Developer’s Buffet

Well, in the spirit of the holiday I can’t decide on just one main course; so I’ll give you a little of everything.

Difference between a cheater and a spoilsport, towards the end of the lecture. The rest is a nice discussion of the roles of role-playing and the importance of narrative.. as well as games’ limitations.

Incredible lecture. Talks about the difference between one trying to belong (by winning) and one trying to defile (by destroying the environment or the gameplay mechanic). To a developer it may seem the same result; but different types of personalities which require different sorts of safeguards.

Related article discussing “griefers” (those who dissent/protest within a virtual world). My favorite quote is “The larger point however is that when designing any MMO, you either live in fear of your players, or you embrace and guide them.”

Distribution issues discussed by a developer. Good breakdown of the percentages of distributors, and a frank dialogue about the pros and cons for an independent studio.

Great collection of articles by a game attorney who pioneered the idea of a game attorney. Don’t know him personally, but he seems like the kind of attorney interesting enough he’d never have to pay for his own lunch. A very comprehensive bit of work, and has a gravitas that all IP/game/contract lawyers need to aspire towards.

Raph Koster talking about game mechanics. Nothing to do with law; today is just a great excuse to get in a great game mind like Raph Koster in my blog.

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Once again, below the fold, some intellectual egg-head discussions (which I admire).

How War has influenced Game Design

Are Virtual Worlds Waiting in the Wings?

From SSRN: login required “Politicization of the Online World”, paper by Olivier Mauco.

Jay Moffitt is a Tennessee attorney. This blog is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not consitute legal advice or create an attorney/client relationship. Jay Moffitt is not certified as a specialist in this area by Tennessee and Tennessee does not certify specialists in this practice area. All comments will be answered promptly and courteously as long as they are germane to the discussion and do not contain specific game names or incidents.

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