It's Not You, It's Me!

I've just recently started a new blog that you can check out at soundwavesurfer.blogspot.com. It'll be more pertaining to my developing career as a composer and sound designer.

Unfortunately, I won't be posting to the Cross Pad as much as I used to (a couple months ago:P) because of my busy schedule. SAD FACE. I had a great time, but now I must move on to bigger things. Thanks to everyone that's read any of my posts and I hope you'll keep following me on my other blog. Big thanks to Josh Clark for helping with the blogging duties here too. Not sure what he's going to do now, so I'll let him post his message.

BIG FAT THANKS!

Grab a boogie board and head over to my new blog!

Get Involved...All the Cool Kids are Doing It!!!

Okay, so I am proud to announce that I am officially a member of the GGDA, the Georgia Game Developers Association. What is GGDA, you ask? Simple, it's a group of video game developers that collectively embrace and support the thriving gaming industry within the great state of Georgia. They pool their knowledge and experience together to educate and evolve their fellow members, especially the n00bs (that's me).

I think it's very important that if you wish to become a part of this great industry, you must surround yourself with people that have more experience, thus allowing you to learn. Since my involvement with the Athens chapter of the GGDA, I have grown into something that I thought was only a dream (I'd like to personally thank Jordan Lynn and Casey O'Donnell for that).

So here's the reason I'm posting this, if you're reading this and you're thinking "Gee, that sounds like fun, I wish I could make games" then stop just thinking about it and do it! With all the resources out there for indie game developers there's no reason why you can't be successful! So here's a few tips on how to get started:

First, join a group. Find people in your area that are already making games, this will help you out more than anything. Be sure to check out the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) and see if there are any chapters in your area. That's your best bet. Here's a link to the "Chapters" page of the IGDA website.

Second, a craftsman is nothing without his tools! There is a plethora of freeware and cheapware (yes, I made that up) out there for any type of designer (programming, art, sound). You just need to find the right one for you. Personally, I'm currently working with UDK (Unreal Development Kit), it's a free version of Unreal 3. It's an all in one as for designing goes but you'll need at least a modeling program to really step up your games. Maya and 3ds Max are industry standard and you can get trial versions for the websites. With modeling, I'm sure you'd like to add some texture to those creations, Photoshop is pretty much the best and can be reasonably priced if you find the right version. There are also TONS of freeware programs that do the same thing, I've just grown to love PS. As for sound, anything from Garage Band to Pro Tools and Ableton work perfectly.

So there you have it, I have given you everything I can think of right now. If you know of anything I don't, like better programs, please leave a comment and share with your gaming brethren! Thanks for reading and game on! Oh, and go get involved!!!

Break Out the Bunny Ears!

Hey, guys, I know it's been a while but I think this article will more than make up for it. Brace yourselves, I'm about to drop a bomb.

Playboy (yes, the magazine) is launching a video game label.

I'm going to pause for a second and let that sink in - pause - you good? Okay, so here's the scoop. The Hef announced that he is partnering with Bigpoint, an online gaming company. Through this partnership, Playboy will distribute select Bigpoint games on their website, starting with Poisonville, an MMO currently in open-beta. According to the game description, Poisonville will feature "beautiful, Playboy-caliber women." Now let's be honest, men love Playboy. Men love video games. But should we question whether or not putting them together is a good thing. I doubt it is. This is what I see happening, a slew of cheaply made games featuring scantily clad women with vitrually no storyline or quality gameplay. Now, of course there will be a portion of people that say "So what? It's got hot girls!" This is a problem. We can't let the gaming industry turn into a medium for non-gaming companies to turn a quick profit. Let's hold every title to a higher standard because for every cheap, unimaginative title that's bought, a real, beautiful title loses money. Think about that next time you're walking through Gamestop or Play N Trade. Oh, and because of my general distaste for this, I'm not supplying you with any links to the game or the companies, sorry.

What do you think? Should we welcome Playboy and any other company with open arms to start developing and distrbuting titles or should we leave that to the companies that were founded to do that very thing? Post a comment with your views. As always, thanks for reading and game on!

Monday Eargasm #21: Metric - "Black Sheep"

Turn that radio off! We know you grow tired of the cookie cutter top 40 hits that's bombarded at you 23 time a day. Let us soothe your ears to something new and maybe introduce you to something entirely different, no tip required. All in a day's work for The Monday Eargasm:)

I'm in lesbians with this song.

Well, I'm back from my blogging vacation and I bring a kick-ass song with me for you. Featured prominently in my new favorite movie Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Metric's "Black Sheep" is filled with catchy indie flare and easily the best song on the soundtrack. Check out more them them at their website ilovemetric.com.