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 set of highlights, industry notables write about why we need a new
Road Rash, character normal mapping, and creating games for the niche audience of... animals?
Here are the top blogs for the week:
This Week's Standout Expert Blogs
Professionalism
Mark Acero
Game designer Mark Acero argues that the "first pillar in the fundamental truths of game development is professionalism." By knowing how to work within a team and remaining flexible, a developer can find motivation and enjoyment in the workplace, he says.
Target Audience: Animals!
Tyler Glaiel
Expert blogger Tyler Glaiel brings up the interesting notion of creating games specifically for animals. Would video games for animals be marketable to bored pet owners? (For extra fun, replace all instances of the word "cat" with "gamer.")
Why We Need A New Road Rash
Ian Fisch
Professional game developer Ian Fisch thinks we need to see a revival of EA's classic motorcycle beat-'em-up
Road Rash. One of his reasons? "Because there's no racing game like Road Rash."
The Effects of Imaginary Value in Real Virtual Worlds
Nick Halme
In a recent blog post, Relic Entertainment development tester Nick Halme draws parallels between real life and his experience with the MMOs
World of Warcraft and
Warhammer Online -- the latter of which he says is a good place for
WoW vets to retire.
Character Normal Maps
David Rosen
Wolfire Games lead programmer David Rosen gives a nice and basic explanation of normal mapping, using a character from his studio's upcoming game,
Overgrowth, as an example.
