Mailbag

Public responses to emails sent via the contact form.

Monday Mailbag: a new MMO blog, Karma Tycoon

 Posted by (Visited 9476 times)  Mailbag
Jun 112007
 

It’s a very light mailbag this week. 🙂 Remember, anyone who wants to drop me a line and maybe get an answer here can send me an email here — be sure to click the checkbox so it goes to me instead of Webmaster. She’ll forward it, but why spam her mailbox…

Howdy Raph, Let me introduce my self, basically an MMO hobbyist going on 20 years+. I currently run a small software shop(procurement related) but decided to start writing some thoughts down. Will publish more over the next couple of weeks as time permits. Would love to hear your opinions on it. archimedian.wordpress.com

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Monday Mailbag: full body controls, racism, forums, education, & design docs

 Posted by (Visited 8877 times)  Game talk, Mailbag
Jun 042007
 

I have this crazy backlog of messages in the Mailbag. It would be much much worse if 2/3 of the messages that come in weren’t some variant of “Please don’t post this to your blog.” So I am thinking of making the mailbag a regular Monday thing — both so that greater variety of stuff gets sent in, and so that I clear it out more regularly.

Hey Raph, I’m a big fan of yours since the UO and SWG days and this is the first time I wrote to you. What do you honestly think of MMO games that uses full body motion sensors? Do you think it will be the future of gaming? A lot of hardcore gamers have trouble with a healthy lifestyle (since mmo requires a ton of your time planted in front of the TV/PC not moving) and an mmo/game that requires you to exert some physical effort (by using full body to control your game avatar) would be a great way to have fun as well as keep in shape. Nintendo wii’s nunchuck controls is the start of this great idea. I hope someone would bring this great idea further.

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From the Mailbag: Afghanistan and elsewhere

 Posted by (Visited 8190 times)  Mailbag
Nov 212006
 

I have literally hundreds of mails backed up from the Mailbag. There’s no way I will get to all of them. So here’s just a few recent ones, and maybe I’ll try doing another post soon. Or maybe I should do this weekly, or something.

Mr Koster. Let me first start off by saying I have been following you since you worked for Origin, and I am a big fan of your work. I have several questions I would like to get into. I am currently stationed in Afghanistan, and I have some free time on my hand, It has always been a personal goal to work for a company like EA, or Sony. Or Just a company who is involved with MMORPG’s I would like to also design a small game myself, Do you have any suggestions on where to start. Thank you for your time Alan SPC US Army Salerno Afghanistan

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From the mailbag

 Posted by (Visited 13213 times)  Mailbag
Jul 282006
 

I just got done reading Chapter Nine of your Theory of Fun for Game Design and I think it suffered for not having a functional definition of ‘art’. I’ll throw you the one that I developed and hope that you find it useful as it is very applicable to systems in general. “Art is a manifestation of Genius.” This definition does more than just separate ‘good art’ from ‘bad art’ subjectively, but allows art to spread accross a wide swathe of mediums and fields. Yes, a beautiful mathematics proof can be art. Computer programs (and even games) can be art. It makes art reflect upon the creator and context. One’s regard for Duchamp’s Fountain, for example, is based on whether one thinks it a cute idea, a clever idea, or a manifestation of genius. The definition also rids us of the notion that art is somehow about communication. The only thing that art universally tries to convey is ‘Look what greatness mankind has wrought’.

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From the mailbag: Rattlesnakes for Breakfast

 Posted by (Visited 11447 times)  Mailbag
Jul 102006
 

I’ve been bad and let the mail pile up. Even this only cuts it in half…!

OK so I’ve been reading your site since before it was a blog, since lumthemad.net was still a website. I read everything I can find about game development. I’m currently in community college (not doing well, but whatever), and I want to work in game design. I read a post where you pointed people in that kind of direction. One thing I’m not sure of, though, is once I get a diversified education, what do I do? I’m about to have an associates (2 year) degree from my school, and I have no idea what to do after that. You say learn coding, I’ve already got Flash’s Actionscript and some basic C++/C# down. Should I continue my education at a 4-year school? What should I major in, since I already (almost) have a Liberal Arts/Social Sciences degree? Start coding up some games and try to break into the industry? Apply for a job at a game company near where I live (yeah right, New York)? Start a blog that nobody will read and post thought-provoking essays? I’m at that point in my life where I need some direction, and as probably the most successful person in your field, you’d be the man to ask. I’m looking to spend my life making games and worlds, I just don’t know where to start. Thanks for your time, whether you respond or not.

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