I'm Supposed to Have Some Weird Statement Here

- My Brain Exploded -

... with the possibilities.

So, remember a long time ago when I said, "Friday is a great Web site for finding browser games"? Well, I didn't say which Friday. Technically. So I'll do that some Friday! Genius, eh?

Anyway, Blizzcon was a week ago, and despite all of the cool stuff that's going to be happening with WoW, the most amazing thing to me was their demo of what you'll be able to do with Starcraft II's world editor. I don't want to spoil it before you get to see it (if you haven't already), so I'll stop typing here and just let it speak for itself.

-- Pawn --

Like what you just read? Subscribe!

If I Had a Danger Sense, I Wouldn't Fight Crime; I'd Be a Bodyguard

- "All Your Game Development Needs" -

Today's Web site is a fount of knowledge for anyone out there who's aspiring to be a video game developer some day, and it's also got a lot of good information for people who are already in the industry.

GameDev.net features industry-related articles, gaming news, a biweekly email newsletter, a "game dictionary" for those who want to brush up on their gaming industry jargon (I found out what a "ren'ai" is!), product reviews (hardware, software, books, and other stuff), forums (of course), tools for finding other people in or interested in the gaming industry in your area, and a wiki that has more information in it than I can tell you.

This is one of those sites where I could easily ramble on all the cool freatures for a few more paragraphs to get a "normal" post length, but if this is something you're interested in, you've probably already opened GameDev.net in a new tab/window and have stopped reading this post anyway. If not, well hurry up and do it!

Friday is a great Web site for finding browser games.

-- Pawn --

Like what you just read? Subscribe!

Why the Crap Have I Been Uploading Images as JPG's? PNG's Are So Much Better!

- Best. Magazine. Ever. -

So, remember in last Friday's post how I said I used to have a browser-based game called Elinon? Well, apparently that qualified me as a member of the gaming industry and also somehow scored me a free subscription to Game Developer magazine. Awesome? You bet it's awesome.

Know what else is awesome? This magazine. (It would be more awesome if I were being paid for this endorsement, but I doubt that's gonna happen ever. I guess I'll live with the free subscription.)

Did you know that programmers in the video game industry who have some college credit but have no degree make more money (on average) than those with a doctoral degree? I didn't either, but then I read the April 2009 edition of Game Developer! (Let this be a lesson to all of you: drop out of school now. [Not really. Just don't spend so long getting degrees that you forget to actually start a career.])

In addition to cool stuff like a yearly salary survey, they also have articles on stuff like new software suites, coding tips and tricks learned by the professionals on such-and-such high budget blockbuster game, sound design, art design, level design.... well, you get the picture. Basically, anything that at all involves the gaming industry (including news like changes in laws) is fair game for this magazine. Lately, there have been a lot of articles about mobile gaming (you know, like on phones and stuff, not on a Gameboy), which is an area of the gaming industry that's still in the early if-you-get-in-now-you-can-be-rich-in-ten-years phase.

My favorite part of each issue is the postmortem, though. Looking at the April 2009 edition, there are six full pages of stuff straight from the people who were responsible for making THQ and Volition's Saint's Row 2. What went right, what went wrong, what they learned, what they'd do different, what they'll do again... I think I'm gonna read this article again as soon as I finish this post, actually.

The Web site also offers source code from past editions of the magazine, as well as research information (both of which are free).

So, what about cost? Well, like I said, mine's free. (God loves me.) Unless you get a random offer out of nowhere like I did, though, you're going to have to pay.

If you want a year's subscription (well, 11 issues) of printed magazines mailed to you, it's $49.95. I really wouldn't suggest this (even though I get the printed ones). If you go with a digital subscription, it's $29.95 for a year (do the math), and you also get a digital copy of their Game Career Guide and access to their online library of back issues. You can click here for subscription information.

If this post seemed like one big advertisement... I wish. Anyway, this is a great magazine, and I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the game development industry.

Wednesday is another game development-related Web site.

-- Pawn --

Like what you just read? Subscribe!

If I Were Invulnerable, I Wouldn't Fight Crime: I'd Be a Firefighter

- One of My Favorite Blogs -

So, Wednesday I said that today's post would be about one of my favorite blogs. Of course, at the time I didn't really know which blog I would be writing about, but I figured I'd just go through my recent RSS stuff in Opera (which I actually use exclusively as an RSS client) and find a good one.

At 2:30 AM I realized that I had a blank post scheduled to pop up at 6 AM. Oh, guess I'd better write something!

I used to have a browser-based game. It was called Elinon. It was fairly cool. It got fairly popular at one point exclusively through word-of-mouth (which I thought was neat). Then, I got bored with it. I got sick of it. I delegated my responsibilities to other admins and vanished into the night. Years later, when it was virtually dead anyway, I closed it down (mostly because it was a senseless money drain, and I didn't have the income).

However, I want to make another game.

Building Browsergames is an awesome site for anyone who's working on, thinking about working on, wants to work on, or even already has a popular browser-based game or gaming site. It's worth the visit for the blog alone, but it also offers tutorials, code snippits, links to other useful sites, and an awesome forum community.

I feel like I'm a fairly intelligent person, but the blog amazes me time and time again with stuff that I just never really thought about. If you're not really interested in browser-based game development, just forget I ever posted this (or take the opportunity to check out their affiliates and find some good online games). However, If you're one of those people out there who loves video games, and you're thinking about trying to make your own some day (or are already in the process), check out this site.

No, really.

Stop reading this and go to http://buildingbrowsergames.com.

Sunday is puppy day!

-- Pawn --

Like what you just read? Subscribe!