Category: Features

  • Micropayments In Flash Games: What Would You Pay For?

    There has been a lot of discussion lately about Micropayments in Flash games. New service offerings such as Mochicoins and Gamersafe promise untold riches for Flash developers beyond sporadic licenses and advertising pennies. Both the aforementioned services have plans to limit the amount of games in the system by vetting…

  • R.I.P. John Hughes

    R.I.P John Hughes. I did not think I would feel this bad the day the filmmaker John Hughes died.   The trailer above is for the “Breakfast club”, widely regarded as the best teen movies of the 80’s  It is also one of the few movies that I can distinctly recall…

  • Expressing An Emotional State Of Mind In A Game

    There are games I’d like to create, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to approach them. Many of these games have to do with true emotions that are difficult to describe in game form, however, I still feel the need to make them. Games are…

  • Random Game Design Notes From Chris Crawford

    A few years ago I hosted an all-day game design session with Chris Crawford. After the session, I took some notes and shared them with my colleagues. These notes were geared-towards “Kid’s” games, but many of them hold true for any kind of indie/Flash/Retro/etc. game that you might be building…

  • Great Free Online Book On Eary Computer Games: Let’s Tell a Story Together

    I’ve always wondered how long it would take to create a text adventure/graphical text adventure engine for Flash.   I *know* the marketability of text adventures is not great, and I know the audience is limited, but for someone like me who played the original Infocom and Scott Adams adventurs games…

  • More Algorithms For Modern Managers

    I’ve been looking for these for a very long time, and I finally found them. We came up with these many years ago, and I think they still hold-true today.  The following are 21st Century “algorithms” that modern managers can use to figure out their daily evil. Figuring Out Who…

  • Post-Retro: Have We Entered The Era After “Retro Games”?

    There is a sense these days that the concept of “Retro” games is disappearing. This does not mean that there are no retro inspired games being made, but it means that “retro” has been enveloped into the mainstream, and “retro” does not really exist any longer as it’s own genre..…

  • E3: Gaming Cameras For Motion Control: Have They Really Thought This Through?

    Both Microsoft and Sony announced camera-based game control solutions at E3 2009.  At the same time, Nintendo has said they rejected this kind of technology years ago in favor of the Wii-mote. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo President said recently: “Until they say when they’re releasing it, how much it costs and what…

  • Mad Avenue Blues: The eCPM Is Low For Everyone!

    This video has been making the rounds of people in the advertising industry since it was posted last week. It’s focus is the Madison Avenue advertising industry, but many of the topics included should be very familar to viral Flash Game developers. So you think games are getting bad eCPM…

  • E3 2009 Indie Game Report #3 – Indiecade 2009

    E3 2009 Indie Game Report #3 – Indiecade 2009 One of the best things at this years’ E3 was Indiecade 2009 preview.  Indiecade is a group that puts on events to showcase and promote independent games and indie game developers. It accomplishes this by staging a series on international events…

  • E3 Retro / Indie Report #2

    E3 Retro / Indie Report #2 What can I say? So far, E3 2009 has been a little underwhelming. Most of the big companies are here except Atari (other than the Ghost Busters car and some people dressed up in Ghost Busters costumes), but the web / indie / and…

  • E3 Retro Report #1: Watch Steve Wiebe Try To Break The Donkey Kong World Record

    You can keep-up on Steve Wiebe attempt to break the donkey Kong World Record with the video feed below. http://www.justin.tv/widgets/jtv_player.swfWatch live video from G4TV – Steve Wiebe Donkey Kong Cam on Justin.tv

  • The History of 8-bit Computer Games in The USA #1 : CGW Nov/Dec 1981

    The History of 8-bit Computer Games in The USA #1 : CGW Nov/Dec 1981 I never read Computer Gaming World Magazine when I should have. When I finally purchased a PC in 1992, I started to read it and kept doing so as a subscriber until it died late last…

  • Diatribe: Writer’s Block and Video Ads

    I’ve had writer’s and programmer’s block for about a week now.  I’m sorry there have not been any “interesting” blog entries coming from me since then.   To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the reception to “…palindromes…”.  While I knew it was not a blockbuster, the Flash game…

  • How can Casual game designers use the list of top selling comsumer items?

    How can Casual game designers use this list? In the Sunday newspaper (yes, I still get one of these ancient documents) this morning there was a list of the top 10 selling consumer products (in the USA I presume). I’m not quite sure how accurate the list is, or how…

  • Wiiware Support For Flash Met With Fear, Derision:Analysis

    Reports came out this week that Nintendo would start supporting Flash as a development platform for Wiiware. While there was some positive support, for the most part, this news was met with derision, fear and hand-wringing from the Wii gaming communities.   At Cubed3: “Nintendo does have strong policies and…

  • When Golden Age Video Games “Wore The Leather Jacket”

    I’ve been reading Benjamin Nugent’s American Nerd lately.  One of the aspects of nerdom that he points out is the need for nerds to “coin phrases”.  Obviously, we at 8bitrocket.com have tried our share of this.  From “Midcore Gamer” (between “casual” and “hardcore”) to “vink” (virtual ink) we have attempted…

  • Garage Sale Treasure Hunt: Zelda , Mario Nelsonic Game Watches for $1.00 Each!

    Yesterday I was at a “Save The Teachers” rummage sale in California (they are firing teachers right and left here because our state budget is out of whack and parents are bit concerned about 50 kid classrooms with no aids, librarians, PE, music, etc). Anyway, this rummage sale was interesting…

  • PC Gamer Subscription Chronicles 2: Into The Black Hole

    PC Gamer Subscription Chronicles 2: Into The Black Hole In the first entry of this series, I relayed a mildly amusing story of how PC Gamer has inexplicably lost my new subscription, The event is seemingly suspect as it came directly after I published an article that was mildly critical…

  • …palindromes… now on FlashGameLicense.com : Update

    My newest game, …palindromes… is now up on FlashGameLicense.com.  …palindromes… is a departure for me as a game designer.  It is a pure word game aimed at an audience who loves words and word game challenges. In …palindromes… your job is to unscramble a series of words before the time…

  • PC Gamer Subscription Chronicles #1: Where Are My #$@! Magazines?

    Some of you who have been paying close attention may have seen this story from back in December.  Back then I thought it would be fun to do a review of PC Gamer Magazine.  I had just started a new subscription through my daughter’s Girl Scout magazine drive. Since it…

  • Steve’s List Of The Top-10 Most Insanely Addictive Mid-Core Game Ever Created

    OK, this is kind of “time-out” from other content.  While I’m working on some Silverlight entries, new Flash games, etc, I thought I would go back a bit and name my Top-10 “Insanely Addictive” games of all time.  These are not necessarily the “best” games of all time, just the…

  • Where’s the cash for Flash (updated)

    This would normally go into the Weekly Mash-Up, but Chris Hughes sent it over this morning and it was too late for this week, too early for next week, so here it is: A very well researched and put together Gamasutra article on making money from casual Flash games. Squize…

  • It keeps staring at me, but I had no choice…

    Until now that is. It bugs me that the last post on the blog for 3 days was about music. Don’t get me wrong, because the Gaslight Anthem rocks, but they really have nothing to do with game development.  I am stuck in a hotel while my kitchen is being…

  • Sand Dune Park: Goodbye/Hello

    Growing up in Manhattan Beach, my favorite place to play, bar none, was Sand Dune Park.  It was a park like no other. It’s main feature, an enormous 100 foot or so high sand dune hill sloping at about a 30 percent grade, was the only piece of “play equipment”…

  • A Comprehensive List Of Documentaries/TV/Shows/Movies About Video Game and Computer History

    If you know me, you know that I love a good movie or tv show that covers one of my favorite subjects, especially if it is non-fiction. However, the selection of these types of movies and tv programs that cover the world of video game and computer history has never…

  • Grand Theft Auto:Intellivision

    Following closely on Jeff’s post last week about Minus World’s Modern Atari Classics  comes this YouTube video of Grand Theft Auto Intellivision.  (Thanks to Intellivision Lives for heads-up on this one) (Note: This one is NOT FOR THE KIDS)

  • Gaming The System: Can Playing Games Help My Dad’s Memory?

    My dad is losing his mind. I know it’s a common story, an elderly parent on the cusp of alzheimer’s, but it’s still tough to watch when it’s zoomed-in close-up of someone you love. My dad, who at one time was one of the sharpest people I have ever known,…

  • R.I.P Jerry Reed, “East Bound And Down”, Smokey And The Bandit

    Back in May 1977 my dad told my brother and I that we were going to see a “sleeper” film at the theater. Star Wars was out the same week, but we would have to wait months to see that movie. Instead of an adventure filled with Rebels, Imperials, droids,…

  • Super Mario RPG: Devolution Is The Best Solution

    A couple years back I received Paper Mario: 1000 Year Door for the GameCube (to play on my Wii). At the time, I was playing many of the of Final Fantasy games via GBA and DS, but as soon as I played Paper Mario I knew I had found my…

  • 8bitrocket Diatribe: Separated at Birth: Sarah Palin and Tracy Flick

    I was up late last night finishing my latest tutorial, so I was a little late to the game hearing the announcement that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be the vice presidential candidate on the ticket with John McCain. This certainly is not a political blog, and since both Steve…

  • The Temptation Of The Unreleased Game

    The second installment of my History Of Atari for gamasutra.com was published last week. It was very difficult to write Part II (1978-1981), not for a lack of information, but because there is simply too much . Believe it or not, since there is not much written material about Atari…

  • …and some of our games have made it to YouTube

    I’m not really sure why, but it looks like a few people (ok, at least one) one YouTube have filmed themselves playing some of the games we have created in the past.   There seem to be lots of game videos on YouTube.com these days, but why someone would video tape themselves playing…

  • Some Computer Advice From a Freakin’ Genius

    Here is a bit of computer advice from a freaking genuis.. If you move into a modern new house from an old crappy one, and you plug your lap-top into a random available outlet, make damned sure it is not an outlet that is currently operated by: A dimmer switch…

  • The Transient Programmer #5: The Last Day, FREE BEER Revisited

    OK, so this happens to be the last day I will spend as a transient” programmer. By 7:30 tomorrow I will finally have another house to move-into. However, tonight has been pretty difficult. It’s 4:00 AM, and sleep is not coming easily. The hotel got old about 2 weeks ago.…

  • The Downside Of Going Backstage

    The Downside Of Going Backstage

    8bitrocket Goes Backstage I usually don’t talk about this, but besides working on Flash web sites and games at my day job and in my spare time, I also run the official web site for the 80’s new wave/rock band The Alarm. I struck-up a friendship with the lead singer…

  • Old Skool Hackers Reading List

    I took a break from game making tonight to focus on a subject that fascinated me in the 80’s and early 90’s but absolutely scares the bee-jeezus out of me now: Hackers! (always with the exclamation points, FULTON!). Anyway, the word hacker means many things to many people. In the…

  • Dispatches From The Transient Programmer #4: Stuff I Took For Granted: Then And Now

    Now that I have moved out of my single-family house, and I have been back visiting my parents often at their house where I grew-up, I realize that I will probably never be able to provide my kids with the same type of house that I grew-up in. Yes, I…

  • Bob Cringely Discovers The Major Flaw Of I.T. In the 21st Century

    I like Bob Cringely, but in recent years he has rarely written about anything that I can relate to.  However, his new series of I.T. related columns has really hit the mark  This week’s column has, probably, the single best quote I have read about the state of I.T. in…

  • Wii Opera Browser: A Storm In A Tea Cup?

    I’ve been creating a few demos of Flash games designed for the Nintendo Wii Opera browser, and writing a few blog entries about the process for the past few months. I even convinced the people at my Day Job to create a section highlighting all the games we currently offer…