Stay Tuned

Howdy.

I know I've been pretty silent for the last few months, but hang in there. James and I have been hard at work and you'll be hearing all about it soon. It'll be worth it, I promise!

Lecture Update: Almost Done!

At long last, I have found a window of time to work on a new episode. I've spent most of the last three days working on the thing, and it's well over half finished. I think I can have it done within a week.

Thanks a lot for your patience, guys! You're all very, very good sports.

Lecture Update: Script Complete / Narration Recorded

I've been recording the next lecture this afternoon. I might have to trim it a bit to fit inside Youtube's ten minute limit, but it's shaping up nicely!

For the next episode, we'll be returning to the Game Design Corner. Our new topic: Moral Choices.

I know this is going painfully slow (as always), but thanks for putting up with me!

The Game Overthinker

How is it that I only discovered this guy recently?

Seriously, our videos are so similar in style and subject matter that it's amazing I stumbled on his series literally weeks ago. And I know he didn't get the idea from me because he's been around longer. Crazy.

Anyway, the reason I bring him up is for those of you who haven't seen him yet either. I highly encourage checking his videos out. I don't always agree with his take on every topic, but he always puts together a strong argument and manages to keep a pretty objective viewpoint (despite his admitted Nintendo fandom). Like my own series, the main point is to get people thinking and talking, and his videos definitely succeed in that regard.

Another reason I'm recommending him here is because ... well, I know my own release schedule is atrociously slow. But now you know of another guy who does similar videos that you can enjoy while you wait. Go ahead and check him out. I won't hold it against ya.

In other news, I just made it through two of the busiest months I can remember ever having. Now I've got a nice long holiday break, during which I plan to get started on the next episode. Yay!

Lecture Update: About 60% Complete

Our next video lecture, discussing Controversy, is well over halfway finished. I have a couple days off from work and I finished my school assignments early, so I was able to sit down at the computer all day and hammer out a huge chunk of the next video. At this rate, I expect the next lecture to be released by next weekend (hopefully earlier).

Again, sorry for the long delay since the last episode. This is the longest gap I've ever had between lectures and I'm not thrilled about it. I plan to have the next episode underway much sooner.

Lecture Update: Script Finished / Narration Recorded

First off, I want to apologize for updating this thing so infrequently over the last couple months. Life has been pretty jam-packed for me lately, but the whole point of having this blog here is so I don't vanish for long periods of time. I'll be working to keep the updates a little more frequent.

Second, the script is complete for the next lecture episode and the narration is recorded. James is back at the wheel and has some great topics lined up for us. The upcoming topic: Controversy.

Third, if you haven't checked out the Digital Cowboys podcast yet, I highly recommend it. They asked me to join them again last week to talk about storytelling in games and I think the resulting episode turned out rather well. Why not go have a listen?

Yet Another Podcast Appearance! (yeah, same guys)

I have quickly become a fan of the Digital Cowboys podcast. I've been listening ever since Alex approached me about coming on the show. This week's episode is a fun little deviation from their usual format: they've pooled the guests from multiple episodes and given them each a chance to rant on something they hate about video games.

I actually had a hard time thinking about something to hate. Sure, there's the standard complaints about DLC money-grubbing, Quick Time Events and everything Activision does, but that seemed too easy. In the end, I chose to whine about game difficulty. I'm not great at thinking on my feet (as you may have noticed with all the stuttering I do in these shows) but I think it turned out well. It's a solid episode, so go to that fancy new website of theirs and check it out.

And if you haven't seen it yet, those guys made a great little Project Natal/Milo spoof too.

One of the things that has surprised me is how much I actually consider these guys to be buddies of mine now. I've appeared on their show like twice and played a few hours of Rock Band with them (they aren't lying when they say Paul is a top-tier vocalist), but I already feel like I've made some new friends. And that's pretty damn cool.

In lecture news, the script is coming along nicely. I think it's going to end up being a shorter episode, but James has really nailed it this time. I'll keep you guys posted!

Busy Busy Busy

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading all the commentary on the new lecture over the last few weeks, both here and on other sites. Hearing all the feedback and seeing debates spark up everywhere is the best part about this whole series.

Soon after the release of Video Games and the Female Audience, James sent me two drafts for new episodes, both awesome. I've started writing the script for the first one, but I also recently started a new job. Keeping up with that, school and life in general has kept my hands tied over the last two weeks.

For those of you who might have been hoping for more "Game Design Corner" episodes, the lecture after next will grant your wish. Stay tuned!

Update: Next Lecture is Nearly Complete

I'm between school quarters this week, so I've spent almost every day working non-stop on the next lecture. It looks like it's going to clock in as my longest lecture yet: over ten minutes.

After I have the audio recorded, I usually start assembling the video from beginning to end. I just passed the seven minute marker last night, so I'm pretty much in the home stretch now. If all goes according to plan, the lecture should be ready for release tomorrow!

Back to work ...

Animation: Class 3 Reel

One of the main reasons you guys don't see lectures more often is because I'm pursuing a career in animation. I'm currently studying at Animation Mentor and set to graduate this March. With some luck, I'll be working as an animator in the video game industry soon after.

Anyway, I figured I'd post my latest progress reel as proof that I'm not just sitting around playing Team Fortress 2 all day.

Daniel Floyd Class 3 Animation Reel

For some extra good news, releasing this reel marks the end of the school quarter for me, which means I now have about a week and a half to work on the next lecture. Hurray!

Update: Narration recorded

Welcome to all newcomers!

Just letting you folks know that the narration for the next video is recorded and ready to go, clocking in at just under ten minutes long. Work on the video itself may finally commence!

Huzzah!

Update: Script in progress

And now for what this blog is really for: progress updates on the latest video.

The script for the next lecture has been sitting at 90% complete for a few weeks now. I wanted to get some feedback from various people before making a final draft. But most of that feedback has come back now and I plan to finalize the script and record the narration by the end of the week. Then it's just a matter of putting the video together (which may take a week or several, depending on how busy life gets).

I'm especially excited about this next video. Not only does it have a great topic, but it will feature our first ever "special guest." Or "second." I don't know if James counts. He's pretty much a regular. Speaking of James, he has several more topics in the pipeline, so rest assured that there are plenty more videos to come!

Also, I'll probably be making an official video announcement for the blog by next week.