Game On?

I'm in the software biz.

I wish it was game development but I have to settle for more business-centric fare. Despite that fact, games are software and require the same processes as developing an accounting package or photo sharing web site.

I oversee a few development teams working on different products. One QA team handles testing of all these products. Thanks to varying degrees of delay, we are looking at three MAJOR releases in QA at the same time. My QA Manager's wife is also so pregnant that if she doesn't have the baby by Thursday's doctor's appointment, the doc will schedule an induction. Within seven days I am going to lose my QA Manager for two weeks.

Have you taken the time to look over the credits for your favorite game?

You should.

Developing software these days is a bitch! Windows XP vs Vista vs OS X. IE vs Firefox vs Safari. 1.2 GHz vs 2.8 GHz vs 3.46GHz Dual Core.

360 vs PS3 vs PC.

I'm feeling sympathetic to the 2K Boston guys and the firestorm kicked up about the BioShock widescreen issue. I don't agree with how 2K handled the cropping, I just sympathize with a team that worked their ass off to build one hell of a game.

The same with the Silicon Knights vs Epic lawsuit. I've worked with licensed technology before and good code and support are critical to its successful use. I feel for both sides on this one. There is so much pressure to get more done in a shorter time frame while spending less money.

So I guess my point here is to show love to the folks working in the trenches. If you love a game, send email to the developer. Write a nice long letter about what you like. Those things get printed and pinned on bulletin boards and taped on cubical walls. It helps that animator or tester or designer or engine programmer put their best into the next game.

And aren't we all about the next great game?