Editor's Note

What's in a Game?

Last week we discussed various theories of game design. We interviewed Trip Hawkins, who began the largest game company in the world, and delved into some of the prominent factors in game design, such as narrative, gameplay and graphics.

This week we're looking at some of the less glamorous, but no less important, aspects of game development, the ones that often go unnoticed in our conscious thought about a game - the side dialogue, the architecture of the setting and the voice acting. This week we explore "What's in a Game?"

Additionally, we have the first of a four part series of articles by uber-producer / gaming god / industry insider and generally all-around cool guy, Warren Spector. He's agreed to give his thoughts on the game industry, and the problems and potentialities it faces. Yeah, it's a departure from the topic of this issue, but it's a fantastic read - all four parts of it over the next four weeks.

Enjoy!

-Julianne Greer