Two games industry related sites to recommend today.
First is the blog Level Up, written by Newsweek journalist N’Gai Croal. Croal seems to have unfettered access to some of the most senior members of the industry. Have a look at his 3-part interview with Larry Probst (EA CEO), or another recent 3-part interview with John Riccitiello (MD and co-founder of Elevation Partners, which recently purchased Bioware and Pandemic Studios creating a so-called “super-developer”). Croal asks tough questions and has the uncanny ability of eliciting very candid comments from his interviewees. His posts are insightful and contain a wealth of information on the inner workings of the games industry.
Second, check out Japanmanship, a blog by JC Barnett, a video game artist living and working in Japan. The site is regularly updated with excellent stories detailing day to day life in Japan for an English speaking foreigner. JC also covers the process it takes to get a job in the Japanese games industry, what it’s like working in Japan, the peculiarities of the Japanese games industry, and his many adventures navigating proper etiquette in Japan. If you’re the least bit interested in the games industry or in Japan, bookmark Japanmanship.
