Best Of Expert Blogs: From Used Games To Fallout Thoughts

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 official posting guidelines. This Week's Standout Expert Blogs Imperishable Night: Easier challenge means more adrenaline? (Michael Molinari) In one of a number of blog posts focusing on the methods and minutia of shoot-em-ups, animation student Michael Molinari hones in on Team Shanghai Alice's Imperishable Night to reflect on how simple focus -- rather than overt challenge -- can sometimes result in heightened intensity for the player. Co-op/social Dungeon Master: Left 4 Dead as a proof of concept (Jason Schklar) Where is the line between gameplay and content creation? The question has been explored in a number of recent games, and producer/designer/analyst Jason Schklar frames it through the lens of Valve's dynamic director-equipped Left 4 Dead. A New Frothy Bubbling Of The Used-Game Stew (Kim Pallister) The GameStop-dominated used game market is the source of seemingly infinite discussion and argument in the industry -- but Intel Larrabee content director Kim Pallister argues that additional competition (i.e., removing the "GameStop-dominated" bit from the equation) could make the whole situation a lot better for everyone. How to replace levels in MMOs? (Brian "Psychochild" Green) Arguably more than any other element, the concept of character levels is associated with the RPG genre, massively multiplayer or otherwise. But here, MMO consultant and Meridian 59 lead engineer Brian Green kicks off a discussion as to whether they are even necessary at all. Fallout 3 And The Sixth Sense Of Time (Ted Brown) For a medium in which the speed of progression through a given title is largely up to the player, many games fail to properly evoke a sense of time, argues designer Ted Brown. With a high number of capital letters, he describes how Bethesda's Fallout 3 succeeds in that respect.