Living on lava: that's hot

by Kevin Kelly { Mar 2nd 2007 at 4:47PM }

As much as we do really hate to quote Paris Hilton, that is pretty hot. Chris Jensen at GameAlmighty has an entertaining and interesting story up about how so many games feature a lava level, have villain's lairs built around lava, or just feel the need to put molten rock in there somewhere. To quote from the article, "...have you ever stopped to consider what it must have been like to build a castle or dungeon near or on a river of lava? It breaks every rule in the OSHA handbook, I'm sure."

He breaks down the difficulties on building things around lava, let alone living near it. It takes a very hardy soul, and we admit that we would probably start thinking about moving if we had a lava flow nearby. Of course if we did, we could also just call in Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche to save the day. If any knows how to corral lava and work with it, it's those two.

Tags: Anne Heche, AnneHeche, funny, hot, hot lava, humor, lava, lava level, molten rock, Paris Hilton, Tommy Lee JOnes, TommyLeeJones, Volcano, World of Warcraft, WoW

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rubang B @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:53PM

My landlord installed a lava moat around my apartment last summer. The property value skyrocketed, but my rent hasn't gone up yet, and hopefully it won't too much before I move for school.

Kevin @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:54PM

That movie was a great comedy. Zing!

steve17 @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:54PM

another slow news day in the making i see.

steve17 @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:56PM

volcano was a good one for sure.

Mr Khan @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:59PM

The proximity of this article with that of the "10 gaming Cliches" couldn't have been better

Nintendo is especially guilty of doing this with their games

Mr Khan @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:59PM

The proximity of this article with that of the "10 gaming Cliches" couldn't have been better

Nintendo is especially guilty of doing this with their games

Mr Khan @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:01PM

sorry about double post, but as i play the Evil Foundry level on Secret Rings, this becomes even more evident

JodyAnthony @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:11PM

even worse is the fact that every single platform game ever has to have an ice level. i HATE ice levels.

also with all the lava in games, how come there was never a Joe Vs. The Volcano video game?

Rubang B @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:15PM

I would pre-order a Joe Vs. the Volcano game right now if it was possible.

REUYL @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:15PM

I want a house like Fallingwater, except with lava pouring down the side of my house. Fallinglava FTW!

and I couldnt save my game @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:18PM

It's only a matter of time before we see a lava level in the next Rainbow 6, Virtua Tennis and Madden.

Jonathan Tran @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:22PM

Ironically, my friend just wrote a game/demo that is about escaping lava.

Maybe there is a primal urge for humans to overcome and inhabit lava, just as we have the other elements (air, wind, and heart)

Psaakyrn @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:38PM

Frankly, the main reason why a villian would build near lava, is because it's an almost consistent power source. Ever wondered why the volcano ALWAYS erupts AFTER you disable some key machinery in the base, or when you defeat the boss (and thus said boss would initiate a self destruct mechanism)?

Of cause, in Bowser's case, it's a little different. He's (presumely) a cold-blooded creature, cold blooded creatures like heat. Case closed.

Chris @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:43PM

I hate Ice levels too. And sewer levels. Why does every game need a lava level, an ice level, and a sewer level?

Seriously sewers, the most disgusing things on the planet, why would I ever want to play in one, in real life or virtually?

Psaakyrn @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:44PM

to #6 Mr Khan

How so? Bowser's castle: cold-blooded creature.
Misc Lava temples in Zelda: People have been worshipping volcanic mountains long before that.
Lava area in Zebes: you're exploring the innards of a planet, this shouldn't be a surprise.
Kirby: No direct relation to reality here, Lava's just a way of saying fire stage/area. (it could be spikes or some other kill device.) The final boss's area is never down below anyway, it's always up above in the skies..

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Mar 2nd 2007 6:00PM

One of these days, someone needs to make a game where you have to jump into the lava...

Because it's COLD lava.

That'll screw with peoples' minds.

Psaakyrn: I hope those were all sarcasm.

Psaakyrn @ Mar 2nd 2007 6:13PM

to #16 OhJustSomeRandomGuy

I'm giving Nintendo the benefit of the doubt and assuming that other people copied Nintendo, not the other way round.

Also, Jumping into Lava isn't exactly new.. You did have to do that in Metroid. (yes, lava suit, but same jumping in point..)