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Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

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Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#21

Post by alnayyir »

code_duck wrote: post #16
mynameishere wrote: post #14

Can you imagine working on Farmville? I mean, it would be like going into work every day to refine the equivilent of the Fisher Price moo farm toy [1] except a) for adults and b) relatively juvenile. Imagine the meetings, mostly run by marketing idiots. "Okay, we need the new chewy coco grove coconut tree special item out by next Monday. So that means everyone's coming in on saturday." But how can you argue with 85 m…

How is this different than the rest of the game industry?

Replace moo moo with desert eagle.

People have an easier time taking themselves seriously when guns and demons are involved.

Cf. comic books, authors, goth teenagers

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#22

Post by traskjd »

code_duck wrote: post #16
mynameishere wrote: post #14

Can you imagine working on Farmville? I mean, it would be like going into work every day to refine the equivilent of the Fisher Price moo farm toy [1] except a) for adults and b) relatively juvenile. Imagine the meetings, mostly run by marketing idiots. "Okay, we need the new chewy coco grove coconut tree special item out by next Monday. So that means everyone's coming in on saturday." But how can you argue with 85 m…

How is this different than the rest of the game industry?

Exactly right.

I present on game development to local user groups in New Zealand and I always get a good response when citing "It's fun to write games - wouldn't you much rather be writing a class called SuperLaserWeapon than MembershipIdentityProvider" :-)

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#24

Post by jfarmer »

mynameishere wrote: post #14

Can you imagine working on Farmville? I mean, it would be like going into work every day to refine the equivilent of the Fisher Price moo farm toy [1] except a) for adults and b) relatively juvenile. Imagine the meetings, mostly run by marketing idiots. "Okay, we need the new chewy coco grove coconut tree special item out by next Monday. So that means everyone's coming in on saturday." But how can you argue with 85 m…

Do you know anyone who works at Zynga? From this comment, I'd bet you don't.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann...

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#25

Post by mynameishere »

code_duck wrote: post #16
mynameishere wrote: post #14

Can you imagine working on Farmville? I mean, it would be like going into work every day to refine the equivilent of the Fisher Price moo farm toy [1] except a) for adults and b) relatively juvenile. Imagine the meetings, mostly run by marketing idiots. "Okay, we need the new chewy coco grove coconut tree special item out by next Monday. So that means everyone's coming in on saturday." But how can you argue with 85 m…

How is this different than the rest of the game industry?

You have to play farmville, first of all. It isn't a game. It's just as I described it--"cow goes moo" and that's the extent of it.

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#26

Post by glhaynes »

mynameishere wrote: post #14

Can you imagine working on Farmville? I mean, it would be like going into work every day to refine the equivilent of the Fisher Price moo farm toy [1] except a) for adults and b) relatively juvenile. Imagine the meetings, mostly run by marketing idiots. "Okay, we need the new chewy coco grove coconut tree special item out by next Monday. So that means everyone's coming in on saturday." But how can you argue with 85 m…

Or maybe it'd be fun because you'd be making something that people can relax and enjoy and that adds a little extra social interaction to their everyday experience, often with people that they don't have another "reason" to be in contact with.

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#27

Post by bpm140 »

traskjd wrote: post #22
code_duck wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this different than the rest of the game industry?

Exactly right. I present on game development to local user groups in New Zealand and I always get a good response when citing "It's fun to write games - wouldn't you much rather be writing a class called SuperLaserWeapon than MembershipIdentityProvider" :-)

Maybe we should just rename the "MembershipIdentityProvider" method to "SuperLaserWeapon"?

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#28

Post by cageface »

traskjd wrote: post #22
code_duck wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this different than the rest of the game industry?

Exactly right. I present on game development to local user groups in New Zealand and I always get a good response when citing "It's fun to write games - wouldn't you much rather be writing a class called SuperLaserWeapon than MembershipIdentityProvider" :-)

I'd never go back to the game industry. Low pay, long hours, and a pervasively juvenile mentality that just keeps getting more annoying with every birthday after 17.

If you like doing bare-metal high performance coding it's one of your best chances to test your skills though, unless you're doing lolgames.

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#29

Post by Jun8 »

I think Google's worry about Facebook (partly justified, partly not) is starting to cause them to make pointless (and time wasting) decisions.

If I had 5mins with Sergei and Larry, I would say (after taking a long sip from the free organic drink I just got from the snack bar we're standing next to)

"Look, the real enemy is not FB but Apple (and sometimes your own engineering hubris, e.g. Buzz), so focus all your troops on this front. Don't dilute your strengths with topsy-turvy fads like Farmville. Remember the last time you tried that route when you tried to copy Second Life's act, does anyone even remember them now? Concentrate on (i) getting an Android tablet out, and (ii) get a $99 Google TV box running on Atom with cool software (not the sorry thing you showed at the I/O) to beat Apple to the punch.

It's that simple."

Re: Google Secretly Invested In Zynga, Preparing To Launch Google Games

#30

Post by WesleyJohnson »

alnayyir wrote: post #21
code_duck wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this different than the rest of the game industry?

Replace moo moo with desert eagle. People have an easier time taking themselves seriously when guns and demons are involved. Cf. comic books, authors, goth teenagers

You can also get a large mix of both. My brother works for a studio that, until recently, only developed racing games for the DS. So they might be working on the next Need for Speed and Barbie racing at the same time.
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