News-stuff first:
If it isn't entirely obvious, we're not starting Journey 3 tomorrow. Rather, we're taking some extra time to refine the show layout, cut out the really super-extraneous stuff from Journey 2, and generally clean up our TODO lists before embarking out (disembarking?) again. A few major tenets to note:
- Indie interviews - specifically, those peeps we talked to at PAX back in September
- Time trimming - max target of 1.5 hours per show (sounds impossible, right?)
- More design-y, less inform-y - our personal opinions (gasp!) and practical matters of game design, development, and implementation
The other details are still in a bit of flux, but rather than rush it out and clean up later, we're putting some more time into the front-end.
All right, now on to a bit more of a personal matter.
I've heard of a few game releases that have made me smile. Most of those involve games I was able to play firsthand at PAX.
Normally, I don't make a big deal of game releases, but these are different. Not different "bad", just different. I've been a pure consumer for a long time, so I don't really have much invested in such things beyond that of my own enjoyment. However, with my own pushes towards more of a game developing / producing perspective, I feel particularly connected to these releases.
Talking to the people that actually worked on the games is an amazing thing. You could tell they were genuinely invested in their creation (as well they should be), and any sales would benefit them directly and not just end up as another number on some financial statement. Maybe it's that interaction that makes the recent releases so much more authentic and weighty.
I want these people to succeed, not just for my own gains (in playing amazing games), but for their benefit, too. These are folks that absolutely deserve to be recognized and rewarded for their hard work, probably moreso than they are currently. I'll disclaim that even for games I'm not all that interested in, as a player, I still want them to succeed.
So, kudos to Proteus, Skulls of the Shogun, and Antichamber (and the people behind them) for releasing in the past few days. Truly, your creations are a hallmark of your work, and I find them to be that much stronger of a driving force to guide my own projects.
