Gamasutra member blogs: From Dear Esther to FPSes for kids

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, such as Dear Esther's place in entertainment, first-person shooters for kids, and non-interactive game endings.] 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. This Week's Standout Member Blogs Dear Esther and its place In entertainment (Blackjack Goren) Blackjack Goren examines PC title Dear Esther, and addresses some misconceptions about the game and its place in entertainment. ABL versus behavior trees (Ben Weber) Ben Weber compares behavior trees and the ABL planning language. Cryptoludology: Why not a successful FPS for little children? (Jorge Diaz) Can you think of a first-person shooter game (FPS) that is developed for little kids to enjoy? Jorge Diaz notes that FPS games developed for children never reach the popular appeal of their mature rated counterparts. The game designer class - What skills does he use? (Adriaan Jansen) We know what a game designer does, and what are good talents to have. But Adriaan Jansen asks what can you learn to become a better game designer? Game writing and endings (Johnathon Swift) Games are interactive by their very nature, that's practically their definition, says Johnathon Swift. Until they end that is.