gewgaw

“…I want my beanie controller!”

Driving home this evening I caught a bit of City Arts and Lectures on KQED. Tonight’s guest was John McPhee – author of countless articles and books, generally categorized as “environmental” in focus.

McPhee is a charming speaker – deliberate and wise, like his books. Talking about geology (one of his favorite topics) and geologic time, he gives the impression of both infinite patience and unwavering enthusiasm… things you don’t often expect together. Invigorated slowness. Transformational observation.

In discussing his gift for sketching people with words, the moderator asked McPhee how he managed to master the polysyllabic prose of science without driving the text to a dry and barren place. How did he decide to bend the reader’s mind to distressing environmental and economic issues from within almost poetic sketches of everyday people – truck drivers, sailors, farmers? Predictably, the answer was “That’s a tough question.”

But when asked why he opted out of soap boxing (especially after so carefully researching his subjects) – his answer was clear and simple. Why go to all that trouble, just to leave things up to the reader?

“I just think it’s more… artful.”

In McPhee’s mind, his readers are the most creative part of the equation. It’s up to them to draw conclusions – to “paint the canvas” from the few images he puts out there. So the *real* art is in providing an inspiring collection of images… a canvas with the potential to make a point.

—

Since my very first conversations with Doug and Warren, I’ve been a believer in “abdicating authorship”. Put the player in the creative position. Let them feel clever – support their vision of what the environment, play experience and outcomes could be. Give them the tools to make something better than you could possibly make on your own… something synthesized from their actions and memories, made concrete through trial and error.

What I realized today while listening to McPhee is that this same theory applies to the process of game production. Dictation makes for an easy journey in some ways – and can be very edifying for a designer. But it produces a weaker result, overall. Because it thwarts ownership, craft, and pride.

Writing up the design, getting things into the pipeline, and pushing towards the ship date – it’s all about enabling the people around you to do their best. Each day is an opportunity to be artful – to let others draw conclusions from the ideas you’ve set out in the beginning. Redesign, scope, iterate – whatever you do to get it done, you’re at your best as a team when each person gets to paint.

Today a big piece of our pipeline came online, thanks to the valiant efforts of an engineer named Chetan. In the thread that followed his announcement, someone posted “You are the man!” to which another posted this.

Better still: the site uses adwords to host ads – and points you to *real* lawyers!

And speaking of legal action:

A crafty payer steals EVE Online cash….

… worth an estimated 170k!

(ps: dig the simoleans joke).

A friend’s kid is running an “experiment” with random numbers. Take 5 seconds to complete it and then pass it on.

Maybe he’ll get a huge sample!!!

From a co-worker:

So about an hour after Forbes posted Michael Noer’s column about why marrying a woman with a career is bad ( a career woman being someone who is university educated or beyond, “works more than 35 hrs outside the home amd makes more than $30,000 a yr”) they pulled it down.

Now they have reposted with a coworker posting a counterpoint.

Michael Noer’s article reminded me why I never want to date an econ major ever again :P

There’s a pretty good video up on YouTube that shows off the ideas behind Love and Berry the collectible card/dance/paper doll game that I mentioned a while back. It’s a great example of a combination of collection, customization and action components which appeals to girls.

We all know that games have less of a stigma in Japan – which makes it more likely for girls to enjoy games there, in general. But I find myself wondering: how much does the success of this kind of game rely upon the relative safety of Japanese society? Being able to hang out in public in small groups (or even alone) makes it much easier to shop for cards at the toy store and hang out in arcade settings (where this game got its start).

*sigh*

I am writing docs today – chugging away. And what better music to do that to than swing, jazz and lounge? Kyle pointed me to some great tunes over the summer – and they really works well for me when I’m writing. It’s something about the rising and falling melodies, and lightweight lyrics. Reminds me of watching Bugs Bunny and old movies, I think.

I was just listening to Kay Kyser’s smooth, harmonious war-time tunes, and it has me wishing for a dancefloor, hairpins and some platform stack heels! Look at that gal’s updo!!

Actually – there’s more to it than that. I spent most of yesterday getting my chores done. Through laundry, dishes, closet-clearing and vacuuming I had Swingers (which I didn’t really like) Cinderella Man (which was passable enough), and Come See the Paradise (which was sad, if formulaic) were on in the background. The musical theme was unintentional, I assure you – but it did work out nicely!

No idea what all this is doing to my designs – but I’m pretty sure I’m wearing heels to work tomorrow!

:)

…in downtown San Francisco!

Once again, Laughing Squid was there to take fantastic photos of this wonderful event.

Iiii Smeelllll Braaaaiiiinnnnnnsss…..

I had a nice day today. I got up early, went to work and had a bunch of productive meetings and conversations. This included a chat with a new potential design hire (really liked them!), a great brainstorm about my game with the marketing team, and some interesting discussions about several core systems. And some goofing off with Charles, before he heads out for that BBQ trip I posted about earlier…

At 5 I got in my car to head back home, and All THings Considered was on. In one segment, they played some calls from the recently released 9/11 phone tapes… and it pretty much torpedoed my mood. I suppose I should have turned it off (it isn’t too hard to guess what they sounded like – especially towards the end) but I didn’t. And suddenly there I was, listening to a woman trapped on the 83rd floor of a building that is about to crumble talk about how she’s going to die…

Overcome with emotion, I turned off the highway and changed into my bike clothes (which wasn’t actually part of the original plan). I rode hard and fast for about an hour, just letting myself be sad. Even now, all I can feel when I think about the attacks (and now the war – or should I say “wars”?) is sadness. Life is so short, there is so little time… to spend it killing each other just seems insane. Just think of how many we’ve lost as the result of the religious zelotry, bigotry and imperialism that inspire this conflict on so many levels, over such a long period of time… and so many national boundaries!

It’s too bad that City Arts and Lectures doesn’t distribute transcripts of their broadcasts, or archive them. I desperately wanted to link to Robert Thurman’s recent talk as a way of turning this from a bummed-out post to a relatively positive pointer. If you know anyone who tapes these, please let me know – it was a really good discussion, which left me feeling upbeat (hopeful, even) despite all the crap mentioned above.

At least the bike ride helped.

Speaking of healthy eating – my friend Charles is going on a BBQ pilgrimage, and blogging it!

Mmm, saucy!

Take good pix, Chups – and eat safe!

Childhood Obesity Caused By ‘Toxic Environment’ Of Western Diets, Study Says

A UCSF researcher has determined that a key reason for the epidemic of pediatric obesity, now the most commonly diagnosed childhood ailment, is that high-calorie, low-fiber Western diets promote hormonal imbalances that encourage children to overeat.

——
In a comprehensive review of obesity research published in the August edition of the journal Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism, Robert Lustig, MD, professor of clinical pediatrics at UCSF Children’s Hospital, says that food manufacturing practices have created a “toxic environment” that dooms children to being overweight.

“It will take acknowledgement of the concepts of biological susceptibility and societal accountability and de-emphasis of the concept of personal responsibility to make a difference in the lives of children,” Lustig says.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the number of children who are overweight in the United States has doubled during the past three decades. Currently one child in five is overweight. The increase is true for children and adolescents of all age groups and races and for boys and girls.

Diseases that once were only seen in adults, like type 2 diabetes, now are occurring in increasing numbers in children, according to Lustig. Overweight children tend to become overweight adults, which also puts them at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Children who are obese also are socially ostracized and teased, putting them at risk for depression and other psychiatric conditions, he adds.

“Our current Western food environment has become highly ‘insulinogenic,’” Lustig says, “as demonstrated by its increased energy density, high-fat content, high glycemic index, increased fructose composition, decreased fiber, and decreased dairy content.”

“In particular, fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin,” he adds.

Lustig says that it has long been known that the hormone insulin acts on the brain to encourage eating through two separate mechanisms. First, it blocks the signals that travel from the body’s fat stores to the brain by suppressing the effectiveness of the hormone leptin, resulting in increased food intake and decreased activity. Second, insulin promotes the signal that seeks the reward of eating carried by the chemical dopamine, which makes a person want to eat to get the pleasurable dopamine “rush.”

Calorie intake and expenditure normally are regulated by leptin, Lustig says. When leptin is functioning properly it “increases physical activity, decreases appetite, and increases feelings of well-being.” Conversely, when leptin is suppressed, feelings of well-being and activity decrease and appetite increases — a state called “leptin resistance.”

Changes in food processing during the past 30 years, particularly the addition of sugar to a wide variety of foods that once never included sugar and the removal of fiber, both of which promote insulin production, have created an environment in which our foods are essentially addictive, he adds.

Lustig also notes that children cannot be blamed or expected to take personal responsibility for their dietary behavior in an environment when the foods they are offered — especially cheaply prepared “fast foods” that are full of sugar and devoid of fiber — are toxic.

“The concept of personal responsibility is not tenable in children. No child chooses to be obese,” he says. “Furthermore, young children are not responsible for food choices at home or at school, and it can hardly be said that preschool children, in whom obesity is rampant, are in a position to accept personal responsibility.”

“If we don’t fix this, our children will continue to lose,” he emphasizes.

More on the “starving effects” of high sugar intake here. Interested folks should also check out Food Fight and Food Politics to learn more about Big Food’s lobby activities and general motivation to extract money from the public with toxic products.

Q: A few years ago, Nintendo made a conscious decision to lie low when Microsoft introduced Xbox Live and began promoting its subscription online gaming service. In retrospect, does that look like a good decision?

A: I wasn’t here. What I can tell you is the way we’ve approached online play now is really with a view to the masses. With Nintendo DS (a dual-screen handheld player), for example, we offer free Internet play in a wide-ranging series of games. Our focus is getting as many consumers to enjoy that online experience as possible. And we’ve done that.

Q: You’re not pursuing a subscription model?

A: We view online gaming as essentially an enhanced way to enjoy the gaming experience and drive more sales of hardware and software.

Q: How do you extend your online strategy to Wii?

A: It’s the same premise. We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They’ll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you’ll be able to plug it in and go. It won’t have hidden fees or costs.

Awww yeah…

Good News: the new Edu Sig page has been updated and Susan is going full steam ahead with things now that she’s chair – I couldn’t have passed the torch to a nicer and more dedicated person! If you have thoughts about games and education, and are looking for a good place to make a difference – this could be it!

Flamining machines are just cool… but static electricity may be even cooler!

The best part about this show (as opposed to the one I saw in LA a few months back) was the scale. Holy crap! There were easily 3 times as many robots, much more fire, and the sonic mortar was totally out of this world. Each blast shot heat and sound in spectacular waves… shaking the ribcage.

Generally, I find that the shows feel less choreographed from a motion standpoint than a audio standpoint. As the machines start going and fumes fill the air – you’re especially sensitive to the noise they make. It’s as if your body is trying to alert you continually, even when you can’t see what’s making the noise (there were probalby 2000 people at this show, so it was a bit difficult to see at times, if you were up front).

Sadly, my favorite robot (the hovercraft jet gun thing) was a bit finicky, so they didn’t bring it as close to the crowd as last time. But that was a small disappointment, and pretty much eclipsed by the giant tesla coil with its spidery, arcing current. We stood right in front of it, and it sounded INSANE.

More photos from last Friday’s awesome SRL show here and here… with Laughing Squid making the best set so far.

How many people/conferences/organizations will jump on this bandwagon now?

is…

… a long bike ride in California hills, followed by a hot whirlpool bubblebath, with California wine, a good book (The Botany of Desire), tasty snack (flatbread with olive spread), and my palmtop – for texting and email about evening plans.

My parents are visiting this week – so I took some time off of work. With the exception of industry events and a few odd days for Art’s wedding, this is pretty much the only vacation I’ve had. And I have to admit: it was hard hard to step away from the game for a little R & R.

Why am I so compelled by my job? For starters I love my team, and I miss them when I’m gone. But also – things are really starting to gell now, and I love to watch as the game takes form. There’s nothing quite as magical as watching one of my teammates demo a new tool or system, looking over new character or environment art… or working with the rest of the design team to really whip a feature into fighting shape. Each day feels like an evolution, and I was a little reluctant to take my mind elsewhere.

But after a few days of tourist adventures, I’m happy I took the time to hang out with my folks and see the city. If you know me at all, you know I don’t see my folks too much. They live in Orlando which I really find horrid, and avoid on prinicple whenever possible. So you can imagine how nice it was to hear them gush about SF, the beautiful surroundings, weather and culture. Cause if visits can happen on my coast, I will be so much happier… especially since we have Beard Papa here!!

Seriously, though… looking over the photos from our adventures to so far, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could suggest Orlando over the Bay. It is just plain gorgeous – even on Alcatraz. How is that even possible??