the apprentice's journal

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-980543074921277272008-08-25T18:42:16.130-07:00the apprentice's journalthe notes and manuscripts of a learning designerM.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-33206552849251867242008-08-25T14:25:00.000-07:002008-08-25T14:37:23.252-07:00eswc comes to me!

ESWC is in San Jose today, collaborating with NVision 2008. Pretty brilliant move, I say. Free media coverage in front of major PR representatives of the big tech/media corporations. http://www.nvision2008.com/

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-61666416013266025782008-08-06T15:29:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:55:49.027-07:00fear of making a decision

I just started playing Fallout 1 last night in order to prepare for the big release this fall, and I spent about an hour pouring over the first character creation start screen and I never actually got around to really starting the game. If games are all about making meaningful choices, is there a point at which the choices become too meaningful? Or even the perception that the choices are too

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-78618691147268898932008-07-30T11:16:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:55:02.153-07:00what was on the front of my dorm room door throughout college

I just had to.

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-68488925036453570112008-07-30T10:49:00.001-07:002008-08-06T17:55:39.179-07:00girls are good at math too

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080724-the-vanishing-gender-gap-in-math.html Some statistical evidence to show the closing gap between genders in the mathematical sciences. In all honesty, most of the students in the math major @ Penn State were female, and many of them actually pursued higher education in some form of math. In fact, if I remember correctly, almost 75% of the classes

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-45961726159610417512008-07-03T13:08:00.001-07:002008-08-06T17:55:56.407-07:00the jump mechanic

As we're defining the way our main character moves throughout the world, one of the key mechanics that we're trying to figure out early in pre-production is the way our avatar jumps in the world. I've been thinking a lot about the jump mechanic lately. It's kind of crazy how games have involved jumping throughout the years and the way it has evolved. At first glance, it seems pretty

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-42765151173495177992008-07-02T18:33:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:56:08.533-07:00

YES THAT IS ME!

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-19785895690220446662008-07-02T10:14:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:56:16.162-07:00AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

http://www.square-enix.co.jp/ctds/ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-31873966250438682962008-05-16T15:12:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:56:33.156-07:00tying up loose ends

I'm graduating from the Entertainment Technology Center this weekend, and it's hard to believe that it's already been two years since the start of my intense study and focus in games. It's definitely great seeing all of my classmates that are graduating with me, as well as faculty, mentors, peers, alumni, and friends. As I look upon the faces that are around me, I realize how many people that

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-18694490595108790872008-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:56:47.070-07:00amendment i

An amendment to the "k.i.t" post two weeks ago: A lot few of my coworkers are leaving for various reasons... ...to the point where I think anyone who is "sick" is out interviewing... Pat already makes fun of me for becoming a jaded developer. lol. Lesson: Make peace (or friends! even better) with everyone you work with. Easier said than done.

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-56692619455668248942008-04-24T18:14:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:56:51.349-07:00typeracer

You know you're a sucker for competitive online multiplayer games when something like this comes across your desk: http://play.typeracer.com/ Thanks to my mother for making me play hours and hours of Mario Teaches Typing. Now if I can only raise that 90 wpm to 100+.

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-71862315777971274282008-04-15T18:30:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:57:01.646-07:00k.i.t.

A few of my coworkers are leaving for various reasons, some leaving for a break, some leaving for other companies. It's made me realize that I don't know them all too well, and I feel like I've made a bit of a mistake. I've been here for about 11 months now, and I haven't spent any time or effort to really get to know them. Another learning point: I should make it a goal to get to know every

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-38183301023236773002008-04-08T11:56:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:57:15.327-07:00adjusting to change

Seems like the bay area has been in a lot of disarray lately. It all seems really coincidental, probably all fiscally related, or maybe just bad karma, but a few bay area companies are going through some transitions: Stormfront closing, another studio closing, and I've also had to experience some change at my own company as well. I will just refer to my friend/mentor Jason's post. Seems like

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-165972306022994902008-03-18T18:35:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:57:24.367-07:00what does favorite mean to you?

Some of you may have noticed that I've added a new column to the right of the dividing css line: "Top 10." It's a question often asked, often answered, and often avoided. Warren Spector recently added his own top ten to his page, and it got me thinking about what my top ten was, and what that actually meant to me. I've decided this: my top games are those that have given me the best experience

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-67214938075996070962008-03-13T11:41:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:57:32.774-07:00prototyping to explore > prototyping to prove

My lead said something during a design meeting that struck me in a good way. We're currently in the stages of reevaluating the game concept and paring it down to a more concise form to something that's more doable and produce-able. He said that early in stages of development, when there was no engine and barely enough tools to actualize ideas, the prototyping time was used to prove that

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-27572062753943335702008-03-06T11:50:00.001-08:002008-08-06T17:57:39.586-07:00metacritic vs. grades

I feel like it's been a while since I've posted, but I'm going to use the generic cop-out line and blame it on Game Developers' Conference. It's a bit sad that I don't get as excited about GDC as I used to, but the great thing is being able to see and catch up with all of your colleagues and past co-workers. I also love match-making: not in the romantic sense (I will never delve into that realm

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-15533080164489741572008-02-06T11:59:00.000-08:002008-08-06T17:57:49.689-07:00interviewing

I was surprised when my team asked me to participate in interviewing candidates for our design team. For one, I'm just an intern. That, and I don't think I'm qualified to bring judgment to whether I feel someone is a good designer or not. Regardless, my lead wanted to give me the experience of interviewing someone, and it honestly made me feel very included on the team, and another reason why

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-49397875489444849332008-01-28T21:54:00.000-08:002008-08-06T17:57:58.183-07:00the first leg

I guess in order for me to talk about my life as a game designer, I should talk about how the conception really began. Many people ask me, "How did you get into games?" I guess it's quite obvious for many people--"I've known ever since I was very little that I wanted to make games." That wasn't really the case for me. For a little while, I used to tell people that "I'm not really sure. I

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98054307492127727.post-12232098734236225032008-01-21T12:35:00.000-08:002008-01-21T17:40:34.960-08:00Finally...

After much deliberation, and encouragement from mentors, fellow co-workers, and friends, I've finally decided to start this blog. Much of the blog will be devoted to writing about my experience as a learning designer, with a focus on advice for new designers and/or people who are wanting to break into the games industry as a designer. Why now? I thought sincerely about my goals for doing this.

M.E. Chunghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12427740447894417675noreply@blogger.com