I've been working in the games industry for two years now, and have seen more change that I care to admit. With the current instability of large companies, I have been placing a lot of thought on where I want to be in the next five years, and it scares the living shit out of me when I think about working on yet another sports game.
They are amazing in their own right, and I can appreciate all of the hard work that goes into them, but I simply need more. My mind is ablaze with ideas, new ones and old ones alike. I long to see these ideas prototyped and even come to life.
My book has been coming at a much slower pace with all of the things going on over the past two years, but is well on it's way now, and it too pulls at me. It haunts my dreams, gives me palpitations when I see the notes on the desk, and eats at me when I sit by and do nothing in the way of work on it.
It's become increasingly brutal to crack through the barrier of entry for industry jobs at studios in the states with the economy the way it is. At first this was an overcasting cloud, and then things started to rapidly change in the local industry for the better.
A multitude of new titles and studios have appeared and continue to appear in the Vancouver scene, and I've made a great deal of contacts at almost every studio in this city now. I am biding my time, not necessarily as patiently as I should, but until I can make the leap without the worry of looming loan payments, I will simply have to cope with it.
In the meantime, I have taken to video/sound editing, working on the first novel, tinkering with photo shop, and brainstorming and documenting my game ideas. The first step to grasping the future will be a more focused approach to these things, and less wasted time while at the computer. Writing down the goals, dreams, and game plan will be my foundation.
Next up, finding a programmer that is like minded and wants to work on side projects.
Dream big, then wake up the next day and dream even bigger. Don't stop.
~Corlag
P.S. Don't be a dick.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Busy and loving it!
What to say, what to say...
Well, I guess I can start with what's new and why I've missed blogging for so long. I started up a game studio that is focusing on board games a little while back, and have been crunching hours on it, bringing the first game to fruition with a few friends that I got to know back in Game Design school. We're a small team right now, but we have high aspirations.
There's not a lot I can talk about just yet, but I will say that there's going to be something for everybody with this game, and that it will cater to both casual and hardcore gamers.
Between work as a development support tester at EA currently, the board game studio, and another side project, I have been left with a rather small amount of actual free time which I tend to use for such things as catching up on a book related to game design/writing, watching a movie or a tv show, or splashing around in a game for twenty minutes to keep up on what's new and how playing a game feels still.
Is it all worth it? Personally, hell yes it is. I've never been happier, and I always have something to look forward to. Life is short, we only get one shot, and I plan to do as much with it as I can during my stay. The time that I am spending on things right now, will (the hope is) set me up for the future, and afford me the opportunity to take what I am doing in my spare time and make it my only job, and to move forward with my career. This too will afford me much more free time later on, as I laying the ground work now to make that possible.
It's so critical, in this day and age, to rethink how we do things, and to evaluate the value in what it is we do on a daily basis. Time is our most precious resource, why sell it for cheap to people that don't give a rats ass about you or I? Do something each day that gets you closer to doing what you love to do. Period!
Life is full of opportunity, and change is good. If you are feeling stuck, or feel that what you are doing is a dead end, change it now. Don't wait.
~Corlag the Bard
Well, I guess I can start with what's new and why I've missed blogging for so long. I started up a game studio that is focusing on board games a little while back, and have been crunching hours on it, bringing the first game to fruition with a few friends that I got to know back in Game Design school. We're a small team right now, but we have high aspirations.
There's not a lot I can talk about just yet, but I will say that there's going to be something for everybody with this game, and that it will cater to both casual and hardcore gamers.
Between work as a development support tester at EA currently, the board game studio, and another side project, I have been left with a rather small amount of actual free time which I tend to use for such things as catching up on a book related to game design/writing, watching a movie or a tv show, or splashing around in a game for twenty minutes to keep up on what's new and how playing a game feels still.
Is it all worth it? Personally, hell yes it is. I've never been happier, and I always have something to look forward to. Life is short, we only get one shot, and I plan to do as much with it as I can during my stay. The time that I am spending on things right now, will (the hope is) set me up for the future, and afford me the opportunity to take what I am doing in my spare time and make it my only job, and to move forward with my career. This too will afford me much more free time later on, as I laying the ground work now to make that possible.
It's so critical, in this day and age, to rethink how we do things, and to evaluate the value in what it is we do on a daily basis. Time is our most precious resource, why sell it for cheap to people that don't give a rats ass about you or I? Do something each day that gets you closer to doing what you love to do. Period!
Life is full of opportunity, and change is good. If you are feeling stuck, or feel that what you are doing is a dead end, change it now. Don't wait.
~Corlag the Bard
Saturday, November 27, 2010
My old blog.
While I fumble with how to archive and repost my old blog's posts here, use this link to check out some of the stuff I've done over the past few years. http://corlagthebard.blog.ca/
~Corlag the Bard
~Corlag the Bard
With winter, comes snow and mindful freedom!
Finally, the snow has arrived. Abnormally early though it is for Vancouver, it makes me feel very much at home. This is my season, I thrive on the snow wonders of the white blanketed city, and mountains around it. Much has progressed within the Games Industry this year, yet at the same time there has been much back pedaling in the Vancouver area.
It's going to be a very different industry in the city of 2011, and I'm excited about it. There's a lot of untapped opportunity on the horizon. Hopefully investors will stop being scared off by unnecessary panic, and realize that people will buy games to stay at home and "save money." If there is one thing I have noticed in my 30 years, it's that the video game and otherwise entertainment industry thrives in challenging economic times. The other side of the coin, however, is that taking silly risks as an entertainment company, whether games or otherwise, is not necessarily smart during these times. If a risk is going to be taken, be sure you have taken every possible step to ensure that your target audience is both interested in the product being considered, through focusing groups and surveys etc. It's no guarantee, but it definitely will help the success ratio of a new idea.
Enough of the serious stuff though, bring on the winter season, and the fun family filled holidays.
Cheers,
Rob Ling
It's going to be a very different industry in the city of 2011, and I'm excited about it. There's a lot of untapped opportunity on the horizon. Hopefully investors will stop being scared off by unnecessary panic, and realize that people will buy games to stay at home and "save money." If there is one thing I have noticed in my 30 years, it's that the video game and otherwise entertainment industry thrives in challenging economic times. The other side of the coin, however, is that taking silly risks as an entertainment company, whether games or otherwise, is not necessarily smart during these times. If a risk is going to be taken, be sure you have taken every possible step to ensure that your target audience is both interested in the product being considered, through focusing groups and surveys etc. It's no guarantee, but it definitely will help the success ratio of a new idea.
Enough of the serious stuff though, bring on the winter season, and the fun family filled holidays.
Cheers,
Rob Ling
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thanks Giving and music creation.
Here's a new track I'm working on. This time around I chose to go with a sci-fi track to spread the brain across a vast creative canvas. I blame the Turkey. Happy Thanks Giving everyone.
~Corlag the Bard
~Corlag the Bard
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Impending Doom v1
With the dabbling of Roc on Aviary behind me, I decided it was time to bite into the real meal, sound editing in Myna (also on Aviary.com)
I was trying to think up some things for my book world, a scene of impending doom on a medieval village/town, without much luck in the written format. I decided to try something new for brainstorming, and this was the culmination of my initial thoughts.
It's only the first version of the track, but I feel it's a good bit of ground work for sure. Have a listen to it here.
Cheers and thanks for listening,
~Corlag the Bard
I was trying to think up some things for my book world, a scene of impending doom on a medieval village/town, without much luck in the written format. I decided to try something new for brainstorming, and this was the culmination of my initial thoughts.
It's only the first version of the track, but I feel it's a good bit of ground work for sure. Have a listen to it here.
Cheers and thanks for listening,
~Corlag the Bard
Aviary and the wonders of fiddling with sound
What better way to relax than to fiddle with some sounds in and editor. I was recently introduced to Aviary Music Editor, and decided to muck around with it for a bit this afternoon and see what I could come up with while getting used to what this little tool can do.
This was the result: http://www.aviary.com/artists/Robert Ling/creations/looking_through_the_night_lights
I definitely want to spend some more time on it, but first I have to figure out how to extend the length of the track.
More to come,
~Corlag the Bard
This was the result: http://www.aviary.com/artists/Robert Ling/creations/looking_through_the_night_lights
I definitely want to spend some more time on it, but first I have to figure out how to extend the length of the track.
More to come,
~Corlag the Bard
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