Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Rookie Tips To Waning WoW Numbers

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including rookie development tips, World of Warcraft critiques, 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 - So You're Going To Make A Game For The Very First Time? (Lewis Pulsipher) Lewis Pulsipher's offers tips and advice for first-time developers in an effort to help them achieve their goals and hopefully create a working prototype. - Mission Statements (Andrew Grapsas) Andrew Grapsas considers the underlying purpose behind studio mission statements, pointing out several reasons why they have remained ineffective or misguided. - Next Gen Console Expectations (Benjamin Quintero) With new console hardware inevitably on the horizon, Benjamin Quintero outlines the features he hopes to see in a new console generation. - WoW in Decline and Blizzard in Denial (Greg McClanahan) Following up on a previous post on the potential decline of World of Warcraft, Greg McClanahan considers some possible explanations for the game's waning subscriber base.