Expenses
We decided that we want to do this independently rather than trying to find a publisher or investor because… well, that’s how we roll. We like the idea of our games belonging to us, not having debt to anyone, and being able to make our own decisions. There’s a great sense of freedom with that, but unfortunately there’s a certain degree of reality as well that “things cost dollars”.
Networking
I’ll openly admit that I’m a little bit of an introvert. When it comes to networking events I prefer stuff like the Full Indie of Vancouver which has monthly meet-ups in a bar with guest lecturers. There’s some time for chatting with whichever random people you sit with to eat, and then some cool info that’s shared from the community.
My First GDC
Before I go any further, I feel obliged to point out the new News Post. Head on over to learn about our newly released game: “Zombies Are South!“. With that out of the way, as I mentioned last time, I had the opportunity this year to head over to the Game Developer’s Conference and check out what it was all about. It was a cool experience, and my first time attending the conference. Between the Play booth, lectures, awards ceremonies, and the Expo booth there’s a lot happening at GDC so I thought I’d take some time to share with you my impressions of this week-long event.
GDC 2013
As you’re all aware by now, I quit my job in January and relocated to San Francisco. One heart breaking thing about this, is that in my attempt to live frugally while working indie, I’m not exactly able to splurge on things like the luxurious $1,475 all access pass at GDC. In fact, despite now living in San Francisco, I felt that even the $195 Expo Pass was a tough thing to justify. I’m trying to make my money cover the essentials, and well… sometimes that means eating macaroni and cheese and skipping out on conventions.
Girls in Games
Any of you hear about that Tropes vs Women thingy that was announced on the thing back in the day? If you haven’t followed it at all, there’s actually a story within a story going on here. Whilst trying to make a series of videos on the representation of girls in games, Anita Sarkeesian ended up becoming the recipient of quite a bit of castigation. With Part 1 of the series having just been released, it seems like a suitable time to bring up the topic.
The Cost of Art
Better, Faster, Cheaper! It’s been the rallying cry in my vocation for a while now, as I’m sure it has been in many industries. Everyone is obsessed with getting shiny new things at a better price than their last deal. Convinced that if they manage to get something for cheaper this time, then it must mean that that is the new fair market price. It’s a problem in the creative industries because we’re so impassioned by what we do that we’re often willing to put ourselves into unhealthy conditions just to be able to continue doing what we love.
PlayStation Meeting 2013
1997. Summer had come to an end. My second year year at Junior High school had recently begun. I walked into the local GameZilla, no doubt returning a rental that I had recently made on some awesome SNES game. Probably Lufia or Breath of Fire, I’ve always had a soft spot for RPG’s. I would have dropped off the game into the bin next to the door and then, though my allowance only offered so many rentals a month, I probably went over to the shelves to purvey more of the precious lifeblood that filled my childhood veins.
Rainy Day
I’m on the fence about making this post right now, the website is very young and it would be best not to bring the mood down at all, but this morning I find myself watching “How to function as a depressed, solo game developer”. I had been saving watching the video for a rainy day, but today appears to be a rainy day.