Not Just Another Zombie Apocalypse

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Meg

north-interview-featured (1)New interview with Sarah Northway from Northway Games.

I asked Sarah about the growing freemium trend. “I’ve been hearing some real cautionary tales of indie games releasing only a free version with IAP.” Sarah says, “Free-to-play is territory best left to unscrupulous optimizers like Zynga.” Zynga, the producers behind scores of derivative freemum social games, is unfortunately why most of us shudder when a game ends in -Ville.  Although she sees a potential for a well-balanced free-to-play MMORPG to actually be free to play, Sarah plans to steer clear of designing for freemium and “making people pay because they don’t want to wait all day for some plant to grow or because they’re out of “energy” and not allowed to play the game anymore. That’s the worst.” (We couldn’t agree more.)

This was a great interview, I loved hearing about the next Rebuild, and snarking about bad freemium design. I’m so very impressed that Sarah and Colin Northway manage to travel the world together AND work developing interesting games, which makes me feel that it’s totally possible to combine the two things I love best.

Via Not Just Another Zombie Apocalypse: An Interview With Sarah Northway on Hardcore Droid.

Posted in Chapel Hill, Game Reviews, Gaming Culture, North Carolina | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My Internal Monologue, #5

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Meg

How many F-bombs do I get to use?

-Was not actually what I said when my editor asked if I’d be interested in writing an editorial discussing the massive layoffs in the games industry.

Posted in New York City | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Flavortext

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Meg

I recently wrote about Avabel, a beautiful tablet MMO with a truly terrible UI, for Geek. I struggled to describe the frustrations of a gorgeous gameworld made fairly inaccessible by almost incomprehensible localization and an awkward UI, and hoped that the game points to great new development for tablet MMOs.

But if you don’t feel like reading the article, this screencap sums it up.

avabel text

I can’t see the world because almost-sentences and abbreviations are covering it!

Related: People actually do read game text!

Posted in North Carolina | Tagged , | 1 Comment

This is Why I Don’t Want To Connect Submittable To Facebook

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Meg

SubmittableThis picture is for my returned expat friend Gabrielle Olexa, who’s currently chronicling her rejection letters on her blog. These aren’t actually all my Submittable rejections but trying to shrink the font size to fit more rejections in the screencap was just depressing. (Like Gabrielle, I think constant rejection means you’re trying.)

Submittable (formerly Submishmash) is still my favorite way to receive rejections, I mean, my favorite way to submit to fiction contests and manage my submissions.

 

Posted in New York City | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Gemini Rue

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Meg

The iOs build of Gemini Rue is out today!

photoThe iOS version is very true to the original’s point-and-click interface, while still taking advantage of the touchscreen’s capabilities. Players will navigate similar screens and will tap to investigate areas or items. The iOS build will go for $4.99, but the game launches at a discounted price of $3.99.

Wadjet Eye typically develops and publishes PC games, like Resonance with XII Games, Primordia withWormwood Studios, and the Blackwell series. Apparently, we’re all huge Wadjet Eye fans at Indie Game Mag — a quick search of the name turns of dozens of glowing posts! This build of Gemini Rue is Wadjet Eye’s first iOS release.

Also, I helped out beta testing, and played through several times without getting sick of the game! In my testing experience, that has not often been the case.

Via ‘Gemini Rue’ Out Now For iPad on Indie Game Magazine

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Life Milestones: My Blog in MLA Format

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Meg

Screenshot 2013-02-11 at 1.42.54 PM

So I was idly auto-Googling, the way you do when it’s three A.M. and your fiance is snoring (to wake the dead) (in graveyards several states away), and I came across this list of sources for a discussion of women in gaming at Bento Miso in Toronto.

It was pretty awesome to see my blog in MLA format, but being listed between Erin Robinson of PuzzleBots and IndieCade, and Roberta Williams of King’s Quest was really stunning.

Posted in North Carolina | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Slow Boat

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Meg

Got a review copy from an editor today. Sometimes Harold tells me that Brooklyn isn’t all that far away, but seeing a book that took two weeks to come from New York, and somehow got smashed, creased, and water damaged on the way to Chapel Hill makes it seem really distant. And only one of the two books sent was still in the package when it arrived. The post office did put a stamp on the package saying it was damaged in transit, in case I thought my editor was sending me an unsubtle message by mailing me a crushed book. (This is actually something I would worry about, so thanks, USPS!)

When I lived in Yantai, my mail arrived battered after a trip to the other side of the planet, and it was usually opened, searched, and halfheartedly resealed at customs. Sometimes books and other printed matter just never turned up.

I wonder if I should go to the Chapel Hill post office with a red gift box of bai jiu for next time.

Posted in New York City | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Beijing Tech Report

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Meg

Really excited to hear about my former student presenting her start-up pitch at Beijing Tech Hive!  My old student is, of course, the woman in front.

beijing tech hive

Via Beijing Tech Report 

Posted in Beijing, New York City | Tagged | 2 Comments

In Which I Am Fairly Shallow

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Meg

The Christmas before last, my parents asked me what I would like for Christmas, and I said I wanted some money towards a new winter coat. My dad reacted with fatherly concern for my financial state and my health, and if I was in need of a proper coat, he would get me one right now. So I explained that although I was warm enough in my perfectly serviceable black wool belted peacoat, I wanted a new and different black wool sashed peacoat.

On Christmas, I modeled it for my mom and Aunt April, who both enthused over the buttons and agreed that a sash instead of a belt really did make all the difference. It’s gorgeous! And my dad agreed that, yup, that’s a coat.

***

One of the things I really enjoy in Chapel Hill is going to yoga and to a dance class. That’s about the only way I actually exercise, if I’m not going to a scheduled class, I’ll wait to finish just this one thing first, and then realize that, hey, it’s been five weeks since I’ve done any exercise.

It’s a little frustrating to be struggling with poses that I could do just fine before my stupid back was hurt, but mostly it’s good to be able to stretch again.

The other day, I ran into a woman I thought I might recognize from yoga.  It’s sometimes hard to recognize yoga classmates when they are wearing proper clothes, so I just nodded a little vaguely, and she did too.

“You’re in Name$’s class, right?” She said. “You’re the girl who moved here from New York?”

Oh man.  How could she tell? Did I look too impatient because it was 6:04 and we were still sitting on our mats, chatting about the weather with no sign of beginning the 6 o’clock yoga class? WHICH IS WHY WE ARE ALL HERE, RIGHT?!?!  SO CAN WE START NOW?!? Did I treat the changing room like a no-eye-contact subway zone,  even though the changing room is still in the south and the rules about exchanging three pleasantries with each person encountered still apply? Oh no!

“Um. Yes?” I said. “How did you know?”

“Your coat.”

Posted in Chapel Hill, New York City, North Carolina | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What The Heck Am I Going To Do With A Vegi-Magical Degree?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Meg

question lili
Another of my favorite screens from Lili.  Just used this as the accompanying art for a piece on the possible definitions of indie games, because I giggled to see an indie game character wondering if her education is a good foundation for meaningful employment.

Posted in Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment