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Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Digital Prices To Problems With Destruction

In highlights from Gamasutra's <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/expert/">Expert Blogs</a>, industry notables write about diverse topics, including the price stability of downloadable platforms, and the design challenges regarding destructibility.

Tom Curtis, Blogger

March 10, 2011

2 Min Read
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[In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including the price stability of downloadable platforms, the negative effects of social games, and the design challenges regarding destructibility.] 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 - Steam, XBLA, PSN Et Al Won't Fall To 99c (Meghan Fox) Meghan Fox outlines the key differences between the iOS market and downloadable platforms like Steam and Direct2Drive, explaining why the prices for all downloadable games won't drop to the 99 cent price range seen on the iTunes App Store. - 9 Tips For XBLIG Marketing (Robert Boyd) In order to help teams rise to the surface of the Xbox Live Indie Games Service, Robert Boyd offers several tips to help small teams market their projects and stand out among the competition. - Do Social Games Exploit the Mentally Ill? (Ryan Creighton) In a heated analysis over the potential negative effects of social games, Ryan Creighton argues that social games tend to take advantage of players' mental predispositions in order to squeeze as much cash as possible from users who don't know when to stop. - Who Doesn't Want To Improve? (Andrew Grapsas) Andrew Grapsas encourages developers to embrace change during a project development, pointing out that letting game elements become stagnant just leads to more severe problems down the road. - Designing For Destruction - Part 1: The Cost Of Destruction (Jameson Durall) Looking at lessons learned while working on Volition's Red Faction: Armageddon, Jameson Durall discusses the challenges of designing a game world that relies heavily on environmental destruction.

About the Author

Tom Curtis

Blogger

Tom Curtis is Associate Content Manager for Gamasutra and the UBM TechWeb Game Network. Prior to joining Gamasutra full-time, he served as the site's editorial intern while earning a degree in Media Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

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