this week’s reads

Here’s some of the things that I read this week:

• I am adding and subtracting – Eskil Steenberg shares his know-how on game programming, giving tips on what you should know and do to be an effective programmer based on his experiences.
• Software That Guards Virtual Playgrounds – NY Times article on various applications that are used to monitor content aimed at minors. The virtual world is moving more and more towards addicting children. Protecting them from predators and the like is therefore a key component for virtual world creators, and a booming marketplace for those creating the tools to protect minors.
• Author of Play – Infocom is one of my favorite game companies of all time, and Steve Meretzky designed some of my favorite games of all time. Technology Review sat down with him recently and interviewed him about the good old days of Infocom. A must read for any Infocom fan.
• What Went Wrong? – the subtitle says it all: learning from past post mortems.
• when the bomb goes off – auntie pixelante does a good write up of “when the bomb goes off,” a flash game in which you have five seconds to figure out the goal of a level.

What I’m Reading…

BTW, hopefully I won’t be as lazy this weekend and I’ll finally write the article I have floating around in my head.

Regardless, here’s some of the things that I’ve read this week:

• GameBoy Oddities – 13 weird things for the GameBoy. My favorite has to be the nitrous oxide headset. Do want!
• How to Make an Atari Game – a very detailed guide on making your very own Atari game and cartridge. 100% out of my league.
• Twenty Essential Design Questions – there’s one important question that I think is missing from this list: do I like the game I’m designing? If the answer is no, your game will probably suck.
• Retrogaming Times Monthly 59 – the latest issue. Includes an article about my beloved Timex Sinclair 1000. In someone related news, Retro Thing has an article about how you can mod a Sinclair ZX Spectrum (a British cousin of the TS1K) to run Linux.
• Inside the Soviet Arcade Games Museum – here’s something to do when next you’re in Moscow: visit the Soviet Arcade Games Museum.
• Video Game Sales Go South (and Fast) – the so-called “recession-proof” video game market has dropped 17% for March compared to 2008. The Times is quick to note that NPD says the reason is because Easter fell in March last year.

Check this out…

Here are some links to what I’ve been reading of late:

• Gamer War Vet Fears That Six Days in Fallujah Will Dishonor Those Who Served in Iraq –Stratics writer, gameslaw editor, Iraq War veteran and friend Dan “SWATJester” Rosenthal was interviewed about his concerns with Konami’s recently announcedSix Days in Fallujah.
• Saved Games: Preserving the New TV– interesting article about the efforts of scholars and the Library of Congress’s Digital Preservation Project‘s on preserving video games and the issues they’ve been coming across (e.g. DMCA, DRM, a complacent industry not interested in preservation). I especially liked how they are making efforts to preserve not just the games, but the environment as well. “You have a game and it can stand in isolation, but to understand if it had an impact on society you really need the external information.”
• Monopoly Killer: Perfect German Board Game Redefines Genre – Wired article on the “Settlers of Catan” board game and the popularity of board games in Germany. Related: the New York Times recently profiled a Long Island board game club.
• IGDA Casual Games White Paper – no, this should be called a White Book, it’s that freaking huge (214 pages). It covers pretty much everything one needs to know about developing and publishing a casual game. There’s also some great tips for general game design projects as well.