Week 679

What’s this? I’m blogging about my work on a weekly basis – a simple way to track and archive whatever it is I spend my time on.

Last Tuesday I went to the new year’s reception of the newspaper I write for, NRC (slash nrc.next), together with David Nieborg. I always feel like I’m doing something wrong at receptions. As a freelancer, I hardly ever see the people I work with, so I want to talk to all of them. But it’s tough to get into a conversation with someone, and as soon as you’re talking, it’s tough to get out (but you have to be vigilant if you want to strike everyone off your list).

Afterwards I had dinner with David, which was a lot easier.

On Wednesday I had a great all-hands meeting at Two Tribes. Almost everyone who is working on Toki Tori 2 (check out the new build and the first animations) was there, including most of SonicPicnic (who are doing the sound), and the entire story department (that’s me). The audio system was discussed, and I ran through the game’s ‘experience’ as it’s envisioned right now. Afterwards I was allowed to observe the sacred daily scrum ritual and we had bagels.

On Thursday I helped Kars Alfrink of Hubbub with some textual tweaks, then toured the Dutch Game Garden building and talked to some people.

Last week I also wrote about Eindbaas and the IGF Awards, in a column for nrc.next (which was also published on Bashers.nl). Then, in the first restyled edition of the paper, Rogier Kahlmann’s review of Dutch iPad game Fingle appeared. (I have an unhealthy fascination with makeovers of print publications. I get really excited.)

I wrote up what Nintendo should do for Gamer.nl: focus on one platform, make good games and forget about everything else.

I started watching Homeland, which is great – it’s like 24 with real people.

I finished interviews books with Stanley Kubrick and Woody Allen (both on paper, as a Kindle edition was either not available or more expensive). Two eccentric moviemakers of Jewish descendance, born in New York City just seven years apart. But one made 13 films, the other made 45 (and counting). Both did (slash do) almost everything in the process themselves, but while one was a perfectionist, the other has an iterative approach where he just keeps churning out films, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing.

Finally, On Sunday I dug through my backlog of administrative work. When it was done, I felt relieved.