Well I'm back from the Gamex show which is my first really big game convention I visited. The key note presentations were excellent and getting a chance to get some networking done was great. Anyway I have some news to report but first a list of comments I have about the show and such:
1. Turns out I'm not blind, deaf and dumb when it comes to pinball.
2. I got an autograph and had a conversation with Yahtzee of zero punctuation fame. I was somewhat tongue tied speaking to him and I have this paranoid feeling that I'm going to get mentioned on the next Zero/Extra Punctuation show as the idiot talking about Psychonauts and Left for Dead 2.
3. There was a game challenge sponsored by MagFest, they had NES challenges ranked in terms of easy to expert. I managed to beat a hard challenge and got a t shirt out of it. Trying to beat the final boss of Castlevania 3 though kicked my ass.
4. Got to see some of the people from the web show “The Guild" I didn't really talk to them though. I did wonder what they would do if I mentioned that I've never watched their show and that I did not like WoW at all.
5. Playing 4 man on X man the arcade game is always awesome.
6. I could never go to a rock concert; just standing near the Rock Band concert stage was enough to kill my ears.
7. I wondered if I could take on the girls from the PMS clan at Left 4 Dead and win.
8. As a social experiment I wished that I could have watched the reactions of the women gamers playing Dante's Inferno for the first time. I also would have been interested to see Corvus (Elrod)'s reaction to it after reading about his reaction to The Witcher, as the objectification of women was turned up to 11 for this.
9. Played laser tag on Saturday night and I swear that I always pick the broken gun which I blame for my horrible accuracy.
10. I stopped by the Game Jam and met Eric Ruth who was showing off his games that he made which you can find here. Check out Mega Man Rocks, which was just fantastic to watch, basically a homage to Mega Man if I ever did see one.
On Friday night there was an industry VIP party which I attended. The first thing I noticed that even for being in a room of my peers, everything still felt really clicke. The Escapist guys hanged out in their own little spot, so did the Guild and everyone else. This is when I had realization and the purpose for this update, even among my peers I stand out. When it comes to game design and analyzing mechanics I'm in my own little group, not above or below anyone but to the side. It is rare to meet anyone who I can have a conversation regarding my thoughts and ideas on game mechanics and game systems. This is why I've decided it's time to upgrade the blog and give it a touch up. "A look from the outside in at game design" is no longer a valid description of this blog, I am in this industry and my thoughts are in a field of their own. While on a bus to the party I met someone and we started talking, like usual I tried to explain what exactly I do in 15 seconds or less. He then said "like Game Philosophy?" and something clicked in my head. First that I am really an idiot that I could not think of something catchy to describe myself. Second, that's what I am in a nutshell, I philosophize about game mechanics and the industry at large.
If you were to ask most people at the show if they liked Dante's Inferno or Bayonetta more, they would give you a response and a small description of why. I on the other hand can tell you exactly why Bayonetta is different from DI and how both action games use different mechanics. This is also the subject of my next blog entry after the redesign.
Going forward what I would really love to do would be to try and host a roundtable podcast on game design and theory, but I don't have the tools or even a panel to do it. If people would be interested in something like this, shoot me an email at jab2565@aol.com.
Speaking to the various presenters they said that I'm on the right track and some kind of prototype would really get my foot in the door. I'm working on a pet project now with some guys from Quarter To three trying to design a game; I've been tasked as the game designer and have gotten a first draft of a design document up. We are looking for people and if anyone is interested shoot me an email at the same address as above.
I've also decided to give myself a new title (I'm all about self promotion), I'm thinking either design or game theorist . This entry is going to be followed by a style change to the blog and I'll also get out a new entry by the end of the week.
Josh.
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