tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3275337364422494842.post4691644422529327745..comments2023-10-23T12:54:57.702-07:00Comments on Games: Ouch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3275337364422494842.post-33189791408130319102008-05-29T16:49:00.000-07:002008-05-29T16:49:00.000-07:00Just yesterday I was noting that I've only ever wo...Just yesterday I was noting that I've only ever worked for one company that made money (it was Fore, my first year out of school). Since the dawn of the new millenium I haven't worked on a profitable project. I don't know how I can feel I've been successful in that time, but I've done alright for my purposes.<BR/><BR/>I feel bad for the people giving money to the funds that are investing in my companies though. They might as well have been giving the money directly to me - some strange form of white collar welfare.Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196699224099096820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3275337364422494842.post-3506399595554218852008-05-29T13:51:00.000-07:002008-05-29T13:51:00.000-07:00Well, that's the sticker - I don't necessarily thi...Well, that's the sticker - I don't necessarily think Metacritic is the be-all end-all arbiter of quality, but it's a fair measure of how a game's received critically, particularly since the games I've worked on have been aimed at a more-or-less mainstream audience (and not, for instance, a Disney game intended for kids).<BR/><BR/>More, though, if I look at the arc of my career, I started out working on games that were things I could really get behind. Seaman, for instance, remains the favorite of the games I've worked on - it's original, it's memorable, it's genre-defining, and charming in its gruffness.<BR/><BR/>The Urbz was a learning experience - more a foot in the door than anything else, and the Sims 2 had the cooking game that I'm really happy with in it. S2P was, for various reasons, not something I'm particularly fond of thinking about, though parts of the experience were really positive.<BR/><BR/>After that, things really start going downhill. While I'm proud of my work on the games that I've worked on, I can't *recommend* any of those games to anyone because overall, they're genuinely not good. And so while I've grown more confident in my personal abilities as a designer, I can't look at any of my work in the last year and show someone what I think I'm capable of.<BR/><BR/>Which is frustrating. So, yeah, I don't think of it as a measure of my self-worth necessarily, but it's a disappointing indicator that something is *wrong* with what I'm doing, career-wise.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14876657494623018294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3275337364422494842.post-61143095612054740872008-05-29T12:59:00.000-07:002008-05-29T12:59:00.000-07:00Metacritic means nothing. Ask yourself: are you h...Metacritic means nothing. Ask yourself: are you happy with what you made? IGN rips every game I work on a new asshole, but I'm not going to use that as a measure of my self-worth or design ability.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16014664372289436305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3275337364422494842.post-28697632618949535882008-05-29T10:20:00.000-07:002008-05-29T10:20:00.000-07:00I understand the pride & joy that comes with worki...I understand the pride & joy that comes with working on a product that you absolutely love and 100% endorese/stand by. And I understand how it feels when you work on something you don't believe in. :| Sucks, yeah?<BR/><BR/>I do hope that you consider what the score on those games would have been had you <I>not</I> been a part of the process, and compare it to the final score. Sure, it's hard to be completely objective about that kind of contribution and bring it down to a number, but you know that your contribution made each and every one of those significantly better. And there is good in that. <BR/><BR/>I know there will be better in the future.eingyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15993511877574923880noreply@blogger.com