1- Looks like I will be KEYNOTING the game career conference at this year's GDC. I told them I would speak, did not know it would be a keynote!!! Jeeze, there's pressure. Well look, a few things: if you plan on going know this:
a- it is going to be very off the cuff. I'm gonna go through my career steps, give a little advice on what I would have done differently, and take questions during the whole talk. I told them I did not have time to plan out a big, detailed speech and they were like: 'no worries, just talk about how you got to be doing what you are.' And so that is what I will do :) If you plan on coming, bring lots of questions so we can just shoot the shit, talk, and share war stories.
b- Contrary to what you may think, I have no intention of this being a rant or soapbox session. I will answer questions as honestly as I can- as always- but I'm not lookiong to make waves or make a barbed point or anything like that. The whole thing is helping new folks get into the biz and/or advance where they are in the biz. So I will consider the talk a success if even one person takes one thing I did (or didn't do) on my career path and succeeds even a touch because of what we talked about. So if you are coming for a reble rousin' good time...well, that MAY happen but it's not the goal. Hell, it's never the goal...it just tends to happen sometimes :)... But so know that...if you are looking for drama, look elsewhere...cause my other goal is to keep the damn thing out of the press so I will be trying not to say ANYTHING that will get me a post on Kotaku :) Much as I LOVE Kotaku, I'm just ready for a drama free GDC! Oh and hey, I'm doing a fun thing with Kotaku at GDC, come to think of it...I'll fill you in when they let me.
2- Pics! Some random pics I thought I would share:
Went to pick up diapers last night for my kids...and it occurred to me, with the youngest being 2 1/2, ain't much longer I'm gonna need to be picking up the Pampers :( You never know what the future holds and hey, there are always grandkids, but man, I'm gonna miss diapers! Is that crazy?!?! Could be, but I've really loved having babies and very small kids around the house. Ah well, on to the next stage!!!
Decided to get on the ball and make my office look a LITTLE nicer...wife got this custom framed for me...it's 3-4 transparent sheets that I laid over the map of GOD OF WAR (back when it was called DARK ODYSSEY) in order to see where all the monsters and cut scenes and puzzles went...it's neat to look at the image now and see a very, very rough sketch of what ended up being the whole game!
Here are some close ups:
Ahh, the Hydra...and look at little stickman Kratos with his dual blades...man I suck at drawing! :)
Went to ebay and purchased- and then framed- four of the games that made me fall in love with video games when I was a kid: ADVENTURE, COMBAT, DODGE EM, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Funny thing is, if you look at Twisted Metal, God of War, and Calling All Cars, you can TOTALLY see the influence of those games!
And finally...yes, tomorrow is the big day out here in Cali...as well as in 21 other states. I am so excited and happy and proud to be voting for Obama. Look, I have not drunk the Kool Aid in that I KNOW he's a politician and I KNOW that no one is 100% what they promise in politics...but hell, if he's 40% of what he says, I'll be damn happy. Go Obama!