If you have ANYTHING to do w/the gaming industry, you've got to check out and attend GDC! it is THE place to be (E3 and it's ilk are SOOO over-rated).
Plus, as an added bonus...I've finally succumbed to all of the requests & peer pressure - I'll be speaking this year on Outsourcing in the gaming industry, with several of my colleagues. It'll be awesome and great fun, to be sure.
(I think this is the first time I've given a presentation that was BEFORE lunch, and not after...my, the natives will be restless. At least I'm not the last presentation before the bar opens...)
Come learn what to avoid in your next outsourcing situation. Trust me - these lessons can be learned and applied REGARDLESS of what industry in which you happen to find yourself.
Plus, there's lots of weird people here and they're a BLAST to hang out with!
CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
One Gamer's Dream...? Cool, nonetheless...
When I was in college, I thought a "Kegirator" was a cool idea. I never dreamed I'd see this.
Another cool example of convergence, in my mind...
Another cool example of convergence, in my mind...
Saturday, October 13, 2007
N'est-ce pas, "NES Paul"? Oui, oui...
As much as I enjoy both guitars and games, I think this is going a little too far! :)
I gotta hand it to his creativity, though...wonder how it sounds? Still, it's his original machine...that just seems wrong on so many levels...maybe he fried the motherboard from too much playing!? Still, it is a creative way to join the genres...
I wonder how this would work w/Guitar Hero or Rock Band??? Or even a blind-folded piano player played it(...BTW, I saw him live as part of Video Games Live (...very worth while show; gives you a different perspective on the industry, and a deeper appreciation for the art in the entertainment...) and he was awesome!).
Also, check out Tommy's house here...he's composed music for over 200 video games, so odds are you've probably heard one or two of his tracks...Enjoy!
I gotta hand it to his creativity, though...wonder how it sounds? Still, it's his original machine...that just seems wrong on so many levels...maybe he fried the motherboard from too much playing!? Still, it is a creative way to join the genres...
I wonder how this would work w/Guitar Hero or Rock Band??? Or even a blind-folded piano player played it(...BTW, I saw him live as part of Video Games Live (...very worth while show; gives you a different perspective on the industry, and a deeper appreciation for the art in the entertainment...) and he was awesome!).
Also, check out Tommy's house here...he's composed music for over 200 video games, so odds are you've probably heard one or two of his tracks...Enjoy!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Why Do We Have / Need Quad-core Processors?
"For gaming and video rendering." So says Intel (and I agree - AMD will be making their own announcements in this arena soon). For now, check this out.
And this (the audio quality's poor, but the implications are cool). And, last but not least, some additional (marketing fluff ?) from Intel.
With the dev kits in the ISVs' hands, all the industry has to do now is to deliver...
And this (the audio quality's poor, but the implications are cool). And, last but not least, some additional (marketing fluff ?) from Intel.
With the dev kits in the ISVs' hands, all the industry has to do now is to deliver...
Friday, September 15, 2006
Doom's Seed
“The Two Johns” (Carmack and Romero) had been described as the Lennon and MCCartney of video games, and I think that's a great moniker, especially after reading this book. Written in an engaging, easy-to-follow style, the read is taken inside the environment and motivation for many decisions and inspirations for why they did what they did. I found that thoroughly fascinating!
What was really cool, though, was remembering MY views and experiences, as I read the book – hooking up with other Doom players on the University LAN – and not really knowing what it was, playing by myself on the PC for the first time (10 hours straight) and then going to sleep and having completely lucid dreams as I re-ran the levels in full, vivid, dynamic color, being a user in the shareware movement / business model, etc.
Each accomplished in their own right, I don't think they really appreciated each other's talents and abilities until after they split up. It would be interesting to see what they can create with each other, now that they are older, financially successful and are driven (possibly?) by different things.
At about 300 pages, it's a very entertaining read for anyone interested or involved with the games industry; others may find the interpersonal dynamics of a young startup insightful and enlightening.
What was really cool, though, was remembering MY views and experiences, as I read the book – hooking up with other Doom players on the University LAN – and not really knowing what it was, playing by myself on the PC for the first time (10 hours straight) and then going to sleep and having completely lucid dreams as I re-ran the levels in full, vivid, dynamic color, being a user in the shareware movement / business model, etc.
Each accomplished in their own right, I don't think they really appreciated each other's talents and abilities until after they split up. It would be interesting to see what they can create with each other, now that they are older, financially successful and are driven (possibly?) by different things.
At about 300 pages, it's a very entertaining read for anyone interested or involved with the games industry; others may find the interpersonal dynamics of a young startup insightful and enlightening.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Opening The Xbox
“The revolution will come in fits and starts. It probably won't come from giving hardcore gamers more of what they already like. Doing a fighting game with better graphics isn't really a new invention. Yet much of the industry is currently afflicted with the illusion that it is. About 60 percent of the successful games now are either sequels or extensions of brands that exist in another medium. There is a real risk of what the IDSA'a Doug Lowenstein calls “creative ennui.”...The gaming industry has produced cultural icons before, from Pac Man to Pong, and it will do so again. As every gamer believes, the ideal game isn't here yet. It's just around the corner.” (p. 346 – 347).
I just got done reading Opening The Xbox. I found it to be a very readable book, with a very comfortable writing style. The descriptions of the what the project team went through, however, seemed very reminiscent of many other professional projects I have been involved with in my career, and not necessarily unique to Microsoft or the tech. industry. What was enjoyable and enlightening, however, was the detail which Mr. Takahashi provided. Liberally spiced with information that was outside of the inner mechanics at Microsoft (like the challenges with Nvidia, Flextronics' manufacturing capacity, the marketing and sales performance of competing platforms, etc.), provided the perfect backdrop to the whole story.
In the end, I found it to be an easy and enjoyable read. It provides great insight into Microsoft's launch of the Xbox, and an interesting perspective on the video games industry as a whole. I also appreciated the “personal face” Mr. Takhashi gave the story by providing interesting tidbits of the personalities and their lives, throughout the story. That technique not only made it very readable, but it also helped me relate to the story in a much more fulfilling way.
However, it's this blog's opening paragraph (which I quoted from the end of the book) that I think is really at the heart of the issue I think the video game industry faces, and this book didn't really address:
Take me for example. I don't consider myself a “true gamer” necessarily, because I don't spend more than 20 hours a week playing video games, like some people I know; it's more like 10 – 15 hours per week (but who's really counting? :) ).
But do you know what I would spend 20 or more hours a week on? Creating new business ideas! I LOVE IT! I absolutely LOVE THAT! I love being able to take different ideas and putting them together in new ways. The by-product of that is interesting, and I and others have benefited in a number of different ways – non-profits I work with, to my current employer, and (I'm sure) to employers and customers whom I have yet to meet. So, while guys like Jonathan “Seamus” Blackley and Kevin Bachus got the lions share of the spotlight in the book (and rightly so), I related more to guys like Ted Hase, Rick Thompson, Ed Fries and Robbie Bach (the “business” / management folks). That is just fun for me!
Even at Sun Microsystems (where I've worked for a LONG time – it'll be 7 years this December...wow, that really IS a long time...), the things that have always drawn my interest and sparked my creativity the most have been new businesses and new business models, like our foray into Utility Computing and Managed Services. Project Darkstar is my latest muse (here is the “historic mugshot” that I found on my camera, from a few months ago; okay, shameless plug time – check out more details on this ground-breaking technology here and here).
The difference, though, between what I read in this book and what I see at companies like Sun and others, can be tied to two things:
If you want to move mountains and change the landscape, you can do it a spoonful at a time (which takes a while by yourself, but you gain speed the more people who pickup spoons) or with explosives (which is the equivalent to what Microsoft did). The latter is quicker, but it will still take a lot of time for people to join together in that new landscape and figure out what to do with it.
At E3 this year, I was over-whelmed by the presentation and volume of titles, and under-whelmed by the dearth of unique content. For the most part, it's all the same. In the four years since this book was published, not much has changed to hit that grand vision of new cultural icons and “games as art”. I don't see “Destroy All Humans” being reviewed by the New York Times' art critics. This is even a year in which we are seeing new console releases by Sony and Nintendo (although Sony just announced that they will again delay their launch – as seems to be typical with console launch announcements), but where are the new Space Invaders and Tetris (which were hits on multiple platforms)?
Still waiting for Aunt Bea's Quilting Smackdown! That would be a great one to see – have The Rock and Aunt Bea duking it out! Maybe someday...in the meantime, we'll just have to make do with more of the same.
I just got done reading Opening The Xbox. I found it to be a very readable book, with a very comfortable writing style. The descriptions of the what the project team went through, however, seemed very reminiscent of many other professional projects I have been involved with in my career, and not necessarily unique to Microsoft or the tech. industry. What was enjoyable and enlightening, however, was the detail which Mr. Takahashi provided. Liberally spiced with information that was outside of the inner mechanics at Microsoft (like the challenges with Nvidia, Flextronics' manufacturing capacity, the marketing and sales performance of competing platforms, etc.), provided the perfect backdrop to the whole story.
In the end, I found it to be an easy and enjoyable read. It provides great insight into Microsoft's launch of the Xbox, and an interesting perspective on the video games industry as a whole. I also appreciated the “personal face” Mr. Takhashi gave the story by providing interesting tidbits of the personalities and their lives, throughout the story. That technique not only made it very readable, but it also helped me relate to the story in a much more fulfilling way.
However, it's this blog's opening paragraph (which I quoted from the end of the book) that I think is really at the heart of the issue I think the video game industry faces, and this book didn't really address:
self-confidence - quit believing and acting like you have to get “people” to take you “seriously”. Screw 'em! You're already a multi-billion dollar industry, so who really cares?
The Big Set-up - the notion of “the killer game” is a set-up for failure, and “it” being “right around the corner” is even worse! You need to have people really get off on the “technology”, and others who are as passionate about the “business”, and have them work together. The video games themselves (whether it's a console or a piece of technology or some game art or whatever) is the real common ground to unite the project. Entertainment, art, interactivity, immersion – how this is defined is changing, and will continue to change over time.
Take me for example. I don't consider myself a “true gamer” necessarily, because I don't spend more than 20 hours a week playing video games, like some people I know; it's more like 10 – 15 hours per week (but who's really counting? :) ).
But do you know what I would spend 20 or more hours a week on? Creating new business ideas! I LOVE IT! I absolutely LOVE THAT! I love being able to take different ideas and putting them together in new ways. The by-product of that is interesting, and I and others have benefited in a number of different ways – non-profits I work with, to my current employer, and (I'm sure) to employers and customers whom I have yet to meet. So, while guys like Jonathan “Seamus” Blackley and Kevin Bachus got the lions share of the spotlight in the book (and rightly so), I related more to guys like Ted Hase, Rick Thompson, Ed Fries and Robbie Bach (the “business” / management folks). That is just fun for me!
Even at Sun Microsystems (where I've worked for a LONG time – it'll be 7 years this December...wow, that really IS a long time...), the things that have always drawn my interest and sparked my creativity the most have been new businesses and new business models, like our foray into Utility Computing and Managed Services. Project Darkstar is my latest muse (here is the “historic mugshot” that I found on my camera, from a few months ago; okay, shameless plug time – check out more details on this ground-breaking technology here and here).
The difference, though, between what I read in this book and what I see at companies like Sun and others, can be tied to two things:
money – Microsoft had plenty and was willing to commit significant amounts of capital for long periods of time – not because they wanted to build a video game console, but rather because it was an integral part of a larger strategy. Microsoft wants to be the gateway to home mechanics (entertainment, finances, etc.), and they see the Xbox as a great way to enter and begin building on that vision
strategic commitment – building on the above bullet, while near-term unit sales of consoles and titles are important, it's not the only thing. Sony, for example, has a potentially much broader and more strategic reach with it's movie and music entertainment business lines, which seem to continue throwing off cash regardless of poor economic conditions in any single market or geography it finds itself in.
If you want to move mountains and change the landscape, you can do it a spoonful at a time (which takes a while by yourself, but you gain speed the more people who pickup spoons) or with explosives (which is the equivalent to what Microsoft did). The latter is quicker, but it will still take a lot of time for people to join together in that new landscape and figure out what to do with it.
At E3 this year, I was over-whelmed by the presentation and volume of titles, and under-whelmed by the dearth of unique content. For the most part, it's all the same. In the four years since this book was published, not much has changed to hit that grand vision of new cultural icons and “games as art”. I don't see “Destroy All Humans” being reviewed by the New York Times' art critics. This is even a year in which we are seeing new console releases by Sony and Nintendo (although Sony just announced that they will again delay their launch – as seems to be typical with console launch announcements), but where are the new Space Invaders and Tetris (which were hits on multiple platforms)?
Still waiting for Aunt Bea's Quilting Smackdown! That would be a great one to see – have The Rock and Aunt Bea duking it out! Maybe someday...in the meantime, we'll just have to make do with more of the same.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
