PlayFirst Grapevine
Announcing the 2008 PlayFirst Firsties!
It’s our pleasure to welcome to you to the First Annual PlayFirst Firsties; a year’s-end wrap-up of the best in games as selected by the people who play them—in other words, you! The Firsties are your chance to vote for the 2008 games that entertained and engaged you throughout the year. You’re always the first to know what’s fun, and now you can have the last word, too.
To pick the Firsties nominees, we looked across top gaming sites for the best-selling games of 2008. Award categories range from Best Mac Game to Best Mystery Game, with special categories for everything from “Cutest Critter” Game to Tastiest Food Game (Mmm…). In case there are any you haven’t tried yet, you can play any and all nominees for free. The winners are selected by you—voting starts right now and ends on December 9th.
Watch this space for exciting guest blogs listing personal top fives, view the nominees here, and vote!
Developing Greatness; Guest blog featuring Dave Gilbert
We had the honor this week of a visit from one of our newest external developers, Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye. We recently ran a First Peek of his new game, Emerald City Confidential™, and are all very excited as we watch it come to life.
Dave was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule to talk about the inspiration behind the game. Here’s Dave:
“If there was anything about my childhood that I remember, it was my fascination with the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. There was so much to the world. There were 14 books in all, full of dozens upon dozens of fascinating characters and crazy stories. I inhaled these books as a kid, and re-read them often. I eventually outgrew them and put the books away, but the stories and characters always remained with me.
Years later, I watched an old film called Double Indemnity and a new fascination was born. I had to watch every classic noir film I could get my hands on. There was something really compelling about them. There was the shadowy black and white cinematography, the snappy stylized dialog, and the intricate plotting, but there was also a wonderful sense of ambiguity about the characters. The best noir heroes are real people. They can be flawed, even live a life of crime, but at heart they are good people who you want to root for. It was no surprise to anyone that the games I write tend to be mysteries, and noir mysteries at that.
Recently, I discovered Oz again and found myself wanting to create a game in that world. I had just watched The Maltese Falcon for the first time, and I wondered what the Scarecrow would have been like if he was played by Peter Lorre. Then, I thought: “Well, why CAN’T the Scarecrow be played by Peter Lorre?” And so, Emerald City Confidential was born. It’s a game that comes from two very happy parts of my life, and it’s been great fun seeing it come together. It’s been an amazing experience making this game, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
Emerald City Confidential™ is scheduled be released early in 2009, and you’ll see more great games from top-rate developers before then, as well. One of the new features we’ve added to our site is the ability to request an email when a game is released. You can sign up to be notified about Emerald City Confidential here:
http://www.playfirst.com/game/emerald-city-confidential
To learn more about PlayFirst’s relationship with developers, check out Executive Producer Craig Bock’s blog here: http://www.playfirst.com/blog/212
Developing Relationships
As a full-service publisher, PlayFirst is focused on collaborating with developers to make great products, supplementing any of the needs that a team might have. From sales and marketing information, to formal usability testing, to recommending contract artists, audio resources, or writers, PlayFirst is a partner for the long haul – the lifetime of the game is measured in months and years, not a few days after launch. It’s also critical for us to structure a fair deal for our developers, balancing the up front and back end payments for the work the developer completes – you should demand and expect to make a profit, while we assume the up front financial risk.
I like to describe our relationship with developers like driving a car. During design and development we want the developer to be behind the wheel, driving the car, with their PlayFirst producer seated in the passenger seat and some of our creative designers and/or artists in the back seats. The developer is the visionary for the product. We’re there to help “read the map” and make sure that we’re driving on the right road and headed in the right direction. What we ask in return is that once the game reaches Gold Master, we pull the car to the side of the road and switch seats – PlayFirst is going to drive the car on the roads that we know best. We’re going to get the game distributed to more than 600 websites around the world, localize the title into multiple languages, promote and market the game with our key partners, and begin to push opportunities to have the game appear in retail, on alternate platforms, and wherever casual games can be sold.
To hear about the inspiration behind game development in the words of one of our newest development partners, read Wadjet Eye’s Dave Gilbert’s thoughts on Emerald City Confidential here: http://www.playfirst.com/blog/211
Player of the Month
Our Player of the Month for October has probably helped you out with a thoughtful answer or two on Tips - meet Jinxjinx! Gaming is in the family – she and her brood play all sorts; from sports, to board games, to computer games, to cards! In addition to raising three wonderful children, Jinxjinx is working towards her Bachelor of Socials Sciences degree with a concentration in Education. Get educated on some Jinxjinx facts below!
How long have you been a gamer? How were you introduced to video games and what was the first game you remember playing?
I have been a "gamer" most of my life. At about 8 years old my parents bought an Atari. The first game I remember playing was Pong. I soon moved on to Nintendo and kept going. We now have many different gaming systems throughout our home. I even kept my old Super Nintendo and passed it on to my children. It is interesting to be reminded of how far games have come.
How often do you play games?
I play some type of game everyday. I love playing on my Wii and PS3. I also take breaks from my school work by playing games on my mac or online.
Any quirks as a gamer?
The only gaming quirk I think I have is not being able to tear myself away from the game. I also like to yell at the screen when I'm frustrated.
Aside from playing games, what are some other ways you like to relax and unwind?
I love to spend time with my family. We love being outside throwing something around. We watch many movies together and play board games or cards. I also love to find some quiet time to read my novels.
What games are you currently playing?
I have learned to stop starting so many games at once so I have confined my video games to Legend of the Dragoon, MySims, and WiiFit. As for computer games, I have beaten all of the games I currently have except for Chocolatier 1 and 2, so I am currently working on those. I also replay many of my games regularly. I am currently replaying Cooking Dash, Dariy Dash, Burger Shop, and Delicious 3.
What is your favorite game of all time?
I think my favorite game of all time has to be any Final Fantasy game. As for computer games, it is really too difficult to choose just one, but I loved Cooking Dash and the Delicious games.
What attracts you to the PlayFirst Community, and how do you most like to participate in it?
I think the fun and humor attracts me to the PlayFirst community. I love answering all the great topics in the Forum Lounge and enjoy being able to find help on games in the Forum. The PlayFirst community is full of wonderfully diverse people that I can laugh and cry with.
What's your favorite thing about PlayFirst?
Again, there are many things I love about PlayFirst and so it is hard to pick just one. I would have to say that my favorite things are the forums and the fact that PlayFirst creates all their great games for mac as well.
You got quite a few "Best Answers" in Tips--particularly over the summer. What's the secret to writing a great answer?
I think choosing questions on games you truly enjoy and have good knowledge about is important. I also think giving an answer involving an idea on where to get more information, like the forums, is important. When you truly want to help someone out, I think it shows in your answer.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I'd like to say that I'm honored and thank you to PlayFirst for all the time and effort you put into your games and site. I'd also like to say that there are many great members out there that probably deserve this more than myself and I thank them for being a good example for me to follow.
