Games Addiction – The Silver Lining
Posted on | December 7, 2010 | No Comments
While half the games industry is stuck in a yes-they-are-no-they’re-not argument about whether games really are addictive (or compulsive, or harmfully habitual) I thought I’d take a different approach. If games are addictive then this might turn out to be a good thing.
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Nintendo / Sony: Next Gen Handhelds Need Any-Way-Up Gaming
Posted on | November 8, 2010 | No Comments
We already know what the Nintendo 3DS looks like, and if the leaks are to be believed, we’ve also had a glimpse of Sony’s PSPhone. The thing that I’ve been asking myself is, why are they doing their best to limit the options for game designers?
The rise of the iPhone (iPod Touch) has taken both Sony and Nintendo by surprise, and while the aggressive price of the games is one factor, I think one of its more subtle advantages is in the flexibility of its form. You see, the iPhone is as capable of hosting games in portrait format as it is landscape.
Gamification? We Need More Ghost Cars
Posted on | October 23, 2010 | 4 Comments
Gamification is a hot topic. It seems like every new start-up suggests bolting on video game-style awards and achievements to transform any activity into pure fun. I think game design techniques can make the world a better place, but points and badges are not the be all and end all. I’m going to explain why they’re not the answer, and why another feature of games – the ghost car – offers so much more potential for game inspired design.
Changes
Posted on | October 22, 2010 | No Comments
Yes, I know I’m not the most prolific blogger…sorry. But changes are a-coming.
I recently left Tuna and I’m planning to launch my own company in the very near future. Ill be spending the rest of the year getting some exciting projects off the ground, and hopefully blogging a bit more than I did last year.
I’ve also upload copies of the pdfs that I used to create my game design sketchbooks here: http://www.andrewcrawshaw.co.uk/sketch/templates.html Go and help yourself – they’re free! (And as much as I like Lulu.com, I’m not sure that their products are the best format for my sketchbooks. SO save yourself a few pennies, download the pdfs, and print as you need. It’s cheaper and greener).
Self-Publishing
Posted on | November 28, 2009 | 2 Comments
I’ve just self-published my very first books – The Game Developers’ Sketchbooks – via Lulu. Here’s the story of how and why I did it.
Breaking News: People Are Going To Stop Buying Games
Posted on | October 4, 2009 | 1 Comment
The internet has been alight with stories heralding the imminent death of the newspaper industry. Just this week the London Evening Standard has decided to become a free offering. After 180 years of being sold to Londoner’s on their way home from work, the only way they can see a future for themselves is to give their product away for free.
So why does this interest me, a game developer? Well I think the signs are that we might well be exiting the last generation of customers that are willing to pay, en masse, for their media content, whether that is newspapers, music, films, or videogames. Soon we won’t be able to sell videogames.
Silicon Valley Diary #6 – Pixar
Posted on | April 20, 2009 | No Comments
With three frantic days of meeting and visits nearing an end, and some of the group feeling the pace, I was still in a buoyant mood. Our next visit had, at one point, been cancelled. When we heard the news I was gutted. Fortunately, one of Cross Creative’s previous visiting presenters, Dan from the fantastic Six to Start, had managed to pull a few strings on our behalf and had sealed the deal (thanks). This was it – we were going to see Pixar!
As the minibus rolled up to the gateway of the complex, pilgrims to this digital Mecca were taking snapshots of the public face of our hosts – the iron lettered Pixar logo. Those five letters were the boundary between the fanboy tourists (which I would normally have been very happy to be one of) and the very lucky buggers like us that were going to be allowed to enter…
Silicon Valley Diary #5
Posted on | April 19, 2009 | No Comments
Cross Creative’s tour of Silicon Valley was beginning its third and final day. We’d already seen some stellar companies, and the invites that Carole (from TRC) and Will (from UKTI) had secured for today were going to continue that trend.
Our first visit of the day was back over in Palo Alto, with the current daddy of social networks, Facebook. Read more
Silicon Valley Diary #4
Posted on | April 10, 2009 | No Comments
Just to set the scene – I am a big fan of Star Wars. I was born just at the right time to get caught up in the whirlwind of the first film, and became an instant addict.
Today we were going to meet with some of Lucas’ key staff… Read more
Silicon Valley Diary #3
Posted on | April 9, 2009 | No Comments
The early night had done the trick; my batteries were recharged and a quick trip to the nearby Starbucks for a burst of caffeine before we boarded the minibus was the ideal setup for another day of meetings.
We had an earlier than usual start to the day so that we could squeeze in a hastily rearranged meeting over in Palo Alto.
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Latest Tweets- andrewcrawshaw: @culturevultures How about doors, pedestrian crossings and ATMs powered by facial recognition that only work if you smile / wink at them? ;)
- andrewcrawshaw: @edfear @indiegamescom With co-dev becoming more popular we need TIGA / UKIE to commission a co-dev boilerplate agreement for UK indies.
- andrewcrawshaw: @spadgy_OTA Nice. I inherited my brothers Yamaha console and 14 carts including Nemesis (Gradius), Sky Jaguar and Yie Ar Kung Fu 2 :)
- andrewcrawshaw: @spadgy_OTA Loved my MSX. Still got it and a bunch of carts. I wonder how many XBox owners know its roots M(icro)S(oft)X
- andrewcrawshaw: @PercyBlakeney63 @gamesbritannia @BAFTAGames a #BaftaGamesQT session in Yorkshire? Yes please
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