Last year I started to transition away from graphic design to programming, writing a couple ActionScript 2.0 based Flash apps. To maintain momentum, my pledge for 2005 is to make 10 games. They might be crappy, short, or ugly, but each game will provide an opportunity to learn something about game theory versus implementation. I’ve got game theory in spades…implementation (that is, code) is where the rubber meets the road.

• So far, I have finished one game for ActiveEdge, which should be showing up soon. It’s got all the basics of a simple game: event loops, triggers, sprite sequences, level logic, and simple physics. While the game works pretty well, the object hierarchy is pretty fragile and needs to be re-abstracted. I’ll be writing about this when the game goes live, and will incorporate those lessons into whatever the next game happens to be.

• A second goal that I have is to concentrate on larger programming issues rather than re-invent the wheel. Therefore, I plan on looking at the available programming libraries to save some time. There’s plenty to do already without having to write your own game engine from scratch.

• A third goal is to work with other programmers and artists with a collaborative learning spirit. The important thing is to maintain the momentum… Collaboration will be KEY!

• A fourth goal is to make a better logo. I chose colors from the Apple II Plus color graphics generator, but that’s about all I did.

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p>I plan on writing about this journey throughout the year…stay tuned!