemies, changes game palette, speed of the game, scenarios.. all to the beat of
live music, generally each match lasting the length of a song, which can be played by himself or any invited DJ.”  So, basically this all happens on the fly as the game is being played!

You see it’s actually a three-player, 2 v. 1, game: 2 players pitted against a game master. The game master wins if he’s able to prevent the players from finishing a round, while the players win if they can manage to overcome the great many curve balls the game master has available to throw at them. It sounds like a simple system at it’s core, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before. It’s really a new experience!

Image gathered from the Tough Coded IV Live press kit

I absolutely love this idea of a game used to create a live, interactive show. Mostly because it looks like an absolute blast, but also partly because I would have never considered that such a show, or game for that matter, could exist! Before, a going video-game based show meant you were either going to be listening or watching, not interacting. This is different though, it’s not something meant to simply be watched, and just like video games themselves, requires its audience to participate if it is to work at all. It’s a presentation to be viewed from a distance, but instead a game in its own right!

The coolness of the live show aside (seriously, I wish I could attend the next one. It looks like a blast!), what I find really exciting about Tough Coded is that it’s an actual game currently being developed by Little Nando. I suspect that if the home version works in a way similar to the version being used for the live show, then those that pick it up will be in for some good times. It’s a degree of control that I don’t think a game has ever given its players before. We’ve certainly been given tools to make our own games within games before, but have we ever had the ability to completely change a game on the fly even as it’s being played? No, and it’s something that I can’t help but want to try!

No release date has been set for the release of the home version of Tough Coded, but hopefully one day we won’t have to be lucky enough to attend one of Little Nando’s live shows in order to play it. Until then, be sure to take a look at the Tough Coded website and get the full scoop on this highly unusual game!

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Find Tough Coded details at: www.toughcoded.littlenando.com

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I’ve been meaning to tell you all about this for awhile now; the word is finally out! Huzzah! Anyway:

What’s your take on this? Would you attend a live video game show? Do you think Video Game Jockeying could become a thing one day?