My simple thoughts.

Right now, same-sex marriage is a hot button issue. I believe in love, so I'm not going to sit here and start attempting to validate anything. I don't need to. What I do want to talk about, just for a moment, is trans-rights.

I get made fun of every day. In every conceivable way. And, I'm lucky enough to be one of the rare people who suffers clinical depression and occasional suicidal thoughts about it, so that only manages to make it worse. What might not make it so bad is if the population of what is considered the "best" country in the world would stop attacking trans people for just wanting to be who we are.

This country likes to make us out to be jokes, make us out to be monsters, makes us out to be anything but what we are. People who have to work exceedingly hard just to maintain a glimmer of image that makes us feel comfortable with ourselves. I hate this fact, and I hate the fact that in order to make any effort to fix this, it's expensive, painful, mentally debilitating, and can be harmful to the psyche.

I'm not asking you to stop liking the people you like simply to show a pretend understanding of those who are different. I'm not even asking you to accept trans-people, really. Just stop mocking us. If you don't want to accept us, then leave us the hell alone. I'm tired of being terrified, I'm tired of being afraid, I'm tired of being mocked, dehumanized, criminalized, demoralized, and I'm REALLY FUCKING SICK of being seen as less than a person because I don't feel right. To those lobbyists and politicians who think I'm nothing more than a sick individual, I'll grab some scissors and see how you feel about it.

Unity Difficulties: Blurring an individual game object

Ok, so this won't work on literally everything. It can more than likely be converted to work with anything, but I've only got a solution immediately for a flat object.

Let's start with the object. In my case, I wanted a blurred, glowing, flickering, basically plasma object holding up a shelf. Weird, I know, but for my game it worked well. So, Unity3D doesn't have a single plugin that allows for blurring a single game object. Below is my final product, so you can see what it looks like.

Does it need some work? Yea, sure, but it's certainly looking blurry.

How did I do it? Let's start right in with the 3D.

Here's the object as it was originally designed.

Thin, dependable, beautiful. Looks great from the side, too. But, not blurry, so...Nope. So, I made thin versions of the same object, (this made sure the size and shape were the same). Like below.

And then came the script. At the end, I'll copy and paste it. Feel free to modify it and use it in your own projects. Just let me know so I can take a look!

I applied the shelf supports onto a separate layer, calling it "No Shadows". I put in a light, and lined it up to the middle of the support and went to the culling mask. I removed the layer "No Shadows" from the culling mask, which allowed it to not show shadows, (and I wanted shadows, for the effect). Have fun adjusting the color and light effects to create a nice atmosphere!

From there, it was just deciding the flicker, light intensity, and alpha. The script I wrote took care of 90% of that, once it was given the initial values. 

It looks wonderful, blurry, flickers, and creates a nice eerie effect. I'll let you know when it's finalized, but for now, here's the script, and I hope you guys enjoy!

var speed : float;

//Set the minValue and maxValue to whatever you want, but everything will be

//connected to these numbers in the long run.

var minValue : float;

var maxValue : float;

var mat : Material;

private var timer : float;

var attachedLight : Light;

//The left side of the gameobject, which creates the blurring effect.

var leftOne : GameObject;

var leftTwo : GameObject;

var leftThree : GameObject;

var leftFour : GameObject;

//The right side of the gameobject.

var rightOne : GameObject;

var rightTwo : GameObject;

var rightThree : GameObject;

var rightFour : GameObject;

function Start () {

mat = gameObject.renderer.material;

}

function Update () {

timer += Time.deltaTime;

if (timer >= speed)

{

mat.color.a = Random.Range(minValue, maxValue);

leftOne.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a *.5;

leftTwo.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a * .3;

leftThree.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a * .2;

leftFour.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a * .05;

rightOne.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a * .5;

rightTwo.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a * .3;

rightThree.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a * .2;

rightFour.renderer.material.color.a = mat.color.a * .05;

timer = 0;

speed = Random.Range(0.00, .2);

attachedLight.intensity = Mathf.Lerp(0, .33, mat.color.a / maxValue);

}

}

An idea for game experience building

We all know about the game jams, right?

If you don't, here's a link to a site that has plenty of information about jams that are happening now.

Well, here's an idea that I've come up with just now. See what you guys think.

What if we had a jam, maybe a month long, annual jam, in which game professionals work alongside game noobs? I can hear you saying that this is a weird idea. Maybe not. I don't know. It may be a bit difficult to coordinate, but really, this seems like a fantastic way for those new to the industry to get experience with game design, art, programming. If the industry professionals look over your work, give you critiques and advice in real time via a forum or chat box, and you work together to make something great.

Sign ups would be required.

If anyone knows any game designers, let them know. I think we could make something great!

What's in a game?

This is a question I think we should all be asking ourselves more often. Think about it, not all the games we play are really 'games', by a realistic sense of the word. Some are sadistic horror shows, others are really more like toys.

Let's break this up into two separate pieces, alright?

What a game is:
What is a game? A game, really, is a set of fun surprises, set to rules that allow more than one person to enjoy an activity. Break it down, it's an activity with rules, that's meant to be fun. So why on earth is this so difficult to manage? I think it comes down to a few things.

• Imagination
• Creativity
• "External Reality"

Let's go over those, they sound a bit confusing without context. 

Imagination is a person's ability to consider a more literal take on "every possible outcome". What's the realistic expectancy that the Hulk will smash through the wall and save the princess? I'm thinking it's probably pretty small. But look into the mind of a kid, who could easily see this playing out, and then the Hulk having a wonderful tea party with the princess and her friend Santa. It makes no sense, and is very unlikely to happen. And that's part of the point. Think of new ways out of it, challenge the player. Make this difficult, because if it's easy, it won't be fun. Chances are, they'll look up the answer to whatever riddles you come up with on Google if it's too hard, and if not, they'll feel accomplished. 

Creativity, put in a very specific and simple way, is not doing the same thing over and over and the once again. Some games and some themes are just played out. WWII is over. Spoiler alert, we won. The princess is in another castle, and your skills are probably enough. Put a new spin on old classics if you want to keep doing them. Stealth action WWII game, rather than shooter, (make it historically accurate though), or make the princess the one who actually has her kidnapper hostage. MAKE SOMETHING NEW! That is all I'll write there, but seriously...

External reality, as far as I know, is my own term. In all actuality, all it means is to make something relatable, but not realistic. We get enough realism in real life. I've never been in a cartoon, or able to jump a million miles. All the realism is enough to get people down, I think. There are definitely plenty of indie games that take advantage of this point, so why not more?

People are afraid to experiment right now, but if you stop thinking in terms of money and what's super popular, you might find a better outcome. Experiment, play around, and above all, make something that you would kill to play. 

Designing is hard work

Design isn't just thinking up the rules and mechanics of gameplay. There are a lot of different aspects, and a game designer needs to wear a lot of different hats.

That being said, I've started working on the design and development of a new, somewhat experimental game. It's going to be pretty cool, and hopefully challenge our current notions of immersion. Eh, who knows. It could be awesome, it could be a flop.

I did, however, create an Indiegogo campaign for it, and I'm hoping to get the word out more, so if you or your friends thing that Emily Bloode and her experimental game design is worth a contribution, feel free to make one, or just spread the word. The more notice this project gets, the better.

Here's the link, so you can do whatever you feel is right, but please, I'm begging you, share this and help this get around the internet!

Digital Art and the Future of Gaming (in my opinion)

Wow, there is so much artwork out there on the internet! I've been recently looking at John Hathway's artwork, and it's absolutely stunning, you should check out the link! Absolutely gorgeous, and did give me a little inspiration for some interesting artwork. Nothing to show you yet on that front. However, it did make me want to talk a but about digital artwork and how it's being used in games, and where I think the future of game art is going, based on some indie trends rather than the AAA trends.

Game artwork is an EXPANSIVE universe, where anything is possible, from the silly to the extraordinarily detailed. But, often we hear people talk about how amazing the graphics are. Stop that. Stop that right now.

Graphics is actually just a technical term for the rendering of triangles, boxes, and other misc shapes, and how much can be rendered at once. We don't actually need this to improve, really. It's about as good as necessary for ultra-realistic art, with the current screens at least. What do we need to improve? The answer might surprise you.

Nothing.

That's right. Game art actually just needs people to explore and try new things. And they are starting to! And it's AWESOME! Right now, we run the gamut fully between 2D art, 2.5D art, and 3D art. And really, we should be jumping for joy. Why? I can't believe that question needs to be asked. Because we can do almost anything!

What we need to see in game art, which is forgotten in some indie titles, is a sense of comfort. That's a strange term, but I don't really have a better one. I've seen people reach for aesthetic, but it goes beyond that. If you are in a dingy, dirty hallway, but the carpet is spotless, (seriously, vacuumed yesterday), then it stands out like a really badly set broken thumb. Ouch. And this can instantly pull a player from their immersion. But, if you can make every aspect a comfort to every other aspect, (lighting, music, textures, camera effects, movement, etc), then you find yourself believing that this place could totally exist, and the player will be sucked in.

SUCKING THE PLAYER IN IS THE GOAL! FORGET MAKING COOL FEATURES, COOL ART, COOL ANYTHING. IF YOU CANNOT IMMERSE THE PLAYER IN THE STORY AND GAMEPLAY, YOU HAVE FAILED. But, don't worry, failure is how we learn, and really, there is a lot to learn here. This post is just about artwork, but there is very likely going to come story, etc.

Back to art, and thanks for sticking around this long.

How can we suck the player in more? That's a great question, and I wish I could give you a magic formula, but there isn't one, and there never will be. Because it's all about your game. Think about what you want your player to see and feel as they walk, run, drive, fly, or ooze about your world. What comes to mind? Now, the hard part is deciding what aspects of that are the most important.

Lights, Camera, Action. Not just for movies anymore, and your camera is one of the most important pieces of video game equipment you'll forget about. (It's not just you, everyone does it from time to time). How can we possibly make this thing work for us? Give it the same treatment hollywood does. Make the camera angles work for you. Here is a website with a bunch of camera angles, and what they are used for. Read it, and think of how to make this work.

Wow, this was not meant to be this long...I think I'll have to make this a two-parter. Sorry about that, but come back in a few days, I should have more ready for you.

Bye! <3

Gaming Profit Models

It's starting to feel like our wallets won't be getting much of a break in the near future, right? Let's face it, everything is expensive, and the economy is very low. So, let's consider how gaming companies make their money, shall we?

Let's start with some of the older models. The Subscription Model.

The subscription model is one we are all accustomed to. Even if you aren't aware of it. You pay a small monthly fee, and get to play as much as you want. The company takes the money, and provides content, and works to bring new content such as new quests, character models, armor, weapons, explorable areas, etc. So many new things they could bring you!
So where does this break?
There are a few different ways. The first, some hardcore players quickly run out of available content. This can happen at very various speeds, due to players interactions within the game. There are also players who will create their own server, and play there for free.

Admittedly, this is an old model, but it worked for a long time. Let's go over some of the math, just so we can get a good idea of how much money comes in from this.

14.95 per person per month, so $179.40 per player per year. That's a pretty fair amount of money, though I'm sure many people can spend that on one outfit for a night out. The issue, therefore, is the cost to the company for the server and content. Let's pretend, for just a minute, that the game is already fully developed. Additions may or may not come, but the game is playable, and the company wants to have 100 servers ready for players to enjoy. Running a server can get very costly. One of the best looking I could find was Singlehop, which costs $1,908 a year to run.

Your game, however, is awesome, and 5000 people sign up with a yearly subscription, paying the full year up front. This gives the company about $89,700 for the year. The costs of running the game is about 1900, so 87,800 is profit for the company. Bonza!

But, making more money requires people to continue signing up, and they will want more content eventually. So it adds up, but you can see where lots of money can be made here.

Then, Facebook games started hitting the market, giving players the ability to play for free, and get upgrades that they can buy with just a small amount of money. This is called micro transactions, and they can get very irritating very quickly. This is a new model, and my personal opinion is that it hasn't been fully fleshed out yet.

Recently, there have been multiple incidents involving micro transactions, such as Apple refunding money from children's in-app purchases, Eve's recent micro transaction controversy, and even GTA online. All of these revolve around micro transactions and people being willing to buy these things.

The micro transaction model isn't something entirely new. It's newer, having been established more recently than others, but it continues to grow purely because we let it.

How can we get our games back? There are a few ways, and right now it's important to take a good hard look at them.

Don't pay for in app additions. It's that simple, but it's also that hard. App developers make sure to make you want to pay them. The games can take months to play without shelling out a few coins, or be really lame. Developers do this so you feel you don't have much choice. Stop buying into it. I don't care if you get 100 gems for 9.99. These gems have no real value.

Demand full games. Open your mouth and be vocal. Players have won multiple battles with companies recently. Look at the Xbox One controversy and how it played out. WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!

I'll be posting about net neutrality later this month, and that's going to have a serious impact on gamers, and how we respond to some of these models, so stay tuned for that!

This was a long post, and very thinky, and I thank you for sticking with it!