Gamasutra Member Blogs: From Betamax To Game Engines

Author: by Staff

Showcasing highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our weblog writers draw parallels between modchips and a Betamax recorder case, ask if Project Natal is missing the point, and take a comprensive look at choosing a game engine. Member Blogs can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while invitation-only Expert Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- are written by selected development professionals. Our favorite blog post of the week will earn its author a lifetime subscription to Gamasutra's sister publication, Game Developer magazine. (All magazine recipients outside of the United States or Canada will receive lifetime electronic subscriptions.) 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 - Of Betamax And Modchips (Ephriam Knight) Ephriam Knight draws interesting parallels between a years-old Supreme Court ruling on the Sony Betamax Recorder and video game console modchips, which have been the center of recent piracy cases. For his effort, Ephriam will receive a lifetime subscription to Gamasutra sister publication Game Developer magazine. - The Story That Only A Game Could Tell (Jacob Corum) Because of their interactive nature, video games can tell stories in a way that's new and different from other forms of media. In particular, Jacob Corum says that video games can be the perfect venue to portray survivor's guilt and sympathy. - Retro Game Of The Day! Silpheed (Ron Alpert) Member blogger Ron Alpert takes a look at Game Arts' 1993 version of the shooter Silpheed for Sega CD. Alpert deems the game an "enjoyable diversion," but not quite up to snuff compared to even its contemporary competition. - Is Microsoft Missing The Point? (Sumantra Lahiri) Microsoft's Project Natal may take the traditional controller out of the video game equation, but does that automatically mean it will appeal to the masses? Blogger Sumantra Lahiri says, "What I see is simplicity in design, but not in function." - Selecting Your Next Game Engine (Kent Barber) In a comprehensive blog entry, Kent Barber offers beginning game developers advice on selecting the appropriate game engine for a given platform. Here, he covers multiple game platforms, middleware and deployment methods.