Gamasutra Member Blogs: From mobile localization to the next generation of games

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, such as localization int he mobile marketplace, imagining the next generation of games, and more.] Member Blogs can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while invitation-only Expert Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- are written by selected development professionals. We hope that our blog sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information, check out the official posting guidelines. This Week's Standout Member Blogs Guided and free-for-all (Richard Terrell) Richard Terrell looks at the design of free-for-all games and considers subtle yet effective ways to balance this inherently wild game type. When to forgo the culturalization of video games: Contextualizing globalization within the mobile narketplace (Karin E Skoog) Language Automation's game localization marketing specialist Karin Skoog defines and discusses localization in relation to the mobile marketplace. Imagining the next generation of games (Charlie Helman) Are laptops doomed to be replaced by tablets and smartphones? That's a pretty safe bet. Yet, Charlie Helman senses a bigger shift in the wind: a convergence that will define an entirely new generation of video games. It all comes down to Microsoft... Big responsibilities, little ownership (Karl E) Karl E asks, "Did Mass Effect 3's creators ever go to work in the morning feeling like Leonardo da Vinci?" Modern gaming trends: online gaming (Corey Moore) Everyday, thousands of people are playing with each other over the internet across many games. However, will the standard offline multiplayer eventually be phased out. More importantly: should it?