Gushing About: Pokemon Snap

     This game is just unconventional fun. Only Pokemon can make a safari photography game interesting for kids. This game had secrets, this game had uniqueness, but most importantly, this game had Pokemon. All of them... I made it my mission to find them all and document them for science!

Gathering Crazy Ideas

     A few friends and I often have conversations about nonsense. Thoughts of having hair replaced with hundreds of fingers and deciding if a gorilla tossing sewer lids was more dangerous than a gorilla with a sock full of batteries occupies our imaginations during these talks. Yesterday's talk was extra special though. We discussed obscure superpowers and somehow that led to an unrelated idea for my next game...

Using AdMob

     Releasing apps for free would be very painful if it weren't for ads. Considering how the app store pricing is a race to the bottom, if I want to stand a chance my games should be free. But how do you get ads in your game? There's all kinds of services out there. I needed one that worked on all platforms. Something easy to keep track of. I settled on AdMob, an ad service by Google. I already use AdSense by Google so why not keep things in one place?

Other Indies

     I've been listening to indie game dev podcasts for years now but thee topics feel more relatable than ever. Once you get a grasp on Unity and releasing projects the things that once seemed out of your league are not so mysterious and unattainable anymore. While I haven't been able to get much work done lately, I have been listening to the words of wisdom from others to get me through the mountains of schoolwork.

     There is something really reassuring about hearing people doing the same thing as you fighting just as hard. Plenty of people are working jobs they hate for little money and taking whatever hours are left in the day to work on game projects they love. That story never gets old. I just really wish I knew people like that in person. Pretty ironic since I attend a school with a game development major. I'd like to do something to meet developers and talk face-to-face.

     I'd like to attend PAX East next year or the year after, just to get a feel for it. I think I'd be good to go as a guest before attending with my own panel. I'd see cool things, meet people, and just open up some good opportunities. Especially if I let people know what I'm all about.