New Business Card My old business card kinda stunk: it was plain black text on white, didn't mention game design, and, uh, featured an inactive e-mail address. I definitely needed a new card for GDC and Interactivity@GT.
I wanted something memorable that would get people to check out my site, and here's what I came up with!
What do you think?
I just ordered a test run of 100 of them from printsmadeeasy.com where they give you the first hundred free with shipping ($7 or so) - I'll let you know how it turns out!
Blogs can be kinda scary when you haven't posted to them in a long time. I've had a lot to say, but just, well, haven't been on here to say it. Maybe I'll get around to some of it over the break.
A few things, in outline order:
1.) The internship at EALA ended up being a very incredible experience, and I can't wait to visit again! a.) Its kinda scary being a job hopeful for a company undergoing reorganization.
2.) Talk Like A Pirate Day was awesome as usual. a.) I was nearly arrested by six police officers for dressing as a ninja-dressed-as-a-pirate for Talk Like A Pirate Day. Probably not the best idea to wear any crazy and dark costumes on any campus that ends in "Tech" in the near future, fyi.
3.) I'm working on two sweet games that should rock hard if we can pull off the final push a.) The final 10% is the hardest of any project and we ain't there just yet
4.) Things are hectic and busy. I've been too busy with school to properly begin my job search (anyone need a Technical or Level Designer with relevant experience, a love for games, and a thirst for karaoke?) but I do have a ton to be thankful for! a.) My wonderful family: not perfect, not super rich, but incredibly loving, supportive and stable i.) playing board and card games ii.) plastic instrument jamboree iii.) pumpkin pie iv.) stories about Grandma b.) Great friends that don't forget me, even when I've been so wrapped up in other things to remember them as often as I'd like i.) seeing the Police live ii.) heartfelt phone calls iii.) finally joining facebook iv.) Settlers, Arkham Horror, Gubs, and Pirates Cove v.) Rock Band c.) Mariah i.) cuddly movies ii.) house parties iii.) salsa
Anyways, so much more. Thanks, everyone.
Also, drop me a line if you read this, I kinda wanna see where everyone at!
The cat has left the bag or at least has its whiskers out Newsweek has a short story about Steven Spielberg's EALA games, including a paragraph about the game I'm a design intern for.
Our short film Fanya Kaplan won "Best Picture" at the 2007 Campus Movie Fest (inter)National Finale!
That's right, a team of (mostly) engineers from Georgia Tech took on some of the best film programs in the nation and came away with a great experience and an awesome film.
A new friend! I won the One Laptop Per Child Game Design Challenge, so I get to bring home this little guy:
It has ears!
What I've really won is a charge. A charge to make games for a little machine that may change the world, or at least a few million children around it.
GDC is hectic and awesome. I've met so many wonderful people so far, from high school acquaintances to controversial game creators to industry big wigs. I have lots of new friends!
Campus Movie Fest for the Win! Our Russian-Lenin-assasination-nonkungfu short film Fanya Kaplan took first place in the Atlanta Campus Movie Fest grand finale!
See it in small form at the Campus Movie Fest website here
In other news, my article/interview with Scott McCloud is here: http://www.swisshelm.com/scott_mccloud/ (the sound is *really* low... so crank them speakers)
Also!
I'll be in San Francisco for the Game Developer's Conference from this Saturday to next Saturday. I'm a volunteer working the event, but it should be an incredible experience none-the-less. If any of you will be there, let me know!
One of the best moments of my life happened today... ... there were a couple of kids at Georgia Tech's IDT demo day, and I got to watch them having fun playing my game. They had to be pried away. The boy, about eight or nine years old, said "I want this for Christmas!"
Extra Life for Kids recap We raised juuust about $6,000 for Children's Miracle Network hospitals by playing a 36 hour gaming marathon back in October.
I had no trouble completing the 36 hours - in fact, I had a stack of single player games that I never even got to. I spent most of my time playing Settlers of Catan, Mario Party 7, Guitar Hero, Clubhouse Games, and Karaoke Revolution. This is the last marathon I'm running for a while at least (although I recently volunteered to be the Events Coordinator of GT's MediaTech club... don't know what kind of trouble that will land me in) but man was it a great time and I can't wait to play again next year.
Happy Halloween! I hope this Halloween brings you spooky fun with family and friends and a chance to reflect on the nature of life, death, fear, and the conquest over fear itself!
Its over, and now, movies! Well, we finished the gaming marathon and everyone rocked. Fourteen of us played through the entire 36 hours and we're spending today recouperating.
I just watched A Few Dollars More and I'll follow it up tonight with... From Dusk Til Dawn. Oh yes :)
Extra Life for Kids 2k6 for great justice! This weekend, I'll be playing videogames for 36 hours with 20 other dedicated gamers-for-good to raise funds for Atlanta Children's Miracle Network hospitals.
I'm planning on playing some great multiplayer games like Guitar Hero, Power Stone 2, and Pac Man Vs. I might get to finish up some games that I need to finish, like Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Shenmue 2, and Yoshi's Island. I'll show Rez to Gwen. I might settle Catan.
I've hardly had a chance to play games this semester, so this will be like a little vacation. A vacation that helps families pay for needed hospital care and supports research on childhood diseases! It will be most triumphant fun and I'm really looking forward to it!
If you'd like to learn a little more about what we are doing or would like to sponsor me in my marathon gaming endeavor, please check out the Extra Life for Kids GT 06 homepage, here: http://www.extralifeforkids.com/gt06.html
I protested for peaceful ninja-pirate relations today. Then I randomly met a bunch of pirates and we ended up singing sea shanties next to the library fountain.
Strange Assignment I'm taking a class this semester called "Constructing the Moving Image" which, in reality, is a class about machinima. Machinima is a genre of digital film created by using a real-time 3d engine, usually one from a commercial game.
I'm not a big fan of machinima.
But that's not what this post is about.
Our first assignment in the class was kind of strange. It basically boiled down to "learn Maya in a few days and make three 3d chess pieces."
So yeah, I'm back in Atlanta. EA Tiburon was great and I'll probably write more about that experience later. I have a lot of schoolwork to do, but I can't really complain because it mainly involves things like this and watching and writing about significant historical and sci-fi films. I've been dancing, singing, and putting a bunch of pictures up on facebook - if you are on facebook and haven't friended me, do it already! (John Swisshelm)
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