On Experience

Found this interesting little quote in the Develop 10: Microstudios Panel talk:

"And industry experience is over-rated. Lacey has no experience whatsoever, saying that if you do it for a year, you’ll learn everything you need to know. Sean who’s had all the experience in the world actually agrees. “All industry experience gives you is experience in those jobs,” says Murray, “We were really at square one. We didn’t have any contacts. I was working at EA, and was pretty senior… but you’re really shielded from whatever.”"

link: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/07/21/develop-10-the-microstudios-panel/

PS: Working at a microstudio start-up. Day 4. Go games!

Valentine

This is a very sweet video by Kina Grannis for her song "Valentine." I think it sets the mood of many for this holiday.

And here's a little post from the director on how the video was made: http://rossching.com/valentine/

On Papermint

Today is a sad day.

My friends at Papermint shared with me a pretty harsh article that accuses them of “promoting promiscuity in children” through their “sex game.” For anyone who's ever met the Papermint team and heard them talk about the game or even, dare I say, actually taken the time to play it, you can't help but laugh at the idea. Papermint a sex game? For kids? Really? There's not even sex in the game. Or nudity, or sexual overtones for that matter.

There is, however, love. Creating love and, thus, creating life through love.

While aesthetically Papermint looks as though it's meant to appeal to the kid demographic, the themes and ideas in Papermint are strictly meant for adult players-- young yet mature adult players who are ready to grapple with real emotions and intangible ideas like love, responsibility, friendship, relationships, community, and peaceful living. While to some these notions may seem childlike, these ideas are so dynamic and complex that they throw many adults for a loop sometimes. Everyone struggles with finding love or peace, with building communities and relationships at some point in life. Luckily, adults are privileged to have a virtual space like Papermint to confront and experiment and tackle how they feel about these ideas in a safe environment.

Now imagine a place where there is no war, or hunger, or disease, or violence. A place, in its essence, that is made from pure love and pure creativity. Where everyone can barely wait to be your friend and to meet you. Where everyone is happy. That place is Papermint.

In my opinion, I feel as if Papermint tries to capture a very real and exciting point in a person's life, when her heart is still open even though she's scared. She's young and alert and ready to face the world even if she hasn't quite figured out how. It's the excitement and confusion and the bliss of being young.

Papermint isn't vile or malicious; it isn't sick or pornographic. Papermint is love in every meaning of the word. Papermint is an experiment to see if you can capture love in a virtual world and boil it down to its essence rather than spreading it out all thin and watery-like.

Papermint is the 22 year old you who's still filled with wonder. Who's just starting out and oh-so scared but still extremely excited and hopeful for the future. Who just wants to take a bus to anywhere and ride for a while, and find her fortune where ever it leaves her. She ready for her big adventures, her greatest romances, her final fights with the Atlantic ocean.

In Papermint she can live that pseudo-dangerous life for once and be free of the fears that plague her. And maybe, just maybe, she secretly hopes to find love, to get married, to have a baby. In Papermint she can. Now what's so evil about that?

This post isn't a debate on whether or not it's ok for young children to be exposed to serious adult issues like sex and promiscuity;* it's not going into video games and their role in promoting healthy sexual ideas in the community; it's not even a technical critique on the game of Papermint itself. It is, however, my viewpoint on what the Papermint world is trying to achieve as someone who has spoken with the team and has played the game.

Papermint aspires to be a place for young adults to explore and play and grow. To seek out how they feel about these broad ideas of happiness and love and peace. And to do it in a safe, nurturing, fun, and cute environment.

It is, in no way, a game for children. Nor does it want to be a game for children. It merely targets those adults who are still children at heart.

Gross and misinformed allegations like this are no laughing matter. In an age where even the idea of selling sex to children (and teens) can keep a news network fed with viewers for days, a small indie company can be destroyed in the wake. One lie, however noble its intentions, can kill. That isn't make-believe. That isn't child's play. That's real life. This article could potentially destroy real lives and real work.

And for all that Papermint is or isn't, that fact is very, very sad.

Papermint is still young. The creators are still learning. They will make mistakes and they will work very, very hard to remedy those mistakes. In fact, I can almost hear them clicking away in their studio far across the sea right now setting up an even better infrastructure in order to protect children, protect the community, and protect Papermint. So please, do not turn those mistakes into imaginary monsters or villains, for they are not. Please do not mistake creating love and creating life for something vile, for it's not. Please give Papermint a chance, and in doing so, give love a chance.

*For the record, no. It is in absolutely no shape, way, or manner ok. Kids only get a limited time to be children and, I feel, that pushing them into sexual awareness too soon is wrong.

The Next Step

We've all heard the sayings about taking the first step. Some will tell us that the first step is the most important because it is the hardest, because it means that you've accepted that you need to change. And as soon as you break through this mystical barrier of the first step all the other steps will be easy in comparison.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I have a whole apartment full of the ghosts of my first steps. Look around and you'll find barely used exercise equipment, fitness DVDs, half done art projects, unhung pictures, partially filled boxes, and unread books. I could drown myself in first steps if I wasn't so busy searching for the next first step. As if there is some magical place that I will reach that will allow me the strength, courage, and determination to have all the other steps falling into line.

It's romantic in a way. The idea of starting over, of getting a fresh beginning, of being cleansed makes us all swoon and swear, “I'll be different!”, “I'll be better!” And then we plunge into the next first step of our evolution.

That's why we love New Year's so much. It's a single day where everyone in the world gets a fresh start. A new year. A new you. What will this year have in store for you? Love? Money? Success?

Frankly, there is no starting over. No fresh beginnings. No cleansing rituals. And while the idea of a fresh start may inspire some people to change, most of us just take the first step until we fall back into our own demons and old lives.

I think it's time we stop thinking about our lives as a series of failed first steps and do overs. Stop thinking in starts and stops all together. Because as long as we're alive our lives don't stop, they don't break or pause or wait for us. Life keeps going. And we need to keep going too.

How do we keep going? And where is it exactly that we're trying to go?

The first question is simple: we stop thinking in terms of new beginnings and first steps. We stop segmenting our lives into neat little packages. There is no mystical first step to happiness. Frankly, we stop putting such an emphasis on taking the first step and channel our energies into focusing on our next step. The next step you will take is the most important step you will ever take. Because if you only focus on the first step that's all you'll ever have-- a series of first steps. It's easy to take the first step. It's hard taking the next step.

It's about follow through. Stop tanking time and money on first steps that are only first steps. If you are not focusing on your next step, you are wasting your time and doing yourself a disservice.

Got it? Good.

Now that we've decided to take that next step in our evolution, where is it exactly that we're going?

That depends on where you are. Do you have goals? No? Well, a great next step would be to make some goals. Already have some? Great! What are you doing to achieve those goals?

Just deciding you want to change is a great step if you haven't taken it yet. However, once you take a step it's the next step on which you need to be focusing. Like I said, the next step you take in life is the most important step you will ever take.

Next step for me? Focusing on my goals and finding the next steps to achieve them.

Pandas in the snow

I couldn't help myself, these snow pandas were just too cute to not deserve a blog post. Images from AcidCow.com via my friend Andy. AWW! PANDAS!

Paper Dolls

Here's a little sneak at a first pass sketch of paper dolls that I recently did for a client. In the end, we went with a more cutesy and stylized look but I still really like these two. Maybe for fun I'll draw up a set of clothes for them sometime in the future (and faces too). But right now, they will live on in their undergarments.

Fashion

Oh hey. I sketched something.
Enjoy!!