Slashdot Mirror

As a writer and designer currently in the game industry, let me show you my pokemons.

I started off writing and designing pen-and-paper role-playing games, and writing a column for RPG.net. This helped me build a portfolio and greatly expanded my contact list. When the time came to enter the video game industry as a writer, those samples and references helped me get in.

In my spare time I did as much writing and design as possible, in whatever areas I could get my hands on: news writing, graphic design, web design, and the creation of a fake fast-food franchise run by ninja named Ninja Burger ( http://www.ninjaburger.com/ ). Again, when the time came to get into video games, all that experience helped immensely. Design is design; writing is writing. The more you do of each, the better you get at it. I wrote about games, I designed games... I even co-wrote and co-designed a MUD ( http://www.iconoclast.org/ ), but my time spent designing church bulletins, editing news columns, writing copy for a comic book catalog and doing technical writing all helped me learn not just the ropes, but all the knots as well.

In the end, breaking in for me came down to being in the right place at the right time. A friend of mine worked for a game company, and she got me the interview, but at that point it was up to me to close the deal, and my portfolio, references and samples were what did that.

In short, you can't wait by the stream for the ship to come in. You need to build your own raft, and when the ship sails by, you need to paddle yourself out to it.

Get ready by reading some books on game writing and design. I've reviewed a bunch of them for Slashdot over the years:

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/25/0046222

http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/31/1445235

http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/05/1420215

http://books.slashdot.org/books/06/02/27/1445214.shtml

http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/18/149246

http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/09/0527214

a reference to http://www.ninjaburger.com/ ?

...........makes sense.

a reference to http://www.ninjaburger.com/ ?

Ninja can and sometimes do have associations.

Don't forget, they also have burgers. See how they deliver, ninja-style.

I don't know whether to be gratified or insulted that Ninja Burger didn't make the cut, as silly as it is.

Though looking at their list, it appears they really weren't interested in silly anyway; sites that were intentionally silly number only 5 (by my count), the bulk qualifying as dumb (which I read as unintentional silliness or lack of quality):

Dumb
23. InmatesForYou.com
22. Digital entertainment network (den.com)
21. Golden Palace Casino
20. Hotmail.com
19. WebVan
18. Beenz.com and Flooz.com (tie)
17. Boo.com
16. Microsoft Windows Update
15. Neuticles.com
14. BidForSurgery.com
13. Whitehouse.com
11. Rabies for Kids
10. MyLackey.com.
7. Pets.com
6. Pixelon.com
5. AllAdvantage
4. CD Universe
3. Cartoonnetwok.com
2. CyberRebate
1. MySpace.com

Silly
25. Rentmychest.com.
24. IKissYou.org
12. The Dancing Baby
9. HamsterDance.com
8. BonziBuddy

That grid that popped up reminds me of games like Turf Wars>/a>

You can still get $5 sandwiches delivered in 30 minutes or less from Ninja Burger.

... then just contact these guys.

I once ordered a ninja burger, but it never came, so I guess that the delivery person committed seppuku.

I bet the Japanese can't deliver pizza to Buttfsck, Idaho faster than the local Domino's can, though. :)

I dunno, they're pretty motivated.

Their Guarantee:
Guaranteed delivery in 30 minutes or less, or we commit Seppuku!

Let's see dominos beat that!

High-speed Pizza delivery

Watch it, the Japaneese are moving into that field. And they have a pretty hard to beat guarantee.

Ninjasoft, anyone?

http://www.ninjaburger.com/

Someone submit a Ninja Burger order on their behalf, with "extra mushrooms".

Not "extra anchovies" though. That'll the code for pot.

I want an option to order a Ninja Burger! True quality, fast and cheap! ..granted, you might have replace a window/doorframe/wall or two, but it's worth it, right?

Hi, this site is all about ninjas robots, REAL NINJA ROBOTS. This site is awesome. My name is Robert and I can't stop thinking about ninja robots. These guys are cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet.

Sure, ninja robots are great and all...

But do they guarantee delivery in 30 minutes or less, or they commit seppuku?

Get a job.

A GBA Zelda is indeed in the works, but it appears that it won't be a new title. Instead, it's gonna be a remix of the SNES Zelda: Link to the Past, but with multiplayer support for co-op play.

This post sponsored by Ninja Burger.
"Please do not tip the Ninjas."

Cuz Pikmin was released last year in November. :)

This post sponsored by Ninja Burger.
"Please do not tip the Ninjas."

NinjaBurger?