Here is the full outline of what I have developed over the years as my preferred Vision Doc format. Usually I do a one-sheet before this, which could literally be the first two pages of this. It’s mostly tailored towards largish projects, but could apply to smaller ones as well.

The purpose of this sort of doc is to make sure you have a core reference for “what you’re making” that you can hand to both internal and external folks. Losing sight of what you’re trying to make is a common pitfall on larger projects, and can be disastrous.

Read More “My Vision Doc outline”

game, game, game and again game.

So, honestly, it made me think. Certainly there was an overabundance of artsiness, but there was also raw application of game elements to discussing serious subjects. There were moments where I said “this is expressing something serious.” There were also moments where I said “gimme a break.”

The first one, entitled “Second Earth,” over at Technology Review, is an excellent summary of many of the “metaverse” trends. Mirror worlds, Google Earth, MMORPGs, etc etc — it’s all here. Trivia question for the audience: what MMORPG was John Hanke once involved in?

The second one is Julian Dibbell’s New York Times article “Life of a Chinese Gold Farmer.” (reg may be required). Until Ge Jin’s documentary comes out, this is one of the best glimpses into what the life of gold farming is actually like in China.

So sometimes, it seems it’s down to the simple things: a dye tub, a chat bubble, and thou.

–Commenter “Erkht”, on Broken Toys