Game Writer Central Interview: Pinballz Arcade

Surviving in the Stand-Up Arcade Business by Game Writer Central‘s Michelle B. I’m over forty and female which I think is a bit unusual in the gaming industry itself. [I think you’d be surprised :) – Game Writer Guy] I do think female gamers are one of the fastest growing demographics for games and what […]

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Are Games and Workout Machines Crossing Over?

Will Your Next Game Console Make You Sweat? A recent article about exercise equipment with gaming features caught my eye recently: Nexersys, a new Austin-based workout machine maker, is pointing out that videogames and exercise equipment are reaching convergence. It’s worth taking a look at this crossover phenomenon. Fitness is a huge industry, and entertainment […]

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Can You Be-Gleeve It?

The Gleeve: Frog’s New Power Glove So Frog Design has a new unstructured-play concept called the Gleeve. Cool concept that lends itself to horrible blog puns and nightmares of Nintendo’s abortive power glove. I think it has potential, although the description does seem a little light on details. I’m not about to criticize a simple […]

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Game Designers Actually Write?

Game Writers Aren’t the Only Developers Who Need Writing Skills “Game designer” is an oft-misunderstood label that, like all labels, sometimes fails completely in describing the variety and depth of tasks tackled by the many talented people who fall into this bucket. Many times game consumers and friends have told me they thought game designers […]

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Game Design Tips from Jordan Mechner

Game design pointers don’t get any better than when they come from Jordan Mechner, the man who designed Prince of Persia, The Last Express, and one of the main reasons I became a game designer, the elegant and stylish Karateka. Here’s his blog on story-based game design. Today I’m giving props to design tip #6: […]

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The Avatar Movie

Game Writer Thoughts on Cameron’s Avatar Movie The Avatar movie is all the rage right now, and with good reason. Here are my quick, spoiler-free thoughts. Gorgeous. The Avatar movie is simply gorgeous. It feels real, although it does have a heavy Halo texture to it too. To be fair, Cameron’s already trod this territory […]

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A Game Hero Should Be Voiceless: Part Two

The Rude Game Hero The voiceless game hero? He’s an ass. Well, inadvertently. Have you ever noticed how a voiceless game hero fails to respond to mid-mission communications? I recently finished Resistance on the PS3, and the game’s avatar, Nathan Hale, is a classic, cliche game hero with little to say and a lot to […]

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Game artist: caught clipping

A game artist goofup A game artist has a hard life. You spend years – nay, a lifetime – honing your skills and craft. You sketch incessantly, driven by your passion for visual expression. You paint, you sculpt, you design, you draft. After your traditional art training, you pick up the digital tools of creation. […]

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Game design innovation… in today’s market?

I guess a few game designers were paying attention The game design plaint that I most routinely dispense is doubtlessly one you’re familiar with. Game design is a dying craft. Publishers have forgotten what makes great games. Sequels are the spawn of Satan. But maybe I was wrong. A few fresh game design ideas are […]

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