video game basics 101 – create the window

June 12, 2010

Note that this is part of a video game education course entitled making a video game with C++. If you get stuck or confused with any material that’s covered, please leave a comment or drop me a note via the contact form! Video Game Basics 101 – Create the Window In this first lesson, you’re [...]

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interested in reviving a calgary IGDA chapter?

June 8, 2010

Years ago I was very loosely affiliated with the Calgary IGDA chapter that operated out here. I say “loosely” because I could only participate in Chapter Events online. At the time, my boys were just born so I could not spare the time to get out to any actual meetings. Fast forward to today, and [...]

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statement of work (PDF and DOC)

May 24, 2010

We’re running a small business around delivering software to our clients. We probably face the same challenges that your small business faces. We came from a knowledge sharing background, so we’re happy to do what we can to give back. We’ve provided our company “Statement of Work (SoW)” template. After gathering some requirements from our [...]

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eschalon book ii now available

May 21, 2010

One of my favorite “sleeper hits” in the RPG world was “Eschalon Book I” released back in 2007. The journey continues with the May 12th, 2010 release of “Eschalon Book II” and it looks like the Basilisk Games team has put together a fantastic offering! From the press release itself we have: Eschalon: Book II [...]

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results of the flash game market survey 2009

May 16, 2010

The results of the flash game market survey 2009 commissioned by Mochimedia were recently posted and provides a bit of insight into the “current” state of the Flash game marketplace from both the developer and publisher perspective. While there were a few interesting slides, overall it seems to coincide with the current state of the [...]

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XNA 4.0 architecture for games

May 15, 2010

I want to seriously start discussing a lot of points and tidbits behind the XNA game development package. I think before I start doing that, however, I should start with a basic discussion on the architecture of XNA to make sure we’re on the same page. At its core, the XNA 4.0 Framework adheres to [...]

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wizard 101: a fantastic starter mmo for your child

May 2, 2010

It’s always amazing how children can grasp things with blinding speed. It must be some genetic coping mechanism to allow them to quickly learn and adapt to their local environment for survival. Adults can learn just as quickly of course, but we have a bit of advantage in terms of being able to apply past [...]

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ludum dare 17 wraps up – voting begins now!

April 25, 2010

The create-a-game-in-a-weekend competition, Ludum Dare 17, has wrapped up with all entries now entered and filed into the website. Congratulations to everyone involved as more then 200 entries have been submitted! Voting is now open and you have 2 weeks to register your votes! 1. Innovation – The unexpected. Things in a unique combination, or [...]

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ludum dare 17 now underway

April 24, 2010

If you’re a real fan of game development and studying creative process while under a forced deadline, I urge you to check out the “Ludum Dare” competitions that run throughout the year. Ludum Dare 17 launched for this weekend, with the theme of “Islands”. Check out the keynote below starring Phil Hassey and Cuzco the [...]

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when you run a company you call the shots

April 9, 2010

When you are in charge and run a company, you must take the helm and call the shots. While this can apply to any industry, I’m mostly focused on the fresh fallout of Steve Jobs’ / Apple’s new terms and conditions announced yesterday for the new iPhone OS 4.0 which takes the current turf war [...]

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