Not just the mayor, but John Szeder (of Mofactor) is also the Chamber of Commerce and Booster Club  for mobile development.  He is so connected, he is the Kevin Bacon of mobile entertainment.  (more…)

The Games Developer’s Conference in San Jose last week ROCKED!  The show was bigger and better than ever.  I enjoyed the opportunity to talk up mobile, casual games and Mforma to friends, partners, peers, and competitors.  Blame it on the lull between console generations, or the mass market dollars adding up, but casual games dominated the show.  (more…)

For the first time in years I am not very excited about GDC.  I am more eager to attend CTIA and E3 this year.  I think that one’s career status can indicate their trade show interest. 

Fanboys = E3.
Developers = GDC.
Publishers = E3, again. 
Suits = CTIA. 

Back in the day when I was a cub producer, (more…)

I caught up on some Tivo this weekend and watched 3 episodes of The Apprentice I had cached.  I enjoy the show, even though watching it feels a lot like being at work (I guess I like my work).  One change I observed is that Donald Trump seems to be taking the active CEO role in this edition.  He has advice, constructive criticism, feedback and interacts more with the candidates.  In previous seasons just waltzed into the Boardroom and rendered verdicts like a judge, then vanished out the backdoor.  (more…)

I am a huge fan and student of Walt Disney (as in Walter Elias Disney), the man whose vision led to the media empire and company we know today.  I have read several biographies about him, and really like reading about the early days of Disneyland.   Walt was focused on mass-market entertainment from the start.  He promoted story, quality, technical innovation, and concern for the consumer in all his endeavors.  As game makers, we can learn a lot about building and growing our forms of entertainment from Walt.  (more…)

I am kicking off this blog (on the theory and practice of game design and production) with a rant.  As game makers, our expertise is often underappreciated or unrecognized.  Games are fun and accessable, so anyone can assert that everyone is an expert on games. That things like “fun” and “quality experience” are subjective and no one can be an authority.  I say hogwash.  There are many many experts in the game industry (odds are you are one of them if you are reading this!).  I address the topic of opinions, weight of opinions, and the silly notion of “agreeing to disagree”.

When one goes to the oncologist and she tells you that you have cancer, the patient’s response is rarely “But that is just YOUR opinion! We are all entitled to our opinions!  We must agree to disagree.” (more…)

This site is for my thoughts on game design, production, business, mobile stuff and anything else on my mind.  My name is Rick Marazzani and I have been professionally producing and designing hit mass-market games for more than ten years. I am currently employed at the one of the largest mobile publishers where I manage our hit games lineup.  There are plenty of sites offering advice on hardcore game design, but darn few focused on the mass-market.  This blog hosts my thoughts and experiences over the years, and I hope that I can stimulate thoughts, and kick off dialogs that help us all make better games, mass-market or otherwise.