Graduation Day and other interesting times...

Well, I'm officially a graduate! Hoorah! The photos were taken, my hood fell off from becoming unpinned and we all looked rather spiffy. It was a great time had by all. So I am now a qualified game designer. It seems strange not having to go back to university to get that ever elusive degree. Right now, off into the real world I go...

Speaking of the real world and full-time employment, yours truly has just scored an interview for the second week in January at a lovely little (or not-so-little) studio as their Community Manager. I also have an interview tomorrow at 9am as technical writer. If I'm offered both, I'm tempted to take both! They are both part-time jobs, so there is no reason why I can't do both. At least this way, I'd have one foot in the front door of the game industry. From there, the only way is up, I say with the greatest optimism!

I've also applied to Evony, who are looking for Designers and Marketing people. Since I can do both, I consider myself lucky as all hell. It was definitely an excellently strategic move taking a Marketing minor. Note to the young ones, being a Designer is not enough. Stand out from the pack by studying a different minor, like law or business. This shows that you not only know your stuff when it comes to game development, but that you also understand the running of the business. The industry will only change if we change it.

I did end up trading in Scribblenauts for Band Hero DS. I am utterly glad that I did. It is definitely a more entertaining game than that other farce. Ugh. Remind me never to doubt Yahtzee again. But at the moment, I'm screaming my way through Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands. Cheers, Dan. You're a mate!

Review: Scribblenauts and the highs and lows of job-hunting in the Tech industry

Back again!

This time 'round, I'm reviewing Scribblenauts. Now, normally my friends and family know that I'm a great advocate of the game-reviewer Yahtzee from renowed web-series Zero Punctuation. I am not worthy to polish the man's sneakers when it comes to reviews. But this one time I actually thought I'd be smarter than him... after all, I love JRPGs and he generically wants to rid the world of andro-boys (you keep your mits OFF Riku, mister!).

I am sorry to say that I rue the day I turned my back on his sagely wisdom of all things gaming. Scribblenauts is nine-tenths of things I dislike about games. But let's start at the beginning, shall we?

The graphics are charming to begin with - the childish scrawling almost endearing - but they quickly grate on the nerves when nothing sits properly or works appropriately. Maxwell's smug grin says "Nyah, told you that wouldn't work". One feels the inevitable pull of wanting to smack it off his face.

The innovative game mechanic of "scribbling" on your notepad to summon various objects gets old after you've exhausted summoning Cthulu, God, the Devil, Harry Potter, various members of a game company and any other mythological creature you can think of. Except Timelords. Who doesn't put a TARDIS in a game? That's just plain wrong.

There is no story or point to the game, it is simply one pointless puzzle after another. It all seems just a general waste of time... until the game freezes and you have to start AGAIN on that puzzle.

Not my choice of the week, for certain. It made me wish I'd opted for Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility instead, or even Band Hero DS. God only knows that Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands was more entertaining than this woeful offering. Don't bother with it if you know what's good for you! Heed Yahtzee's wisdom!

Right, onto the other topic of my post. I've been job-hunting for nearly two months now, so I am happy to report that I have had an interview for the position of Technical Writer at a software company. The writing test and phone interview went alright, so I'm really hoping that they like me enough to do one or both of these two things: 1 - Give me a face-to-face interview and/or 2 - Give me a job. I'm getting desperate now.

None of the game companies have written back yet. I will have to try more and harder. I must get a job, I must!

Graduation is coming...

Quill Games - more than a dream?

Well, I've just about HAD IT with the big game companies sending me polite rejection letters or not replying at all. How on earth are you meant to get the experience if you can't get a job to get it?

So I've solved the problem. I'm going to start my own game company.

Quill Games was going to be my end-goal, but since I can't seem to get to my first blasted goal, I thought I might as well shoot for the moon. I've been hard at work on a business plan this morning, as well as working on the design document for the first Facebook game I want to release on it.

Now I just have to get more people interested in joining me.

The idea is that the studio will be completely manned by students, with games produced by the students. This way, the designers and artists get games under their belts while real companies can come in and "head-hunt" the graduates they like. Maybe I can even organise some pep talks with local indie companies!

Suddenly, it's not such a bad idea.

Games for Girls?

I was reading a blog over at the Frag Dolls site and I was interested in what they had to say about games made specifically for girls. Having done marketing for games - which is no picnic but worth it - I've not found much difference in the games girls like to play. They seem to want everything that a guy wants from a game, they just want better representation.

Which is all fine and good, but very few are willing to fight for that kind of equality. We barely have a reasonable representation in the companies that make the games, let alone the testing groups. Working on my first PC title at the beginning of the year, I put a call out to the general public for testers. I do believe only one girl answered the call up and there were Tim-Tams on offer! How can any woman turn THAT down?

While I was pushing for an alternative female protagonist in-game, the boys eventually over-rode my decision, but it never sat quite right with me. Being the voice of progression is never easy, even more so when you are lost under a cacophony of other voices. I was lucky - I had a champion in the design team who took my side and fought with me for some of my game mechanics and characterisations. But nevertheless, it's my belief that the guys who want to tap into this demographic need to pull their fingers out of their ears and listen to the shrill whining of the girls who feel misrepresented.

Maybe if they do that, those girls will buy their games.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days - Return to glory for the epic series of fantastic games!

Well, finally my prayers were answered - a NEW Kingdom Hearts game! Finally, I put aside my PS2 controller and stopped dribbling all over my walkthrough-guide pic of Riku from KHII and cast my attention towards my DS in the pursuit of something new.

Now, truth be told, a friend of mine has an R4 and has therefore been playing it for the last month or so. Under... interesting circumstances, I got a hold of his R4 and played a few missions. Thoroughly convinced that I desperately wanted this game, I felt heart-broken that it wouldn't be out until the end of the year.

Thank you for lying to me, EB Games.

Two weeks later, we found it out on the shelves after a uni lecture (yes, we go Game hunting. Insert bad pun here). I insisted, then, that when I arrived home, my mother drive me to my local EB to pick up my copy.

Now I'm almost halfway through the game, I think it's time that I posted my reaction.

Oh. My. God.

Could our dear Squeenix have got it any more right? I admit I was upset that I had to play through nearly half a game to get a peek at Riku, but when I did I was rewarded with a delicious cut-scene and dialogue that proved to me why he's my very favourite game character of all. Screw Sora, Riku is where it's at! Also on the character couch, we learn more about the Organisation. Woah. Twelve very messed-up people. Nobodies. Things. Whatever.

Stand-out member Axel is developed more and becomes less of an idiot once you learn how much he thinks of Roxas and the lengths he goes to in order to protect his friend. His actions make his demise in KHII that little more poignant and saddening. But one has to wonder; Axel seemed to be different from the rest of the Organisation, almost having feelings. Could he be as "special" as Roxas?

The music and the graphics both ported over to the DS well, but the camera still works a little wonky, even if you do take it off the one-way mode. But who cares?

Strangely enough, you don't get keychains in this one. You make your own, find them lying about and what not. This was fun, but the lack of panel slots made me frustrated. But it is a neat little levelling system.

On the whole, I'm glad that this is the next episode in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. The story is epic, the gameplay phenomenal and thoroughly enjoying. For fans of the series, it's certainly a welcome return. Five stars from me!

The Last Hurrah from studio-gameOn

Well, it's all over red rover. The studio has finally closed the door on the game (which was a lot of fun). While not a lot of my ideas made the end cut, I had a fabulous time. It's obvious to me now that I really do want to work as a Game Designer. The iCi party at Kelvin Grove yesterday was a lot of fun and I ran into one of my old lecturers who I had a rather interesting conversation with. It'll be intriguing to see what happens from that talk, I assure you.

I can now pad out my resume with focus-testing for Halfbrick Studios, but it is more than my life is worth to tell you what I was testing there. Really. It's interesting the level of secrecy that goes on with major game developers these days. But I suppose it's to protect the interests of their employees and their studio. So bully to them, I say! You keep on keeping on!

This is my final year at university and woo, only three subjects a semester! How cool is that? Thank you, studio-gameOn, for being my major project. It really is nice to not have to be running around like a headless chicken most of the week. Plus I have mondays off now, which is a welcome reprieve to my weekends in hell.

On a side note, how GOOD is Zero Puncutation? I was lucky enough to meet Yahtzee and he was awesome. He was at one of the open days at the studio with Yug from Australian Gamer and Yug's girlfriend Lauren. If you all haven't watched at least one of Yahtzee's videos, I highly recommend you go and google him now. He's incredibly talented and writes a nicely scathing review.

As to games that I have been playing, I finished New Super Mario Bros. My thoughts? Meh, it could have been better. Really, though, there were some good game mechanics like the wall-jump that saved my rear more than once while free-falling down the pit of endless falling and eventual dying. That said, it was FAR too easy to rack up in excess of fifty lives by the end of world three. Really, games shouldn't be that easy.

Well, that's all for now. I have more, but lunch calls.

~@ me.