Gamasutra Member Blogs: From The Rule Of Three To Downsides Of Big-Budget Visuals

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, including how the rule of three can aid development, a look at the implicit themes in The Legend of Zelda, and why cutting-edge visuals are susceptible to extreme scrutiny.] 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. Here are the top member blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Member Blogs - Design: The Rule Of Three (Benjamin Hill) Benjamin Hill discusses how following the "rule of three" during development can help structure specific elements of a game, including puzzle mechanics, presentation, and more. - A Portrait Of Gaming In Egypt (Salma Salems) Salma Salems posts an article written by Ahmed Metwall, describing the current state of the games industry in Egypt and the Middle East, and what it is like to work in a "virgin market." - Immortal Childhood: Underlying Meaning In The Legend Of Zelda (Dan Merrill) Coinciding with The Legend of Zelda's 25th anniversary, Dan Merrill looks back at some of the implicit themes across the series' most memorable moments. - Apprehensions Regarding Japan's Ability To Shoulder The Added Burden Of 3DS/NGP Development (Kamruz Mos) With new handhelds from Nintendo and Sony on the horizon, Kamruz Mos takes a close look at the Japanese game industry to determine how these new platforms could influence game development overseas. - Designing Games With Style (Joannes Truyens) While many big-budget titles put heavy emphasis on creating lifelike visuals, Joannes Truyens argues that striving for realism encourages audiences to look at a game with more intense scrutiny, making imperfections far more noticeable.