A Couple Things to Share

I usually really enjoy seeing information from behind the curtain, especially when it comes to games. Even something as dry as otherwise-unknown subscription numbers can be a glimpse into the thinking of developers and publishers. Today I came across a fairly new blog by someone talking about his experiences in design for World of Warcraft. It isn't so much a matter of me seeing great revelations here, but I still find some of the personal accounts to be fascinating, including one entry where he relates going from implimenting someone else's ideas in Attumen to exploring his own with Shade of Aran to going overboard with Netherspite. The tale may have extra resonance as Karazhan was my first experience with raiding.

I just played through Journey this morning. It's a short game, purchasable online for PS3. At $15 and only 2-3 hours worth of game without a lot of incentive to replay, I can't say it makes my usual entertainment value ratio. And yet, it's better than that. It's moving in a way few games manage, and all this with no dialog. Logged in online, you can come across other players (though only one at a time), but you have no real way to directly communicate. But there are benefits to coorperation (and some drawbacks occasionally to having someone else there too). In the end, it is what it says - a journey - and it's a more emotional one conveyed purely through visuals, input, and music than I would have expected. It reminds me of "One moment of perfect beauty." Bonus points if you get the quote. That's... pretty awesome, really.

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