Yeah, yeah. I took longer than I said I would. But hey, it's not like I was dragged from the computer, stripped, beaten, tied up, and thrown into the murky waters of the local dam like some other MMO enthusiast.
Besides, work, Christmas, and the stupid yokels at my telecommunications company don't mix. Here's a tip from Australia, kids - companies that have a monopoly on telephone lines aren't good for your teeth.
In any case, I finally got my copy of Raph's "A Theory of Fun for Game Design". It would have been in my stocking sooner, but when your work is going to buy a copy (at your suggestion, of course), I'm not in a rush to oogle cartoon penguins.
After a quick flip and cop of an eyeful through the book, I learned two things. Learning something new every day keeps the doctor away, or something like that, so I'm cheering now that I've got an excuse note that lets me out of learning anything tomorrow. So, today I learned:
1) Raph is younger than I thought. Seriously. I don't know why, but I was under the assumption that Raph was treading waringly into the dark corridors of his early 40's. Maybe it has something to do with that fact he seems to have been around in the genre, as a main figure mind you, for the last 10 years. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that his ascention to "Grand Poobah of SOE Original Ideas, And Creative Elements 'Borrowed' From Other Games" seemed to have happened relatively quickly, considering that his first design job was working on Ultima Online. Or maybe it has something to do with the beard. It must be the beard.
2) Raph knows his shit. Seriously x2. Coming from a professional and social background in gaming, coupled with a degree in psychology, and added to that my opinions on the failures (and triumphs) of Raph-related MMOs, I was kinda suspicious about how this book would go down. But a gander at Chapter 2 and Chapter 8 cast the suspicion aside. For those in the cheap seats, those chapters refer to the brain, and to the behavior of people. Plus they've got cool drawings on the right-hand side of the book that can be read on after to create a small, yet pointful, story. Drawings for the win.
Expect an actual review of the book once I'm done reading through it. And getting passed Raph's healthy obsession with M.U.L.E.
I look forward to the review.
I graduated college and 20, and got my MFA at 23, and started work on UO immediately thereafter. I was a 24-year-old punk kid when I was on UO.
Mathematicians are professionally dead by my age. I wonder where game designers fall.
Posted by: Raph | January 05, 2005 at 11:25 AM
Gosh Raph looked at SWG lately? Your best work is behind you. ;^)
I'm 40, I know these things.
Posted by: D-0ne | January 05, 2005 at 04:53 PM