I've been listening to two different podcasts on games from 1UP.com - the 1UP Yours Show and CGW. It is interesting to hear how differently these two groups of gamers see games.

The 1UP show is much more energetic and profane. They just seem like a younger, rowdier crowd and they are much more focused on console systems. CGW is much more laid back, dare I say sedate, and they are PC game fans.

I enjoy listening to the 1UP Show, it is very entertaining, but my heart is in PC games. This past week I have been listening to their reactions to Valve's new release, Episode 1 for Half Life 2:Source. The 1Up guys trashed it and the CGW guys loved it.

My reaction to Episode 1 is somewhere in between the two but I think the 1Up guys are missing the real story.

Episodic content and download distribution are really groundbreaking stuff. They change the development cycle and the publishing model. Maybe this isnt as obvious or immediately relevant for console systems but those are huge feats.

Another problem I have with the 1UP kiddies is their whining about how Episode 1 compares with other shooters. My sense is that Valve isnt really thinking about "games" - They are aiming much higher than the mindless GTA games. It seems to me that Valve is trying to deliver an interactive movie experience, something much more complex than the computer game experience of the past.

Valve's platform is all about bringing an animated experience into your living room with episodes that you actually play. Episode 1 is heavy on dialog and character development. The computer characters look real and they TALK to you, and not like some old Kung Fu movie. Their lips move with their words and they say relevant, entertaining things. This is slower than a GTA but the technology is amazing and the potential is huge.

Yes, I think Valve is out ahead of the crowd and it will take a few years for people to 'get it'.