I'm just fucking with ya! It actually means Non-Disclosure Agreement. Basically it means you can't discuss the details of anything you and the company you are under NDA with agreed upon. It's legally binding stuff man, and it's serious. So anyway because of that I can't discuss the project or projects I'm working on only the platform I'm aiming for and be as vague as possible. So yeah a PS4 and Vita project is in the works but I thought I'd stop by and throw out a couple of things that just came to mind. I recently wrote a quick 400+ word review on Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons which I will be posting up here soon. I recommend you give it a shot, along with the other games we played not too long ago on the AAE Playcast. I'll still be doing the PlayCast since it's easier to do a livestream than producing a 10-15 minute video that took 6 hours to compile, edit and post; time constraints y'all.
I'll leave you with this thought I had about game development. I've heard a lot of conversations lately about people who play video games that then want to enter the field and develop games themselves; it takes a lot of hard work, time, and most of all patience. The paperwork to start your own company alone is enough to drive someone insane. The agreements, paperwork, and all the legal crap is intimidating and overwhelming and that's the side most people don't see. Side note: If I could, I would hire someone in an instant to handle all that crap though, ugh. For anybody who wants to become a game developer ask yourself this question: Do you want to make games because you like playing them, or do you want to make games because you want to create something; something that tests your abilities, something that pushes any talent or skill you think you have to it's limits. Game development can break you, but to get your code up and running the first time and see it breathe life into your screen is enough to make up for it.
The question should not be where do I start. Are you an artist, can you program, can you bring people together in a way that all of these talents are not imposing on the other but working as one? Your vision must be declared from the start. An idea is not enough, everyone has ideas, you have to execute on that idea. It’s that singular vision that coalesces those ideas, those talents into one cohesive product; something tangible. The institution is not required, but education is imperative. Game Design requires a philosophical approach, no one way is right or wrong, it's all a series of failures and lessons. Game development on the other hand is a science; it's mathematical equations that result in true or false statements. Where do you fit in? The tools are vast and productive but are only a means to an end; the end can only be reached through conception of a proper and realistic target. Play to your strengths, while acknowledging your weaknesses.