Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Sociopaths To Monaco

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. In this latest round-up, industry notables write about sociopathic marksmen, Monaco, getting sued, playing video games, and...MIGS 2009? Here are the top blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Expert Blogs - Clumsy Sociopathic Marksmen (Adam Saltsman) I have long perceived Half-Life's Gordon Freeman as a mute cold-blooded sociopath. Sadly, Gordon isn't mentioned by name in this Adam Saltsman blog post, but I think he and I would be on the same page. Video game protagonists are nuts. - Monaco, Monaco, Wherefore Art Thou Monaco (Andy Schatz) Andy Schatz' charmingly pixelated top-down stealth game Monaco came out of nowhere to blow IGF judges away with radness. Schatz explains where it came from. - Games Lawsuits And What You Can Do About Them (Jas Purewal) Lawsuits getting you down? Let actual, real-life, swear-to-God lawyer Jas Purewel explain it all! He even includes his email address! Jas is a swell guy. - Google Buzz and Social Games (Tadhg Kelly) I can't even keep up with the pace at which Google launches all of its newfangled buzzes and waves and what have you, but Mr. Tadhg Kelly is convinced the newest one is going to be quite a Big Deal for social games -- possibly even a Game Changer! And I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself here, but there's a chance Paradigms and Synergies may also be involved. - MIGS: Day 1, 4:00pm: Indie in 2D: Quality Art on a Tight Budget (Jim McGinley) So what if it's been nearly two months since Jim McGinley posted the previous entry in his MIGS 2009 series? Where else are you going to find game industry conference coverage this insane awesome insane?