Somewhere along the line, edginess has become just another word for tasteless. I'm not sure where it began, whether it was with Eddie Murphy's "raw" stand-up routine or the irreverent cartoons of Matt Groening. Even now, I see folks who are quick to label something as edgy and then misunderstand the qualities that might make something edgy. In comedy, edginess comes from wit, an unapologetic irreverence and a fervent desire to skewer sacred cows. What it does not come from is mean-spiritedness, a not-so-secret agenda or an over inflated ego. And it certainly does not come from frequent use of foul language. I know that Gamecreature is one of many game-related web comics out there, but it appears to be one of the few that seems to be able to convey a thought without using words frequently heard during a late-night effort of two drunken teens trying to get their car out of a muddy ditch. In my opinion, if you can’t manage a sentence without breaking down into swearing, then you just haven’t learned to use language creatively. To be honest, I’m not trying to get anyone to change the way they manage their own creations. They can do what they want and more power to them. For myself, I intend to take the high road.

MORE PUMPKIN FUN! As promised, a second Gamecreature pumpkin pattern has been posted in the media section. Enjoy!

While GC and Cy play their game, you folks can download and print out your very own Gamecreature pumpkin carving pattern. The link is at the bottom of the Media page. I'll only keep it up for Halloween, so hurry and get it now. I'm working on a second one that I'll have up by next week. If you do feel inspired to decorate your pumpkin with this pattern, I hope you'll snap a picture and send it to me - I'll find a place on here to post them for everyone to enjoy.

My son wanted to have a Gamecreature stencil to carve into his pumpkin and after thinking about it, I decided to sketch one up for him. I showed it to my daughter who said she'd like to put it on her pumpkin. She was naturally disappointed to learn that I had made it for he brother. So now I'm making a second Gamecreature pumpkin stencil and I'll post them both up here for folks who want to have the hippest gaming reptile on their halloween decorations. Stay tuned!

Nothing is stagnant in today’s world and no where is this more evident than in the software industry. Many factors contribute to the constant drumbeat of change, including new and improved hardware, the demands of users and the constant threat of obsolescence. A worker could become sick and drive the project far behind schedule or the client could make a requirement to comply with the license. Since change is inevitable, it seems like a good idea to prepare for it. I am not suggesting that we second-guess ourselves. Rather, we should always put out our best effort but have contingencies ready for when change rears its ugly head. A change in schedule will most likely result in some rather severe editing of the scope of the project. By the same token, being open to change must be used judiciously. Adopting the latest “gee-whiz” features when they come out runs the risk of delaying the project so much that it never sees the light of day.

So what do you do when faced with all of this change? The best you can do is be aware that it is out there, but don’t let it get in the way of what you’re trying to do. Don’t forget, change is good. See you next week!

I've been working in the game business for a long time. When I entered the game industry, it was a young industry. When I started, I was in my twenties and everyone around me was my age as well. When someone turned 40, it was a big deal. Now I'm the fellow over 40 and I'm scratching my head and trying to figure out where all of these young folks have come from. When I was young, I seemed to have more free time, to do what I wanted, for as long as I wanted. The folks I worked with, fresh from college, treated work as simply an extension of their college days, practically living in the office. Now I have priorities outside of the office. In some companies, employees are asked to decide which is more important, their work or their family. To me, that is an easy question to answer. I didn't marry my job.