Ages ago, my industry friends and I had a running joke about young designers who viewed themselves as the “idea guy.” The framing stems from an uninformed view of how games are made – the concept that there’s a lonely genius on a team somewhere, possibly with a fancy title like Creative Director, who comes …
Idea Guy: The Myths and Realities of Game Inception Read More »
In between consulting work, I’m plugging away on a solo project. While I’m not ready to talk about the details of the game itself, the process to date has been educational. Regardless of when I finally deliver it, I’m happy with the approach I’ve taken. The last time I worked on a solo project, just …
First Steps: Lessons from Indie Game Prototyping Read More »
Ages ago, when I was a kid growing up in New Hampshire and Maryland, summer stretched out to Labor Day. It wasn’t until September that I’d wearily trudge back to the bus stop with a backpack full of fresh notebooks and pencils. Not so for my son in Texas, who starts his school year in …
Dog Days: Hobbies from a Game Developer’s Summer Read More »
It’s no secret that the last couple of years in the game industry have been rough. Tragic layoffs continue, though the pace has slowed compared to last year’s bloodbath. Though the indie scene is still vibrant, triple-A studios are struggling creatively. As I wrote about last week, developers have responded to the tough times with …
Unlike my typical lengthy discourses on the joys of niche games, this week’s blog is a brief one. I couldn’t let a week go by without commenting on a couple of recent industry headlines. The first stunner was word that Microsoft recognized a union formed by the staff at several Bethesda studios. The second, following …
Slice of the Pie: The Game Industry Gets Organized Read More »
Back in January, I wrote about traditional wargames and their somewhat problematic nature. Still, it’s a genre I enjoy when I’m in the right mood. Digging deep into a historical battle and then re-reading a military history book to see how my experience differed from reality scratches a unique gaming itch. One of the most …
Island Hopping: Three Wargames Take On the Same Conflict Read More »
Some months back, I wrote a love letter to SCS’s Euro Truck Simulator 2 – still one of my favorite relaxing gaming experiences. ETS2, which has been in active development for years, is a robust title with a ton of depth in its simulation. The various name-brand trucks feel genuinely different. They take damage in …
Rich Soils: The Relaxing Joy of Farming Simulator Read More »
Over my long career, I’ve developed a short list of game development principles. The list is pretty short because one of the principles is that there isn’t a single right way to make games. The story of every great game’s development is unique. Different teams have found success with radically different approaches. Everything from team …
Nuts and Bolts: Great Tools for Indie Game Developers Read More »
I regularly take a break at the end of June, escaping the Texas heat for the glories of summer in rural New Hampshire where much of my family still lives. This trip was bittersweet this year. At the last minute, I had to make the journey alone while my wife and son stayed behind, and …
Musings on Malazan: The Best Fantasy Series You Haven’t Read Read More »
June marks a year since the unfortunate closure of BonusXP. For me personally, it marks a year of full-time consulting – a second go-around at dividing my time between my own solo game and work for a variety of paid clients, after my first stint back in 2019-2020. It’s no secret that the game industry …