I had some deep thoughts a few days back that were inspired by completing Myst V, walking to the gorge with Brianne, and reading an interview with Rand Miller:

Normally I strive to learn, experience new things, build knowledge, and continue to grow. But I realized that experience can also add a burden. It can weigh you down. But this is also good, because it makes you stronger and helps you battle even more difficult things in the future.

I am glad that Myst V and Uru show the Ages we have visited and dreamed about are not paradises. For me, the Myst series had become a paradise; It was a way to be free of the stresses of reality. Often times I have wanted to link from my dorm room to Relto or another Age. But Myst V has also shown that these places are not perfect. Everything changes and can degrade. It is the people that makes the location.

So I found paradise in the people around me. I’ve finally been able to do that this year. I’ve been doing more activities in the dorm and less on the computer. This is a wonderful thing.

It’s been said before, but Myst really is unlike any other video game. Cyan built a story and then the game to tell that story. They built a game that shows that people are more fun (and important) than video games. (It’s great to hear they’re working on a new project.)

My favorite video games (Myst, Half-Life 2, Splinter Cell 3) are my favorites because I play them with people. The only exception to this is Psychonauts, but that is because it is the first game that I really cared about the characters.

I used to complain that video games needed to focus more on stories and characters. Now I’m growing out of video games, just like I grew out of watching television. I no longer need to complain, because I’ve found something better.

It’s exam season around here, which means stress levels are at an all-time high. We’ve got Playdough, Nerf Guns, and LEGOs to help combat that. But when these things fail, you get weird videos.

I recently concluded Google was going to dominate with college students, via their pizza program. Then I received an e-mail inviting me to visit Microsoft for the Student Ambassador kick-off event. The event was incredible. I hope to post more about it here soon, but first here are some thoughts on my first flight:

• Getting through security was painless; The hardest part was putting everything back in my pockets and bags.
• My hometown has a nice airport; The renovations they’ve made recently are very nice. We have about six gates, compared to the other airports I was at that had about six nodes of twenty gates each.
• Moving walkways are just about the most fun way to spend time waiting during a layover.
• The airplane went at a reasonable speed along the runway. I was wondering how it would be enough to get us off the ground. Then we turned and stopped; We had been taxiing. Then we went amazingly fast. That was really cool.
• It took a little bit to get used to changing altitude and banking. Other than my ears hurting a lot (gum doesn’t seem to help me), flying is really awesome.
• It’s incredible to see everything so small on such a massive landscape and horizon. Cities are cool but mountains are incredible!
• At the airport and on the planes, you can find some very sweet people and some very grouchy people.
• The flights could have been improved by having more space in between seats and having better in-flight movies.

Stay tuned for more on my trip to the Microsoft campus.

>>question why it is snowing in September

Lose your questions and you will find answers.

>>?
>>make snowangel

You flop down on the floor and begin flapping your legs and arms wildly. What fun! You get back up and glance down at the snow angel you made. Although you are proud of your work, a voice in your head–that sounds remarkably similar to Della Reese–says: “Nothing happens.”

>>?

>>Hug penguin

You hug the stuffed penguin. Feeling a bit better about things–hugs always seem to improve things–you look around the room. There is a soft, white power covering every surface you can see. You look up and see snowflakes falling to the floor. It’s snowing!

>>?

Tomorrow’s weather forecast is calling for “episodes of sunshine.” I’m not really sure how this differs from “mostly cloudy,” but it was a phrase that got me thinking: What’s the weather forecast for Deg?

Right now it’s breezy with variable cloudiness. Lots of great things are happening and changing. One class is looming over my head while the rest are going very well. My summer was a little bit stressful, so it’s great to see most things have sorted themselves out quite nicely.

Myst V: End of Ages is now in stores. I plan to start tomorrow and take my time through the game. One of the reasons I love Myst is because Cyan and Ubisoft love their fans. I’ve gotten to join in on the adventure. I don’t think standard advertising (TV spots, billboards, etc.) works anymore. But if your companies chat with me and listen to me, I’ll be dedicated to your product and your company.

An awesome example of this is the Google Pizza Program. An even bigger example is the Microsoft Student Ambassador Program. I’ll have some more exciting details about Microsoft next week.

Until then, what’s your weather like?

Lately, I’ve been really into user interface design. I’m enjoying a UI design blog named flow|state. A recent post comments on download size (How big is a big download these days?). Here’s what I think about downloads:

I don’t mind download size at all, but I hate bundling. If I want Quicktime, I don’t want to have to download iTunes. If I want Adobe Acrobat Reader, I don’t want to have to download Adobe photo album software.

As a side note, the university I attend only allows 1.5 GB of bandwidth per week.

(I found flow|state via a link from Scoble, who found it from Chris Anderson,

Chris Brandkamp, VP of Cyan Worlds, wrote a short letter on the status of the gaming industry and Cyan Worlds’ recent announcement they will be running as a two-person skeleton crew. I think the letter expresses what I’m feeling quite well. I thank Chris for being able to write this; I’m having a tough time translating my emotions to words.

The gaming industry has evolved and changed over the 15 years Cyan has
been in business. The days when the magic of Myst’s puzzles, art, music,
etc., were enough to set our games apart are now gone. While we do still
create magic, the buying public and the publishers’ tastes have moved on
more toward the action adventures. We were not ready to transition to
the more violent sorts of products; it’s just not what we do nor were
willing to do.

We had several potential projects in the works but they proved to be too
far out there for publishers looking for your standard,
one-size-fits-all hack ‘n slash products. Take a vertical sampling of
what sells today and you’ll find that there is a homogenous look and
feel to all. And in some respects, while it’s discouraging, I believe
that the gaming industry is creating its own ‘bubble’ that will
eventually burst when someone (perhaps Cyan) comes along and says, ‘hey,
games don’t have to be like that’; much in the same way we did back in
1993.

So it all goes in Cycles and good stuff and people do rise to the top.
We are just getting a first hand gut punch; something our good friends
at Presto Studios experienced earlier. Yes, it is a shame that
independent developers can’t seem to gain traction. I do believe, and
always have, that there’s always room at the table and that we will
return…just in a different form and structure.

And practically speaking, the Myst games of the world really have become
too expensive to develop at a profit for all those involved. Leaner,
meaner is where most industry is/has headed and Cyan, et. al, is no
different. It’s just our turn at bat. What’s good is that our creative
minds can’t be stifled.

We’ll all be OK.

Chris Brandkamp

VP Cyan Worlds

(Thanks to Gavin for posting the letter on the Lyst.)
Links: Grey Dragon’s announcement, CyanBill’s reflection, Fan’s opinions at Myst Blogs

“Briefly he looked about him at the room he’d made, pleased by his efforts, then, picking up his pen again, he bagean to write, setting down the final words. The ending that was not a final ending.”

18 years of Cyan

Quebeckian is competitive. Quebeckian dominates at everything. Now that he’s almost as good as I am at Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, I’m frantically looking for something to maintain my standing. That’s why I’m surprised, and quite happy, that his army is loosing quite badly in our Battle Masters game. It’s great to be back in the dorm.