I never watched Miami Vice .. but I know a fair amount about the second word in that equation.
When you really get into development, you know that weeks, months, even for some, years can go by without you raising your head out of the code/development. It’s a wonderful thing, a gift perhaps.
But there’s also a flip-side. At least, for me there is.
I have always, looooong time before I was into development, loved computer games. From when Dad bought home our first, green-screen XT (i think) pc .. with a version of space invaders on it (later we got a donkey kong clone and a game called Big Top), they’ve been something that could bring me a lot of joy.
However, as you can see very clearly from the picture below :) .. the same wonderful ability to jump down a hole and disappear within a project for many moons, also transfers to other activities.
Some might not see a problem. I’m not laying out judgement on anyone else.
Well. judgement has many flavours .. but seriously .. it can be, without proper discipline a real burden.
In fact, the best defence is to just resist altogether. Certain other companions in our little band of coding warriors do it very well. I can do it okay .. until a game like Oblivion comes along.
What’s the solution? I’m not sure. Each time is new and fresh in it’s crazy vice-like grip.
I’m over the worst of it now. The game has lost some of the allure it had. But I don’t like that being the reason I’m coming up for air. Today I got excited again about non-work development. And it was good. I’ve done some blogging, some dev, some thinking / planning. It’s been good to get back.
Now, if only I could close the gates of oblivion, maybe I could really get some work done :).
Remembering more.
On a different aspect, but same partial subject matter .. If Oblivion was a business application, you can bet it would be the Google who would have made it. Or at least, someone with an awesome understanding of almost every aspect. The gameplay, the interface, technical functionality, the hype-monkey, the fans, the players, the press, .. it’s all been a really amazing wheel to watch turning.
I’ve never played a game like this, where I can watch as a mounted guard jumps from his horse and races off into a nearby bandit camp, bringing blood and death with my lending a hand. And then, to see said guard actually looting the corpses before I got to them.
Nice. Very nice.
It’s that kind of development that stirs the blood. Not just gaming, any sphere .. but the stuff that is absolutely biting off more than it can chew, and getting it pretty well right. Learning from previous projects, putting it together.
A good memory. Not just remembering, but I’d think actually putting all the lessons into a brain that would bring them into the next development. Becuase too often we can learn something from a project, forget, and do it similarly the next time around.
Anyway.
‘Nuff Said.