Game designers don't get enough credit.

        During my research into the wild technical world of video game design, I came across this video on the 'Unreal engine' that has been used to create some of your favorite games and mine. This video from the unreal site gives some insight into the complex capabilities of this program as well as some inspiring demos on it's ease of use.

I can't wait to get started!

Victo: Short for Victoria

Victo Ngai is an artist that I have just stumbled upon that has an awesome ability to mix the real world with the fantastic. Originally from Hong Kong she now resides in NY and makes awesome pieces that I want hanging up everywhere I look. I want to respect her request not to duplicate any of her work without permission and since I haven't the clout to even ask, here are some links to her stuff. It's really great.

victo-ngai.com

victongai.tumblr.com

The Art of the Take Away Show

     Inspired by the old post about Bon Iver playing in a doorway in Paris, I searched around for a few more videos that I could post that had the same feeling of spontaneity. I came across the french website La Blogothèque that is capturing artists performances on the streets and compiling it. Their collection of videos is pretty awesome and with each artist they attach an interesting story about the video(s) production process.

Here is the web site and also a few links to some of the videos for you to check out. 

http://en.blogotheque.net/

Beirut - Nantes

Grizzly Bear - Knife

Just what does the USD translate to in SEK?

http://elliotalfredius.blogspot.com

        This post is going to be all about Elliot Alfredious. If you'd like to get started early you can click the link above. 

        I stumbled across some of this gentleman's work via Brandon Graham's Wordpress blog. I know, I know, I'm posting links about links I found on other links I JUST posted about but I'm still new to taking this blog thing seriously... So shut up. Elliot Alfredius also has a tumblr account that has some newer material as well. I always like to see the progressions of peoples work so I thought I'd deliver it to you in rough chronological order.  Below is the link to that Tumblr.

http://elliotalfredius.tumblr.com/

I don't want to overload you on coolness so here are a few teasers of his work. Check out his sites and I believe, if you can convert USD into the Swedish SEK (which I still have yet to look up) you can purchase some of his work at this Sweedish distributor/publication co. 

http://www.peowstudio.com/elliot/

Peow also carries work from other awesome artists if you're at all interested in awesome stuff. Enjoy. 

Sound Design: My Lifeblood

    So as you may, or may not, know, not only do I love using commas, sometimes inappropriately, most of the time incorrectly, I also love audio! Not in one of those,
     "I love music!"
     "Oh yeah? Who is your favorite band?"
     "OMG, like I couldn't pick just one I love themallsomuchsoamazingzomG!" sort of ways. In the way that it's pretty much all I've been focused on since I was 15 sort of ways. It's the thing, I am told, I am good at and it's what I'm surrounded by every day. Recording and cutting audio is one of my favorite things to do and luckily I am fortunate enough to be doing it for a living.

This is all prep to the nerdyness that is about to occur. Ready? Here we go:

        So I was cruising around the internet listening to sound designers talk about sound design for games, like you do, and I stumbled upon some videos with Mark Lampert, Sound Designer and audio Director for Bethesda games. This series of videos is specific to Skyrim: the single-player, Windows/PS3/Xbox360, action role-playing, 2011 Bethesda release directed by Todd Howard with music by Jeremy Soule. *phew* I thought this was supremely interesting given my audio background and I thought I'd share a few of them with you. (If that's not cool than I'm Aesop Rock... and I'm not...but I wouldn't mind.)

        This is the first one I watched about the basic sound design for the game. It gives a little bit of insight into how he layers sounds to create new sounds. 10 points for Gryffindor if you notice the weird cutaways mid-interview.

        Creating NEW sounds takes a lot of creativity when you're dealing with a world of fantasy. There are familiar elements and creatures that a sound designer needs to create that is believable. This video is dealing with the voices of the characters and dragons.

        Best for last. Turn up your speakers or slap on some headphones for this one. I am Super into the soundtrack for Skyrim. I sometimes start the game and let it play in the background while I clean or wash dishes. Trust me when I say that you've never done epic laundry without an epic soundtrack. Here, Mark Lampert speaks a bit about what went into the mega soundtrack for Skyrim.

        There are way more videos about sound design that I watch a few times a week to keep me pumped on being the best audio engineer that I can be. I will start sharing more of those with you as well but let me know if watching videos on sound makes you want to puke all over your own shoes and I will start a separate blog about it.

The unsolicited inspiration of an unmoored post-grad via comic books about cats.

     After a long absence from any comic shops, a rough day guided me back towards my "happy place." That happy place is Comics, Toons, 'n Toys in Tustin, Ca. Tustin, as in the city of the box factory that John Locke from LOST worked at before his walkabout. I was pretty aimless when I first walked in but I was determined to grab something, anything really, off the shelf to that I could use to distract myself from the post-college graduation blues I had been experiencing. I ended up getting the biggest and relatively cheapest compilations I could find. The mixture of simple lines and tweaky doodles of 'King City' by Brandon Graham caught my eye and was what I went home with--and a T-shirt that says 'Science is the new Rock and Roll.' Zero research. Literally judging a book by it's cover.

(That's ok to do with comics though... I mean... right?)

     I was pleasantly surprised by how hooked I got. Dragging this "424 page catmonster" around with me was heavy but worth it. I later found out that it is listed as one of the top indie comics amongst Scott Pilgrim and Orc Stain. After the second read through of King City, I decided to do some research and find out what else this Brandon fella has been up to. HERE'S A LINK to what I found. Since reading through Mr.Graham's blog, hearing his story about getting King City Published, and checking out some of the stuff that inspires him I have equally been inspired to start sharing, once more, the things that inspire me. A la the reason for this post. With that said, here we go.