Gamasutra Member Blogs: From Streamlining To American Ethnocentrism

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, such as streamlining mechanics in Skyrim and Battlefield 3, the "American ethnocentrism in video 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 Going It Alone - Or Not (Greg Holsclaw) Running in the game dev circles for the last three months has exposed Greg Holsclaw to a ton of one-man shops undertaking the entire development and production of a game on their own. Some are doing well, but most are struggling. Why go it alone? Global Path Planning In Unknown And Changing Environments (Thijmen Bink) How to have a path planning algorithm that deals properly with Fog of War? Thijmen Bink offers an easy to read solution that will help you create natural behaviour in environments you have yet to explore. Adventures In Streamlining – Skyrim vs. Battlefield 3 (Matt Fister) Both Skyrim and Battlefield 3 attempt to streamline their series' mechanics. Matt Fister says one of these uses streamlining effectively to hone its focus, while the other loses what made it interesting and unique in the process. The Somber World Of Wither (Chris Lepine) Chris Lepine considers how an independently produced RPG Maker game, Wither, creates a strong space for existential and emotional questions. Speaking In Accents And The American Ethnocentrism in Video Games (Mattie Brice) Recognizing the pervasive presence of American accents in games reveals the politics behind the choice of including other accents. Mattie Brice argues that the relationship between all these accents show American ethnocentrism and the marginalization of other cultures.