Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 66

Tons Of Games, Jenga Wii, The Witcher 18+ Edition, Special Guest Todd "Sephirotic" Robinson Tell Us About Game Industry Myths And Toasters, Calling Out The Cowards, Your Emails and more!

This week Sephirotic joins us to talk about learning your way into the gaming industry, dispels myths about game development, tells us some stories and shames us all with his radio voice. Rob also gets Rock Band so you're safe from any further tirades ... about Rock Band anyways.

To contact us, email [email protected]! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined.

  • Subscribe with iTunes
  • Subscribe with RSS
  • Subscribe with Yahoo!
Download the official apps
  • Download the GWJ Conference Call app for Android
  • Download the GWJ Conference Call app for Android

Show credits

Music credits: 

Intro/Outro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree
Audioworks

"Sunflower" - Zoo (Workbench) - Workbench-music.com - 0:41:30
"A Little Piano Tune" - (Workbench) - www.workbench-music.com - 1:06:20

Comments

I TOTALLY made sure to repeat game names as we talked about them this week. I think it worked out pretty well. See? We can change, it just takes a few months

Seeing as how I forgot to even mention which platform I was playing games on, I think it's a good thing!

No one is ever truly safe from my tirades and it would do you all good to remember that!

I like Rob's tirades. Makes you all seem more.... human.

I liked The Witcher... even though i found some things a little annoying. Funny you guys mention the depth of field effects making things choppy - i don't think i've noticed any kind of stuttering and my system is much worse than yours.

Cory played bejeweled 2 in college? According to online sources it was released in 2004... I had no idea that he was so young! o_O

Fair Nuff, on calling me for not playing Contra 4, fortunately because I have some extra cash I am going to go grab it today. For a new Wii party game give Smarty Pants a try we rented it last weekend for a party and it was a blast. I think its over priced at 50 bucks, where they would have been better off selling it for 30 and selling extra questions as DLC. Nintendo needs to get a system in place for DLC, put it on SD cards like the custom Smash Bros stages. So I bow to your rebuttal of saying those platforms maybe should not be hard core, but I am still going to grab Contra because if not I am a little Female Doggo.

TFL called us out a couple of times on their podcast this week about the "Hating background music". Thanks, Rob.

We need to get a GWJ - TFL showdown going on over Live (if it ever works again), PSN, DS and PSP. I mean, once Certis and Elysium have completed their "Alone Time."

I'm not afraid to to take a swing at the softballs.

Great podcast guys. I really appreciate Sephirotic's stories and perspective. Especially because he was working on a B level team(We usually only hear from the very top tier), and because he already got out of production. That BMX XXX story really reminded me of Jpod by Douglas Coupland, where each new executive would force his own horrible ideas on the team.

One question: How bad is RSI like carpal tunnel in games production? What do people do to protect themselves from RSI?

I work a pretty easy job, but I can't even use a mouse anymore. Have to use a trackpad like on a laptop.

RSI really depends on how much you are aware of it, I suppose. My hands are still fairly good, but I know of a few students who ruined their wrists by the end of their college careers.

Therefore, I have designated myself the world's "Posture Pal". Sit up straight! Don't rest that Wrist on the table! Monitor at Eye Level!

RSI doesn't seem to be any more prevalent in Games than it does in any other computer related job.

And "B Level"? We were "B+/A-" thank you very much!

On the mouse pad you got from Razer, my brother's roomate in college was very big into Unreal Tournament. He actually went to several competitions. When he played, he used a very very large mouse pad. Apparently the reason behind it is this. When playing any first person shooter, having a very very slow mouse speed allows you to have more accurate aiming. However the downside is that you have to move your hand a lot to turn around (or to really do anything). Now, if you have a small mouse pad, you end up lifting your hand up a lot to reset the mouse so you can continue to turn. When you do this though, you have a second where you stop turning. By using a large mouse pad you minimize the number of times you need to lift the mouse off the pad.

Duoae wrote:

Cory played bejeweled 2 in college? According to online sources it was released in 2004... I had no idea that he was so young! o_O

Oops. I meant Bejeweled 1. I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest on the podcast, though. I represent "the kids."

Sephirotic wrote:

Therefore, I have designated myself the world's "Posture Pal". Sit up straight! Don't rest that Wrist on the table! Monitor at Eye Level!

I bet you're fun at parties.

Tkyl wrote:

On the mouse pad you got from Razer, my brother's roomate in college was very big into Unreal Tournament. He actually went to several competitions. When he played, he used a very very large mouse pad. Apparently the reason behind it is this. When playing any first person shooter, having a very very slow mouse speed allows you to have more accurate aiming. However the downside is that you have to move your hand a lot to turn around (or to really do anything). Now, if you have a small mouse pad, you end up lifting your hand up a lot to reset the mouse so you can continue to turn. When you do this though, you have a second where you stop turning. By using a large mouse pad you minimize the number of times you need to lift the mouse off the pad.

That's fascinating, I never thought of that angle. Come to think of it, for all night LAN parties you could wrap yourself in it and sleep under your desk too

I shoot guns. All the time. Just for fun!

Just listening to it right now and figured I would comment before listening to the whole thing.

THe way you are describing Crysis it sounds like they took some queues from M Night Shalaman in the way the ending might be a suprise/twist in the gameplay.
Ultimately it will just irritate people.

Yesterday I got to play with the civilian M4, 20" AR-15, a Romanian Dragonuv, FN F2000, P90, and AK-47.

Edwin wrote:

Yesterday I got to play with the civilian M4, 20" AR-15, a Romanian Dragonuv, FN F2000, P90, and AK-47. :D

I hate you.

It's worth noting that I was being somewhat sarcastic originally. I do enjoy guns though. Sitting on a huge property out in the boonies with some friends plinking at targets can be a surprising amount of fun.

Aramina is taking classes online from the Academy of Art right now. She's in for illustration.

I'm sharpening my pitchfork right now.

Edit: And kudos to Sephirotic for pronouncing oogaba right.

I liked the "Descent" like level in Crysis, but it got old fast. I couldn't believe they tacked a flying level in there though. What was the purpose? It was like "Hey we spent a ton of time on flying vehicles in the engine, we better put it in the single player game! Oh, and random tornados!" I would have rather walked the whole path the flying level covered, because I liked the game mechanic that was used up to that point.

Rat Boy wrote:

I'm sharpening my pitchfork right now.

Edit: And kudos to Sephirotic for pronouncing oogaba right.

As a Connoisseur of said subject matter, I do as much research into the subject as possible. This includes spelling and pronunciation as well. Being an instructor, I am looked upon to be as correct as possible in what I say/spell/pronounce.

And for the record: "Polygonal" is "Puh LIG uh nul" not "Polly Gonal". I actually had a student dispute that in class.

Although I tend to run fast and loose with Capitalization.

Who the hell hasn't heard of Peggle? Get that clown off the show!

Having finally gotten to listen to the podcast, being on vacation and all, allow me to point out that Certis is a ****ing coward to make his comments on Portal when both Rabbit and I are absent.

Loved the show, guys. "The Todd" was terrific and insightful, with such a dreamy voice. Good on you for not shying away from the harsher realities of the gaming industry, too.

When does Interrobang! go into recording?

Elysium wrote:

Having finally gotten to listen to the podcast, being on vacation and all, allow me to point out that Certis is a ****ing coward to make his comments on Portal when both Rabbit and I are absent.

My thoughts, exactly. I loved the steak and the wafer-thin mint was a great bonus. Saying that the end credits song is the main reason people like the game seems to forget the rest of the humor and unique character in the rest of the game. And the portal gun has yet to get boring.

As for Gaald's issues with Push To Talk, I'm the same way, but it's not by accident. I hit the button the majority of the time anything comes out of my mouth while playing. It's mostly reflex.

Yeah, it was a little myopic to think that people loved Portal for the song. "Still Alive" was icing... on a moist, delicious cake.

That's akin to saying people only like a movie for the lines they quote. There was more to 300 than "This! Is! Sparta!"

Mixolyde wrote:

Good on you for not shying away from the harsher realities of the gaming industry, too.

Too many starry-eyed students are smacked in the face with the reality stick SO HARD when they get a game job that it knocks them back into retail within months, if not weeks. I try to prepare them for the reality of hard work.

One thing that didn't get mentioned is that despite the hard work, you rarely get to work with such a group of talented artistic people anywhere else. The synergy created by a well-run team is truly amazing and creates bonds that withstand the tough times and unemployment lines that frequently follow even the successful projects.

edit: as for the voice, I once had a student tell me that my lectures were "riveting". Coupled with the low cut shirt it felt like she was trolling for a better grade.

weswilson wrote:

Yeah, it was a little myopic to think that people loved Portal for the song. "Still Alive" was icing... on a moist, delicious cake.

That's akin to saying people only like a movie for the lines they quote. There was more to 300 than "This! Is! Sparta!"

At least he's consistant, given his views on America.

(Who wants to drag the front page into P&C with me?)

Is it just me, or have the soup can graphics on the Stan picture changed to Campbell's soup cans? I swore they were just generic cans before...

I read and listen to the podcasts while reading, either online or a book.

Demiurge wrote:
Duoae wrote:

Cory played bejeweled 2 in college? According to online sources it was released in 2004... I had no idea that he was so young! o_O

Oops. I meant Bejeweled 1. I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest on the podcast, though. I represent "the kids."

If you represent the 'kids' I demand a push for free beer.