Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Ultimate JRPG To Game Design Filler

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including the ultimate Japanese RPG, learning from mainstream anime and avoiding game design filler, 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 The Ultimate JRPG? - The Results Of An Informal Survey Plus A Game Idea (Robert Boyd) Zeboyd Games' Robert Boyd (Cthulhu Saves the World) looks at the results of an informal survey on what fans want in their "ultimate JRPG", and an idea for a game that might match those desires. RE: Passionate Frustration: Tale Of Tales' Dark Journey (Sergio Rosa) In this "open letter" (and a response, hence the "RE:" on the title), Sergio Rosa discusses points you can read on "Tale Of Tales' Dark Journey". This is a discussion about games as art, tech, and storytelling mediums. Driving in Mongolia: A Digital Poet's Accidental Transformation Into Indie Art Game Creator (Jason Nelson) Jason Nelson shares his personal journey from digital artist to indie art-game creator. With work which polarizes audiences, an inbox filles with hate/love mail, hereflects on his adventure in combining poetry, art, and the bizarre within indie games. Avoiding Filler In Game Design (Josh Bycer) Tedium is something that should be avoided in game design. Josh Bycer presents a case study in what designers can learn to avoid from mainstream anime.