The PARC visit was great!
There’s something really cool about being somewhere where so much computing history has been made. I got to see a “gadget wall” that was a tribute to the main guy behind ubicomp, for example. I also learned that even PARC can’t prevent plasma screen burn-in. 😉
The Forum was very well-attended (thanks for coming, Brian!) and I think it went very well. I got a souvenir pen and a copy of the poster, which is basically a large colorized version of this image. I have to admit it was mildly depressing when one of the folks organizing the thing said “It’s so nice to have a Forum speaker with graying hair!” I ended up whining, “But I’m only 34…!”
Considering I was running on three hours of sleep (and still am, actually), I think I was reasonably coherent. Big thanks to the PlayOn guys for having me out there; we had a blast spending the whole day digging into all kinds of questions about social architecture in MMOs, in-game economies, and lots more.
Also, Bistro Elan in Palo Alto has a really good butterflied chicken breast in pineapple curry sauce.
I’m too fried to try finishing any of the four different partially complete blog posts I have here, so I’ll see you all here tomorrow, same bat-time, same bat-feed.
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Graying hair! Oh no. Jeeze, let us at least have our thirties! My Dad was totally silver at 30. I’ve had a few stray silvers since 19, but they stopped pretty much dead in their tracks. I just had one hair turn back not grey several weeks ago. That’s not supposed to happen.
Do you ever feel like you have an age identity crisis, of sorts? I don’t mean like a mid-life crisis. I mean more like, the voice in your head is the same voice it was when you were ten, and somehow, you’re still that same kid, even though you’re all grown up, and have your own family and responsibilities.
I write a lot of individuation tales — not because that’s one of the two great classic heroic tales — but rather, because I’m still that twelve-year-old girl, up against the world, exploring in wonderment, and facing my demons. I still understand her, very well. It’s not that I’m psychologically stunted. It’s more that I experience the world through many ages at once.
Part of why we write about young people is because their lives are filled with possibilities. You don’t know what is going to happen on the next page. There are many doors still open. One of our challenges, as we grow older, is to open new doors in our lives, as other ones close. If we always have a branching tree, our lives will still be worth writing about. It is when we become complacent that we cease to grow.
This all reminds me of a choice quote recently revived in Civilization IV:
“True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read.” – Pliny the Elder
Anyway, I’m glad you had a fun time up at the PARC! Sounds like it was a blast. Hope you get plenty of rest.
Was a good talk, Raph. Too bad your schedule didn’t allow for more time for us to chat, but I’m sure we’ll chat more at other conferences. Let me know when you’re heading to Teske’s at GDC. 🙂 Now you know I live in the area, so drop me a line if you’re back some time.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to you posting info about the talk. I’m eager to discuss some of the points you made. I agree with your conclusions, I just get there from a different path. 🙂
Have fun,
What is a game?
Raph’s recent presentation at PARC got me thinking about what games are. I figured some of you might find the topic interesting as well.
I begin with the question, “what is a game?”
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