Jetpack Gothic

liamnicholson:

This brings back very fond memories. This was our last week or two of development in my final year of university (at The University of Huddersfield, 2009). The Computer Games Design course was partnered up with the Computer Games Programming course in small teams to basically make any game we could. In those last two weeks we basically had this or the room next door to ourselves, 9am-5pm.

I (in the red shirt there) was given the role of Lead Artist, and was basically responsible for any 2D assets on screen, as well as some concept art work at the beginning. It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my educational life, it was stressful, challenging, inspiring, exciting and most of all, it taught me how a small development studio ‘might’ actually work. Considering we were thrown together and left to our own devices, I think we did really well as a team and I was incredible proud of us all, partly for not wanting to kill each other (an outcome some of the other teams appeared to be approaching).

This module was equivalent to our Dissertations in terms of grade percentage, and yet somehow it seemed to be a whole lot more work. As well as making a game, we had to write a 5,000 word ‘diary’ on it too, bearing in mind our Dissertations were 7,000 words. I didn’t do too well on my Dissertation, I picked a stupidly difficult topic which I really enjoyed researching but had no chance from the get-go really, but thankfully this team module was perhaps my most successful piece of work I’ve ever done. In fact I was something like 2 marks off a ‘1st’, and considering I was working in a role I’ve always aspired to have at a real studio, I will always look back on this and be proud of myself and the work I created.

It also spawned Blue Demon Studio, the development team I now work with, started by myself and two of my friends from this very team, and I couldn’t imagine what I’d be doing now if not this.

‘Pretty much a ditto, though I was working as lead designer (and Blue Demon’s coder, James, worked as lead programmer - funny, that!), and I was stood behind the camera here in some guise.

The course was a rubbish one, but for times like this when we really got the chance to knuckle down and do as we hope to do a year from now, leading our own studio.’

‘Yep, this makes for a pleasant weekend. Such is what happens when your tumbleblog gets featured on another, which has recently enjoyed some decent fame of its own! Finally Maps in Games has kicked off into what I hoped it would be, so I am happy and proud of it today.’

teeenage-anarchist:

Body modifications do not change a person’s education, worth, much less their feelings, but people keep pointing their finger. This is a form of art and personal expression. It’s their body and their life; you shouldn’t judge!

I shouldn’t, and I know this, but I still do. :/

I think this is a worthy point to make but it’s made very poorly. The fact we can’t see any of the man’s tattoos on the left-hand photograph seems illogical. If we are to normalise body modification, we should avoid this sort of contrast.

I recently had a status-rant in response to this sickening article at the Daily Mail, in which a commentator praised Sewell and expressed how “creeped out” he is by same-sex kisses on TV screens and in public. I think these are one and the same problem.

Like many LGBT folks, I grew up ‘straight’. I moved on from that childish disgust we all have shared when faced with a loving embrace between a man and a woman, and of course it became part of my everyday life. I don’t quite expect to see couples kissing very day, but it’s no longer disturbing in any way.

It took me much longer to accept same-sex embraces, despite the fact I’m a gay woman. I was surprised by that until I thought back to the days of “Mum and Dad are kissing; eww!”, and remembered that for a myriad of reasons - the nicest of which is simply the fact we’re in the minority - I’ve not been exposed to that sort of public display of affection before.

Nor indeed am I especially used to seeing body ‘art’ and piercings on anyone in a position of power or responsibility. I realise that this is a cyclical thing - it’s much harder to find gainful employment when your arms are scrawled with eagle wings and Latin mottoes - but just I’ve found comfort in myself and the actions of others when it comes to open displays of non-heterosexual affection, so too do I expect I would accept body modification.

I can’t help that; I think it’s just in my human nature. That sort of distrust and fear can be overcome with practice, but only by being confronted with new realities. In a bizarre way, I find myself saying: “I dislike body modification in others, but be a little more proud of it, and I reckon that’ll change my response and that of the wider populace”. After all, there are societies where tattooing is the norm, and some where even a heterosexual kiss would be seen as disgusting.

(Source: artattoo, via chokelate)