Saturday night I didn’t bother to sleep – I was engrossed in Dan Simmons’ Hyperion books. This made me wonder about the way the mainstream perceives games. If I stayed up all night playing World of Warcraft, then people would have a slightly different perception of the event, no? What’s the difference? I think one factor might [...]
Roger Ebert has once again re-iterated his stance on games – they can never be art, he says. I have to congratulate him for his bravery, given that half of the internet is about to show up at his doorstep. Personally, I’m past the point of defending the fort from rampaging barbarians like Ebert. Games don’t need [...]
Last Tuesday, I went to an art class at my local arts centre. I’m learning how to draw. This should be very useful in game production and is a ton of fun too boot. This was my first art class. I had read a couple of art books before and half-heartedly did some exercises, but [...]
I was speaking with pixelante recently and we both agreed that the ability to cheat is essential to being a good game designer. No, I don’t mean that you should look over the shoulder of Petri Purho to copy his next game. This type of cheating is a bit different. Cheating by Design Cheating for [...]
What do the following games have in common? Braid Crayon Physics Deluxe Blueberry Garden Gish Portal Specter Spelunker Shrinks If you answered that all of these games have been highly praised for their design, you get a (tiny) cookie. Four of them are IGF winners and Portal needs no introduction. The odd one out – [...]
Yesterday I posted a comment on Twitter directed at Paul Eres. “You know Paul, it just kills me to see you pouring all the work into levels. Why do you focus on linear content production?” I think that I may have struck a nerve, because his response was, “well, to me, the heart of game [...]
When I was creating the Zombie game, I happened upon a useful mindset. I would get an idea for a new feature – for example, a minefield. I would think about how it would work and get all excited. Then I’d imagine what it would take to implement the idea and get a bit discouraged. [...]
Ha. I got to use “paradigm” in the title; take that! Since today is the release date of the Dragon Age expansion, I wanted to share with you a feeling that I’ve encountered often in the past. Sometimes, a game will have a glimmer of something amazing – something that I think will change games [...]
I just finished reading a book called “Punished by Rewards” by Alfie Kohn. It was mentioned by Jonathan Blow in one of his talks, so I thought that it would be a good idea to check it out. The book deals with motivation – particularly the practice of motivating people with rewards. If you take [...]
I’d like to relate to you an experience that I’ve had recently. It was the day after I released the Zombie game. I was deliriously happy with success and telling everyone in sight about it. I bumped into a co-worker in the break room that day. She has a management position within the department, a couple of [...]
Attack of the Paper Zombies
