Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time designing games. It’s always been a bit of a passion, but I never viewed it as a particularly realistic career choice. As a result, I focused my energy on more pratical alternatives like business development and law. Alas, the siren call proved irresistable and I’ve thrown myself unto the rocky shores of the creative. It’s been an eye-opening experience, and I’ve learned a lot. One thing has struck me: you can’t design for everyone.

Well, you can try, but it seems to be pretty tough. There are some notable differences between the general mass of gamers and some of the more idiosyncratic niches. Often it boils down to a choice between depth and accessibility.

Continue reading →

I’m gonna be honest, this article is likely gonna be mailed in because Diablo 3 is about 2 minutes from being unveiled. It’s an exciting time for gamers, such is our lust and anticipation for the latest entry in this treasured intellectual property. Yet I confess to a certain amount of fear. Fear that the game may not live up to expectations. Fear that the servers will be so jam packed with hell dwelling hopefuls that I’ll spend an hour of my life trying to pry my way in. Odd that I should be so enthusiastic to go to hell.

Yet hope shines forth, largely unvarnished by my heretical fears. This is the moment of release, and the possibilities are endless.

Continue reading →

When I joined PlayMesh, I was hired to head up business development and hold down the legal side of things. It was a role I was happy to undertake, and something I felt very comfortable doing (having spent the better part of my career doing both). It wasn’t long before certain other needs arose, and I was asked to undertake some additional responsibilities: marketing, building out the community, and most recently game design. I once asked the CEO what my actual job was, and he responded: “The Plunger.”

Not really what I pictured when I dropped the cash on the law degree, but I’ll admit to a certain amount of pride in the title. My job is to fix problems, wherever they may arise. It’s an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge of games and utilize that education to move forward in my career.

Continue reading →

When I was figuring out which company I wanted to join following my first (of what will be many) ill-fated forays into entrepreneurship, the CEO question loomed large in my mind. It is not my natural inclination to follow, so choosing the right person to work for is a pretty complicated decision. CEO is always an important role, but in startups the leader is going to be pretty make or break. You essentially end up betting the trajectory of your career on the person in question. You know, no big deal.

So…what did I consider relevant in making the decision you ask?

Continue reading →

Dune won the Hugo and the Nebula, and is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time. The book earns these accolades through sheer immersion into a deeply human story, weaving family, love, politics, economics, ecology, and destiny together. And yes, it’s got ray guns, spaceships, and alien creatures. But you almost wouldn’t know it. Author Frank Herbert wrote five additional books in the series, ending with a cliffhanger, before his untimely death. Which makes the author himself the perfect example of the thing that sets me on edge about this series, the killing off of interesting characters. But in true ghola fashion, the Herbert line didn’t end there. His son Brian found his father’s notes on filling out the story, and together with SF author Kevin J. Anderson, they’ve been diligently expanding the Dune universe with annual installments. And they’re still killing off interesting characters. Spoilers below.

Continue reading →