Gameblurg » Inspiration

I wanna Move to the future, too!

Mauricio Bowers — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:17:39 +0000

Some time ago, we celebrated Microsoft's Jane Lynch. At the time, we hadn't seen either Nintendo or Sony make a move to grab a spokesperson and create memorable ads to sell videogames, services, etc. Luckily, I was wrong, or too impatient. So impatient, that if I would have waited a few months, I would've seen this guy. No related posts.

Give yourself permission to paint

Mauricio Bowers — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:59:10 +0000

When an artist grabs a paintbrush, whatever hits the blank canvas afterward is his responsibility. If he is suddenly crippled in the middle of a project from a lack of inspiration and begins to "think instead of paint", the painting may become a disaster. An artist can't let uncertainty and fear stifle him during in the middle of a project. An artist must continue to explore his mind and fill creative space with the results of his daydreaming. Videogame designers go through a similar creative process. In fact, it's an exact replica of what any designer in any medium goes through.

I think what I learned from Mr. Miyamoto is kind of the methodical, calm, creative approach. It's not just willy-nilly ad-hoc creative approach - just closing your eyes and swirling the paintbrush. He was very methodical in his approach to the process and highly iterative, and I think it was the secret to his success.

In the September 2009 edition of Game Informer, Howard Phillips recalls specific qualities that one must have during the creative process in order to create a successful product. An important factor in creating art is losing fear. Don't fear the results of a vague and blurry experiment. Stop being so afraid to daydream at work. Lose fear in blotching your paintings. If anything will benefit from just "swirling the paintbrush", your work will. Give yourself to your dreams, calm down and start doing whatever the hell you want. Related posts:

Give me all the bad dialog you got

The world is enough

Mauricio Bowers — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:49:29 +0000

All I want is a pretty world to excite my imagination. Ideally, if I can dive into a game and forget what time of the day it is when I come back to reality, I'm a happy camper.

A lot of times, people think they want realism when what they really crave is internal consistency within a given universe.

In the January edition of Game Developer, Zen of Design author Damion Schubert subtly but swiftly dissects what gamers really want in their games. A beautifully crafted game will envelope you in a culture of its own. Just as long as you aren't peeking around the corners at work looking for zombies, you should be fine. Related posts:

Hello world

Ooh…pretty pictures

Mauricio Bowers — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:19:30 +0000

THIS FEED IS NOT INTENDED FOR SYNDICATION! - Please visit http://www.gameblurg.com This month, Game Informer celebrates their top 200 games of all time in unique fashion. The lure to these covers is that they strip away the normal routine of displaying teasers to the inside content and instead, reveal a simplistic showcase of their main focus [...] No related posts.

How to sell a videogame

Mauricio Bowers — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:44:19 +0000

Sure it feels like a recruitment call and a brainwashing tactic rolled into one gorgeous advertisement, but you'd have to admit that if Microsoft manufactured an army, you'd enroll faster than you could say Sony Entertainment. Related posts:

V for videogames

Mauricio Bowers — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:38:44 +0000

The launch of a videogame doesn't have to be just its date and a few late night TV ads. The event can spawn into colossal beginning for a successful franchise. With a few well executed risks, a successful game launch can set it up for unprecedented success. No related posts.