News

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The Craft of Game Design Cannot Be Measured By Any Metric
If game design is a craft, what becomes of it when game development is driven solely by financial metrics? Does any of the craft remain?
Aug. 22, 2016
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Swimming with the Whales: A study in free to play
I spent several months among the high rollers in a free to play game. Here's what I learned from swimming with the whales.
Aug. 22, 2016
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Away from the crowds of Gamescom, there was a game jam...
I hung out with some of the developers of the InnoGames jam, a 48-hour jam hidden from the crowds of Gamescom in Germany.
Aug. 21, 2016
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A Look Back: Splinter Cell Blacklist's Benghazi Level
3 years ago, I shipped my first game, Splinter Cell Blacklist, with the team at Ubisoft Toronto and now I'm taking a look back. We'll be running through 10 anecdotes & takeaways from the production of the map I worked on.
Aug. 19, 2016
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Why No Man’s Sky is lost on Hardcore Gamers - And why this could be great news
My thesis is, that the game’s design doesn’t fit the psychological needs of hardcore gamers. But this could be all but bad news for the potential success of the game.
Aug. 18, 2016
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Efficient writing : get to the point!
Writing in video games is not just about the story. In some games there's tons of game rules informations to be conveyed to the player and it got to be done quickly and efficiently.
Aug. 18, 2016
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A Wish-Fulfilment Coda
Continuing on the thread of the rules of games, I compare and contrast similar issues in other media.
Aug. 18, 2016
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eSports and the UK Gambling Commission – First Impressions
eSports lawyers Isabel Davies, Pete Lewin and Jas Purewal from Purewal & Partners break down the UK Gambling Commission’s recent discussion paper on eSports gambling and give their first impressions on what this could mean for the eSports industry.
Aug. 18, 2016
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Communication Tips for the Video Game Music Composer
Good communication amongst team members can make or break the development of a game. This article highlights some GDC 2016 sessions that discuss this topic, and also includes a personal anecdote from the development of the SimAnimals game.
Aug. 16, 2016
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The Alpha Release Cycle: Running a Successful EA Program
Sharing the entire process behind building a single major alpha version, from start to finish. Project management and marketing all in one!
Aug. 16, 2016
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Death and Consequence in Game Design
An international line-up of indie developers was brought together by the IGDA Switzerland Chapter to discuss the topic of death and consequence in game design. What emerged were varied perspectives that reflected the complex nature of death.
Aug. 15, 2016
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How to Pitch & Sell Your Game at a Con
I just returned from a successful GenCon 2016 with pre-order sales exceeding my expectations. Here is what worked, what didn’t, why, and lessons learned. Learn why the economic theories of Lemons and Signaling matter to indie game devs.
Aug. 15, 2016