Gamasutra Member Blogs: From Deus Ex To Weird Designers

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, such as Deus Ex, lessons from Apple's App Store, and the weird designers behind unsettling video game puzzles.] 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. Here are the top member blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Member Blogs - Retrospective: Deus Ex (2000) (Xander Markham) Sunday marked the eleventh anniversary of Warren Spector's Deus Ex. With a second sequel on the way, Xander Markham examines the legacy of the original game. - Gearbox Community Day And Duke Nukem Forever Launch (Gregory Massal) Gregory Massal shares his photos and experience at Gearbox's Community Day in Dallas earlier this month as it launched Duke Nukem Forever. - So What Have I Learned After Eight Months On The App Store? (David Amador) Having no experience with iOS or Mac, David Amador registered for an App Store developer account 11 months ago. Here, he shares the lessons he's learned from the platform since. - An Interview with Chris Avellone - Game Designer, Writer, And Former 'Unlucky Schlep' (Will Ooi) In this interview with Chris Avellone (Planescape Torment, KOTOR II), Will Ooi talks with the Western RPG luminary about his role in character design and defining player experience. - The Weird Designers (Alex Belzer) Puzzles in games can give great meaning to the game itself. Alex Belzer argues that sometimes they are harbingers of nihilism, too.