Gee, blog, I’m sorry I missed your birthday. But you don’t have to get all bitchy about it.

So I’ve been blogging here just over one year - going to get a little meta on you for a brief moment, if you don’t mind. It’s funny to me somewhat (and probably not to you – sorry folks, not every post is winner), looking why I started the blog in the first place and the response to it.

I had started game-related blogs a couple times before but never really got into the groove with them. I was never 100% on what to include or not include. I realized this time, going into it, that I had finally reached the point where my voice as a developer was somewhat more coherent. I knew the things that were important to me, and they weren’t really things being discussed at large very much. I also wanted to improve on my consistency/voice through regular practice. I actually think managed that, with more or less regular posts (not counting the last two months, for over half of which I’ve been out of town for various reasons, mainly freaking weddings).

So that was why I started a blog, not necessarily why I started this blog. I had eventually realized the pursuit of games that offer insight into ourselves and the world around (via themes more serious than fat plumbers and speedy hedgehogs), that’s what gets me going. And it simply wasn’t being discussed enough to my liking.

On a secondary but not inconsequential note, I was also just kinda annoyed at the lack of decent reading material on game analysis/criticism. Sunday morning coffee was pretty boring after I got through GSW, GTxtA, and Level Up. 

Another reason was actually to aim this type of discussion at several groups that particularly might value it: students and journalists. While the large majority of professional developers I meet or know have no particular desire to work on games with serious themes, I’ve always been impressed by the students I’ve met, that are much more passionate about this sort of thing. They’re not particularly inhibited about thinking along those lines – but if there’s no real discussion about it, my fear is just that some won’t feel encouraged to continue to explore down those avenues. Journalists, on the other hand, have it a bit rough. They often want to write about games as intelligently and critically as possible, but let’s face it, there’s absolutely no easy way to come to the level of knowledge one needs to do so.

Still though, I’ll admit I’ve been a bit surprised that, you know, people actually read the blog. Having folks post here & discuss (even marginally) and getting linked by game industry sites and other blogs, makes me think I achieved something in those directions. That’s kinda cool (and you’ll have to forgive this rare moment of self-congratulation). 

It’s also pretty damn cool that the amount of my Sunday reading material has definitely increased (as the growing blogroll here attests), the overall discussion in the “blogosphere” as it were, definitely seems healthier today than it was a year ago.

Well, here’s to another year, blog!

(And here’s to RPS for telling me how to find Pathologic!)