Gamasutra expert blogs: From hype immunity to building a solid UI

In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including the calculated hype cycle around games, tips for building a solid game interface, and more. In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only Expert Blogs are written by development professionals with a wealth of experience to share. We hope that both sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information about the blogs, check out the latest official posting guidelines. Here are the top blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Expert Blogs Hype immunity, or recommending a good katsu place (Kris Graft) Gamasutra's editor in chief Kris Graft explains why he would prefer to be blindsided by something incredible, rather than be subjected to a calculated hype cycle. How the industry learned from Sega (Josh Bycer) Sega's departure from the console market in 2001 was a major moment in the game industry. Josh Bycer examines some of the hard lessons we've learned about console development from Sega. Building a solid UI (Jon Shafer) Former Civilization lead designer Jon Shafer shares some tips for how to build excellent game interfaces. Rewarding your QA team (Richard Wood) Moving up the company ladder from QA can sometimes be difficult both for QA staff and management. Richard Wood, however, believes there are middle steps to be taken to reward hard-working staff and ensure they feel appreciated for their endeavors. Six words about game sequels (Lewis Pulsipher) In the past, Lewis Pulsipher asked people to say six words about various topics in games. This time the challenge is this: say six words about game sequels.