You may have noticed three new blogs linked in the right panel:
- Phil Steinmeyer’s blog is about casual games, and plays a role in his development work, such as with the creation of Bonnie’s bookstore and some prototypes he recently asked his readers to rate.
- Storytron News is Chris Crawford’s blog chronicling the development of Storytron.
- Finally, Click Nothing is Clint Hocking’s (of Splinter Cell fame) blog.
All three are developer blogs – suddenly, developer blogs all over. What happened to secrecy?
A general rule I’ve found: Most of all, people just want to be heard, even if (and especially when) they have nothing to say.
(Not intended as a slight against these blogs).
Kind of a good rule in game design too, and I’m sure there’s something equivalent to it in the 400. Recognize and respect people’s creative voice within a possibility space, and you will encourage it.
I think some people just want to reach out a little to some of their fans. Fans that aren’t just fanboys but have taken time or done research to find the people that make the games they love.
It’s pretty neat that a developer can talk to or at least be heard by some of their audience and not have to leave his/her own home.
Or maybe they just want to rant. Doesn’t matter, really, either way. :)
Yep. A lot of bigger (and, let’s face it, smaller) studios tend to put a filter on what their developers can say to the press/outside world, understandably. But that can be frustrating, so it’s really good to have an outlet.