Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From multiplayer maps to combating piracy

In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including what makes a successful multiplayer map, four simple tips for combating game piracy, and more. 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 35 years ago, Star Wars characters at Toys R Us set me on track to be a game developer (Steve Fulton) Steve Fulton recounts his experience 35 years ago, when his dad took him to Toys R' Us to see several Star Wars characters in-person. He says it was the day that "turned me into a full-time nerd and set me on the path to a career making games." Xbox Live Arcade sales analysis, September 2012 (Ryan Langley) Gamasutra contributor Ryan Langley examines September 2012's Xbox Live Arcade debuts and continuing successes, with charts and Leaderboard data showing the performance of titles like Joe Danger 2, Mark of the Ninja, and Rock Band Blitz. Four simple tips for combating game piracy (Tyler York) Piracy is a topic that comes up a lot, so Tyler York conducted research on Indiegames.com, TIGSource.com, email lists, blog posts, etc on the issue. He found that the answers to piracy are surprisingly simple. Musings on successful multiplayer maps (Eric Schwarz) We all have our favorite multiplayer maps, but what makes one multiplayer level stand out from the others? Designing the difference – Pitman and Dwarf Quest compared (Jana Reinhardt) Looking at two dwarf games that share the same elements, Jana Reinhardt points out how little design decisions can make the difference. The end of Nintendo Power and a hope for print (Josh Bycer) With Nintendo Power closing up shop at the end of the year, Josh Bycer asks, "Can anything be done to save print?"