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Neil Sorens's Blog
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US-based Creative Director at Zen Studios, an independent developer of console games in Budapest, Hungary. I've been designing professionally for 10 years (and much longer as a hobby) and couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.
I have an endless fascination with gaming's unexplored possibilities. Much of my writing on this site is about taking advantage of unexploited (or under-exploited) game design opportunities. The toughest part of game design is not giving players what they ask for (sequel to GameX), but figuring out what they want and don't yet realize. |
Expert Blogs
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Welcome to Zyngaville! |
| Posted by Neil Sorens on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:22:00 EDT in
Game Design,
Social/Online
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| A visit to Zynga's fabulous new amusement park. |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
Let Me See Your Brain  |
| Posted by Neil Sorens on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:38:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| Would scientific experiments that collect data on brain activity advance the field of game design? I'd sure like to run some! |
| Read More... | 5 Comments |
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God As Game Designer |
| Posted by Neil Sorens on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 04:16:00 EST in
Game Design
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| God - infallible as a game designer? I say no. |
| Read More... | 44 Comments |
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Connective Games, Part 3: Help! |
| Posted by Neil Sorens on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:21:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| Using connectivity to provide players with helpful and pertinent information during single-player games |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
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Beyond Spore: Ideas for Connective Games (Part 2) |
| Posted by Neil Sorens on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:46:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| Continuing a discussion on ideas for connective games, Part 2 discusses uses for distributed computing. |
| Read More... | 0 Comments |
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Beyond Spore: Ideas for Connective Games (Part 1) |
| Posted by Neil Sorens on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:06:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| Using network connectivity for more than multiplayer gaming. |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
[More Neil Sorens Blogs]
Neil Sorens's Comments
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Comment In: Nintendo reduces full-year forecasts, confirms Wii U for holiday 2012 [News - 01/26/2012 - 08:52]
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Wasn't the mistake they made ... Wasn't the mistake they made in 2011 releasing the 3DS before developers had enough time to create enough software, before eShop was ready, etc. |
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Comment In: Opinion: Why you should be angrier about NDAA than you were about SOPA [News - 01/24/2012 - 07:23]
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I think the connection to ... I think the connection to gaming here is pretty thin. Plus, we're always talking about how serious games can provide all sorts of real-life training. Why is it out of the question that someone would in fact create a simulation to help train people in terrorism There are already books, ... |
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Comment In: Sony Amends Online Terms To Block Class Action Lawsuits [News - 09/15/2011 - 10:36]
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Class action lawsuits are typically ... Class action lawsuits are typically not a very efficient means of providing relief, anyway. The primary plaintiff and the lawyers make bank, and everyone else get free credit monitoring and a 5 coupon. |
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Comment In: Zen Studios Defends XBLA Following Team Meat Comments [News - 09/09/2011 - 09:05]
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The worry I have is ... The worry I have is that all the negative PR that Microsoft has gotten because of harsh, public complaints from a handful of indie XBLA developers will cause them to be less inclined to work with indie developers in the future. I mean, why would they take the risk |
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Comment In: Interview: Jonathan Blow - Xbox Live Arcade 'A Pain In The Ass' For Indies [News - 08/11/2011 - 04:33]
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I figured that most of ... I figured that most of the quotes here were cherry-picked and reorganized to make a coherent article, but even in context they seem pretty harsh. Each platform has its tradeoffs and quirks. XBLA might require jumping through the most hoops, but Microsoft does a great job of promoting the platform ... |
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Comment In: In-Depth: PlayStation Network Sales Analysis, April - June, 2011 [News - 08/10/2011 - 04:29]
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The only title of real ... The only title of real note is Magic: The Gathering 2012, which was released on time alongside the Xbox Live Arcade version. In just three weeks, the game added 55,644 players, with the XBLA version seeing 134,677 players. Oof. Do most multiplatform games sell 2x on XBLA Always enjoy your ... |
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