In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including what makes a successful multiplayer map, four simple tips for combating game piracy, and more.
In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra.
Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only Expert Blogs are written by development professionals with a wealth of experience to share.
We hope that both sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information about the blogs, check out the latest official posting guidelines.
Steve Fulton recounts his experience 35 years ago, when his dad took him to Toys R' Us to see several Star Wars characters in-person. He says it was the day that "turned me into a full-time nerd and set me on the path to a career making games."
Gamasutra contributor Ryan Langley examines September 2012's Xbox Live Arcade debuts and continuing successes, with charts and Leaderboard data showing the performance of titles like Joe Danger 2, Mark of the Ninja, and Rock Band Blitz.
Piracy is a topic that comes up a lot, so Tyler York conducted research on Indiegames.com, TIGSource.com, email lists, blog posts, etc on the issue. He found that the answers to piracy are surprisingly simple.