Showing posts with label Game Design. Show all posts
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After a long time of avoiding questions about my current project, I'm excited to finally say that Agents of Mayhem has been announced! Check out the trailer on IGN :)
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After a long time of avoiding questions about my current project, I'm excited to finally say that Agents of Mayhem has been announced! Check out the trailer on IGN :)
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I came across this the other day and absolutely love it! Anyone in the industry will get a kick out of it and it's good insight for those that are interested in making games.
I came across this the other day and absolutely love it! Anyone in the industry will get a kick out of it and it's good insight for those that are interested in making games.
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A panel with fellow Game Developers Grant Shonkwiler and Elbert Perez where we talk about how to impact your players in today's games.
A panel with fellow Game Developers Grant Shonkwiler and Elbert Perez where we talk about how to impact your players in today's games.
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A panel with fellow Game Developers Chance Glasco, Elbert Perez, and Cordy Rierson where we talk about the current console generation. Moderated by Rob Coble.
A panel with fellow Game Developers Chance Glasco, Elbert Perez, and Cordy Rierson where we talk about the current console generation. Moderated by Rob Coble.
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A short interview with tips on using your time at Full Sail effectively and preparing for getting your first job in Game Development.
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A short interview with tips on using your time at Full Sail effectively and preparing for getting your first job in Game Development.
You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe via RSS or email. Please support the blog by doing your Amazon.com purchases through this link.
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Presentation at Full Sail University in 2011 where I talk about my first 10 years in Game Development. The Powerpoint presentation I used can be found HERE
Presentation at Full Sail University in 2011 where I talk about my first 10 years in Game Development. The Powerpoint presentation I used can be found HERE
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Just as I was struggling to hold it together, Garry Jones finds a way to keep me going. Love this man, love my school.
Just as I was struggling to hold it together, Garry Jones finds a way to keep me going. Love this man, love my school.
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It's time for my favorite week of the year! I want to see as many of you as possible, so I'm including my scheduled time below. Click the links for more detailed info. My time outside of these events is pretty limited...it's a hectic week! But, I'll do my best to make time for anyone that wants to chat :)
Open Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
2:00PM - Workshop: Life After Full Sail
Hosted by Larry Katz
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 112A
4:00PM - Gaming Greenroom
Open Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
Open Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
2:00PM - Panel: Beyond Mechanics: Designing a More Powerful Game
Moderator: Fernando De La Cruz
Full Sail Building 3B, Auditorium
4:00PM - Gaming Greenroom
Open Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
Open Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
2:00PM - Panel: 48 Hour Game Project Presentations
Hosted by Robin Koman
Full Sail Building 3B, Room 113
You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe via RSS or email. Please support the blog by doing your Amazon.com purchases through this link.
It's time for my favorite week of the year! I want to see as many of you as possible, so I'm including my scheduled time below. Click the links for more detailed info. My time outside of these events is pretty limited...it's a hectic week! But, I'll do my best to make time for anyone that wants to chat :)
Wednesday, February 17th 2016
11:00AM - Gaming GreenroomOpen Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
2:00PM - Workshop: Life After Full Sail
Hosted by Larry Katz
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 112A
4:00PM - Gaming Greenroom
Open Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
Thursday, February 18th 2016
11:00AM - Gaming GreenroomOpen Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
2:00PM - Panel: Beyond Mechanics: Designing a More Powerful Game
Moderator: Fernando De La Cruz
Full Sail Building 3B, Auditorium
4:00PM - Gaming Greenroom
Open Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
Friday, February 19th 2016
11:00AM - Gaming GreenroomOpen Session Meet & Greet w/ Students
Full Sail Building 3F, Room 111A
2:00PM - Panel: 48 Hour Game Project Presentations
Hosted by Robin Koman
Full Sail Building 3B, Room 113
You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe via RSS or email. Please support the blog by doing your Amazon.com purchases through this link.
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I'm focusing on getting back to the things I enjoy and improving myself both personally and professionally this year. Luckily I have a lot of overlap in those areas :) So, here's my resolutions for 2015:
Consistent Blogging - I really fell off of blogging last year and missed it a lot. This year I'm committing to at least one post a week and hopefully much more than that. Part of what I intend to do is regular updates on the progress of the resolutions below.
Game Design Focus - This is one that will be hard to list a set of criteria for, but my goal is to use this year to work hard at improving my craft and being a better Game Designer. It will be a combination of reading more articles, focusing on getting better with the tools I use daily, and doing more competitive analysis. I'll just have to evaluate my progress as I go.
10 Hours Played - I realized that finishing more games wasn't realistic for me, so my goal this year is to experience as many of the games in my catalog as I can. So, I've decided to put 10 hours into each game I play and then move on to try something else. My hope is that I can achieve this for 25+ games, but really care most about putting in time each week and experiencing all I can. There will be a handful of games that I play much more than this too :)
10 Pounds Lost - This is actually going to be a difficult one for me because even though I work out nearly every day, my weight is staying pretty consistent. I'm building muscle and getting leaner, but I really want to get about 10 lbs lower than I am right now and then keep that going forward. This is going to mean eating better, which sucks...but this isn't supposed to be easy right?
Consistent Blogging - I really fell off of blogging last year and missed it a lot. This year I'm committing to at least one post a week and hopefully much more than that. Part of what I intend to do is regular updates on the progress of the resolutions below.
Game Design Focus - This is one that will be hard to list a set of criteria for, but my goal is to use this year to work hard at improving my craft and being a better Game Designer. It will be a combination of reading more articles, focusing on getting better with the tools I use daily, and doing more competitive analysis. I'll just have to evaluate my progress as I go.
10 Hours Played - I realized that finishing more games wasn't realistic for me, so my goal this year is to experience as many of the games in my catalog as I can. So, I've decided to put 10 hours into each game I play and then move on to try something else. My hope is that I can achieve this for 25+ games, but really care most about putting in time each week and experiencing all I can. There will be a handful of games that I play much more than this too :)
10 Pounds Lost - This is actually going to be a difficult one for me because even though I work out nearly every day, my weight is staying pretty consistent. I'm building muscle and getting leaner, but I really want to get about 10 lbs lower than I am right now and then keep that going forward. This is going to mean eating better, which sucks...but this isn't supposed to be easy right?
You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe via RSS or email. Please support the blog by doing your Amazon.com purchases through this link.
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I'm looking forward to 2015 and want to get back to the things that I've neglected a bit this past year...consistent blogging being a major one. I'll do a post soon about my Resolutions for the coming year, but first:
Update on 2014 New Year's Resolutions
$1 Increase Savings - I completed this goal completely! I also have used the money for my Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland next month and will be staying an extra week to visit friends, so hit me up if you want to get together!
Try 365 new beers - Complete success and I'll have a post coming up soon about this in detail.
Watch Old Movies - Success, I didn't get to some that I wanted to but I met the goal that I set out to achieve.
Finish More Games - Fail, but I have a better plan for me in 2015...more on that coming soon.
Read more Game Design Articles and Learn Unity - Biggest area for improvement here :/ I'm focused on improving my skills this year and hope to hit these way harder.
Update on 2014 New Year's Resolutions
$1 Increase Savings - I completed this goal completely! I also have used the money for my Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland next month and will be staying an extra week to visit friends, so hit me up if you want to get together!
Try 365 new beers - Complete success and I'll have a post coming up soon about this in detail.
Watch Old Movies - Success, I didn't get to some that I wanted to but I met the goal that I set out to achieve.
Finish More Games - Fail, but I have a better plan for me in 2015...more on that coming soon.
Read more Game Design Articles and Learn Unity - Biggest area for improvement here :/ I'm focused on improving my skills this year and hope to hit these way harder.
You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe via RSS or email. Please support the blog by doing your Amazon.com purchases through this link.
See other Game Design posts
See other Game Development posts
See other Fitness posts
See other Random posts
See other Game Development posts
See other Fitness posts
See other Random posts
Follow @JamesonDurall
I don't normally do much in the way of resolutions...but I hope for 2014 to be a big year and I have lots of things in mind to help make that happen! I have a set of things I'm doing along with Lisa as well as another set that I'll be working toward on my own. As a bonus...I plan to blog regularly about the progress of these throughout the year!
Joint Resolutions:
Joint Resolutions:
- Run 1400 Miles Together - Lisa and I plan to run 1400 miles to celebrate 2014...700 each. We have a couple of half marathons planned already so we should be well on our way to it just from our required training. I'll be using my Garmin software to track my progress: http://connect.garmin.com/profile/siawnhy
- Weight Loss Goal - We each have a target weight we want to get to that pushes us to eat better an exercise consistently to get there and keep the weight off.
- 30 Day Plank Challenge - I found a plan that builds up from a 20 second plank to a full FIVE minute plank by the end of 30 days! It sounds overwhelming, but having gone through the Couch to 5k plan...I'm optimistic.
- $1 Savings Increase Plan - It's a simple plan really...you start by putting $1 into savings the first week of the year and then increase that amount $1 each week. The final week of the year, you put in $52 and have around $1400 saved! Now we just have to decide what we are going to do with the money. Suggestions?!
- Plan 4 Creative Dates - We have decided to each plan 4 Creative Dates this year. I'd imagine some will require traveling to a bigger city, or trying something new. I have a few ideas in mind, but am always open to hearing suggestions. :)
Personal Resolutions:
- Try 365 New Beers - I love trying new beers, so I've decided to attempt trying an average of one new beer a day for the entire year! I'll be using the Untappd app to track this which has a Distinct Beer section. Send me an invite if you want to see my progress or join me :)
- Learn Unity - I have mainly used proprietary engines during my Game Design career and haven't had much time to learn a more mainstream tool set. I am familiar with Unity, but have decided to spend at least one hour each week learning to use it.
- Read Game Design Articles - I don't read nearly enough of the articles I come across that sound interesting about Game Design so this is an attempt to get myself reading more of them. I hope to read way more than just one a week, but I'm trying to set a realistic goal. Send along articles you think are must reads!
- Watch Old Movies - I keep saying I need to see some classic movies I've never gotten around to like Casablanca, Singing in the Rain, The Public Enemy...really most of the movies in The Great Movie Ride at Disney Studios. So, I plan to watch at least one a month this year.
- Finish More Games - Last, but certainly not least, is my desire to finish more games this year. I slacked off a bit last year and have a huge stack in front of me that I need to get through. So, I plan to finish at least one a month this year. I hope to finish way more than my goal on this one as well.
So, that's the list! What do you think? I'd be happy to hear any suggestions for things to watch, read or play that will help me to reach my goals.
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2012 was a pretty rough year for me in a lot of aspects of my life, but I've made it through and am figuring out how to go forward. It wasn't all bad and I did have some fantastic people helping me get through. But, there are some things I want to focus on in 2013...so I guess you would call these my New Year's resolutions:
Blogging
My blogging took too much of a backseat this last year and I intend to fix that. Expect regular updates across a variety of subjects :)
Game Design
There are several books on Game Design that I want to read this year and some other activities that I want to do in order to make myself a better designer. I'll be updating you with what I learn.
Fitness
Now that I've lost the weight I need to, I'm working on keeping it off and improving my overall fitness. I'll continue running and posting about races as well as trying new workout classes, etc. I plan to start Triathlon training at some point soon!
Photography
I've been having a lot of fun with my Canon T3i DSLR and want to learn more about the art of photography. I'll be posting about what I learn along the way as well as some sample photos that hopefully don't suck.
Co-Op w/ Kian
Now that my son is living apart from me, I'll be focusing on our game time together through online services like Xbox live and Steam. I'll post about how it's going as well as looking for suggestions on new games we should try.
Keep in touch and let me know what topics or individual posts you'd like to see!
Blogging
My blogging took too much of a backseat this last year and I intend to fix that. Expect regular updates across a variety of subjects :)
Game Design
There are several books on Game Design that I want to read this year and some other activities that I want to do in order to make myself a better designer. I'll be updating you with what I learn.
Fitness
Now that I've lost the weight I need to, I'm working on keeping it off and improving my overall fitness. I'll continue running and posting about races as well as trying new workout classes, etc. I plan to start Triathlon training at some point soon!
Photography
I've been having a lot of fun with my Canon T3i DSLR and want to learn more about the art of photography. I'll be posting about what I learn along the way as well as some sample photos that hopefully don't suck.
Co-Op w/ Kian
Now that my son is living apart from me, I'll be focusing on our game time together through online services like Xbox live and Steam. I'll post about how it's going as well as looking for suggestions on new games we should try.
Keep in touch and let me know what topics or individual posts you'd like to see!
You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe via RSS or email. Please support the blog by doing your Amazon.com purchases through this link.
See other Game Design posts
See other Photography posts
See other Co-Op w/ Kian posts
See other Random posts
See other Photography posts
See other Co-Op w/ Kian posts
See other Random posts
Follow @JamesonDurall
This past week I appeared on not one...but two podcasts about the gaming world!
I made my second appearance on the Pixel Damage Podcast hosted by Mike Block and will be joining as a semi-regular on the upcoming episodes. We talk about gaming news, what we've been playing and anything else that's on our minds concerning the gaming world. This episode can be found HERE.
Next was my second appearance on The Grey Area Podcast hosted by Jenesee Gray. We talked a lot about what I'm up to lately as well as current gaming news and topics. The episode should be available tomorrow.
If you have any follow up questions from what you hear, let me know!
This past week I appeared on not one...but two podcasts about the gaming world!
If you have any follow up questions from what you hear, let me know!
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Today's question comes from Cody (coteee26) who asks:
"What is the typical work week like in the industry?"
This varies greatly depending on what stage of development your project is in, even with that...it varies greatly so below is what I have experienced over my career at mainly larger game studios.
This varies greatly depending on what stage of development your project is in, even with that...it varies greatly so below is what I have experienced over my career at mainly larger game studios.
During Pre-Production a Game Designer will spend a large amount of their time in brainstorm sessions trying to nail down the ideas that they want to pursue for the game. A lot of time is usually spent playing games of similar type and doing competitive analysis. The focus of this stage of development is to create a compelling set of features and get everyone on the same page about where the game is headed.
The pace is generally relaxed and people feel free to explore ideas and focus on the types of things that get thrown out quickly in later stages of development when the going is fast and furious. Work hours tend to be more 9-5 and spouses aren't acting as single parents.
Once you start moving into Production, the focus changes to implementing and iterating. You've, hopefully, just spent Pre-Production proving out your ideas and are ready to get moving. Building that first version of a mission or balancing that new player attack almost always gives you ideas to improve and sometimes even find your ideas didn't work at all the way you hoped.
The meetings start to lessen a bit as people are at their desks more...but there is usually still a fair amount with continual reviews of your work, etc. Home life can stay normal for the biggest chunk of production, but at times you'll work extra because you fall behind, hit bugs, or just really want to make that certain part of the game shine.
Post Production is when things change to "Stop adding stuff and make sure it's not broken". It is often a very busy time with lots of bugs needing fixed and the final polish needing to go in to get your scores up. Meetings are almost non existent at this point and you often feel chained to your desk. If a top priority bug comes in, you will get a phone call any time of the night to get in and fix it now...or else everyone else could be hosed and unable to work.
This is by far the most stressful part of development in my opinion, but also feels very productive and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You know it's the last chance you have to make this as special as you can and soon everyone is going to be able to experience your hard work. After this...the cycle repeats for your next title, unless you get tossed onto something else that needs help finishing! :)
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Today's question comes from Terry Vallo who asks:
"Why is it that there are far more Senior positions available on Game Job boards? Is it due to a major lack of experience on AAA titles or a major crackdown in the HR department?"
"Why is it that there are far more Senior positions available on Game Job boards? Is it due to a major lack of experience on AAA titles or a major crackdown in the HR department?"
This is something that has been common in the Games Industry for as long as I can remember. Game companies get lots of resumes all the time for jobs that they post and a good percentage of those applicants are often under qualified for what they are applying for.
Imagine how many more applicants they would get if they actually posted an entry level position that requires no game development experience? This coupled with the fact that in today's industry with so many schools around we finally have avenues to find out who the ideal candidates are instead of going wide to the general public.
I don't remember ever seeing an entry-level position being advertised anywhere but the truth is that they are often there if the right person shows up. I got my second job by contacting someone I had met at GDC to just ask if there was anything available, even though no Design positions were listed on the site. He brought me in and hired me shortly after...so it never hurts to ask! Send in your resume along with work examples to all the places you're interested in and maybe they'll give you a look.
Most of these positions that I have seen filled come from recommendations of current employees who know of a tester or recent game development graduate that they think will be a good fit. Personally, I contact Full Sail any time that I have something available to see if any recent top of the class grads are looking for work. So, who you know still makes a huge difference in this industry.
I hope this helps and keep the questions coming everyone!
Today's question comes from Mark Galvez who asks:
"If you had to move out of state to further your education in this career/major, would you do it knowing you'd leave behind someone you consider your best friend, as well as the family members in your home?"
This is a tough one and the answer probably varies greatly from person to person. What I can do is tell you what it was like for me 13 years ago and how difficult a decision it was for me to make.
I knew from childhood that I wanted to make video games, but had no idea how to go about actually getting there. I did what I could...playing lots of games and focusing on PC hardware to stay current, but that wasn't getting me any closer. Then I heard about Full Sail starting up a Game Design program, but it was in Orlando and I had never lived outside of Kentucky where most of my family resides.
I had a bit decision to make...do I stay where I'm comfortable or move to a place where I only knew one person and essentially restart my life? After a lot of thought I realized that it was my chance to do what I always dreamed of and had to give it a shot. It was a huge change and became a lot of work as I gave everything I had to my education, but was TOTALLY worth it for me.
I knew from childhood that I wanted to make video games, but had no idea how to go about actually getting there. I did what I could...playing lots of games and focusing on PC hardware to stay current, but that wasn't getting me any closer. Then I heard about Full Sail starting up a Game Design program, but it was in Orlando and I had never lived outside of Kentucky where most of my family resides.
I had a bit decision to make...do I stay where I'm comfortable or move to a place where I only knew one person and essentially restart my life? After a lot of thought I realized that it was my chance to do what I always dreamed of and had to give it a shot. It was a huge change and became a lot of work as I gave everything I had to my education, but was TOTALLY worth it for me.
So, ultimately it comes down to how badly do you want it? Keep in mind that this is a temporary move for your education and then you have to see what the job market provides. Luckily these days you can make games for mobile devices easily from anywhere once you have a good education so moving back home could be an option for you.
Don't think just because someone can't make this kind of move that they don't have deep desire. Luckily there are fantastic options online now to get a degree in Game Design and not have to relocate. Full Sail recently added an online Game Design curriculum that I was on the advisory board for this year and I was really pleased with the program. If you really want to learn Game Design but can't relocate...take a look.
If you have any follow up questions or comments use the comments section below, Twitter or Facebook. Also, send in any other Game Design questions you have for future Q&A posts!
Don't think just because someone can't make this kind of move that they don't have deep desire. Luckily there are fantastic options online now to get a degree in Game Design and not have to relocate. Full Sail recently added an online Game Design curriculum that I was on the advisory board for this year and I was really pleased with the program. If you really want to learn Game Design but can't relocate...take a look.
If you have any follow up questions or comments use the comments section below, Twitter or Facebook. Also, send in any other Game Design questions you have for future Q&A posts!
