First post.

Well. I have been aiming to make this blog for a while but I suck at taking initiative.

It's 1:00 am and I am totally going to bed asap.

So, I'm Zanda, a teenager from New South Wales, Australia - and an aspiring Game Designer.

I'm attending the Game Development course at the AIE next year, with a major in Software.

I wish they'd teach design - but, as the programming teacher told me, you can't teach design - and you sure as hell won't get a job from it. So, being absolutely intolerant of 3D art, and with a natural curiosity and like of programming, I'm looking at code to get me an entry level job, then we'll see where I can go from there.

I want to get ahead in terms of design - and, I was told the best way to get there was to mod engines - and I may try it out, but, as I said, I suck at taking the initiative, and frankly I look at design from such a philosophical and egalitarian view point - it makes more sense to me to make a blog.

But hey, if anyone ends up reading this, and who knows how to mod an engine, or would like my mind on their modding team (I very much doubt it, but one can dream) - I guess you can give me a yell. I'd love to learn (and I need someone to beat the crap out of me until I do).

Anyway, just thought I'd initiate on this thing, as hopefully it'll actually lead to me continuing this blog and not just leaving it to be wasted. I already have some ideas for posts that I want to make, I'll list them below.

Wish me luck,

Zanda.

Ideas:

• A conservative, analytical view on changing your game's balance.
• A view on random achievement and reward.
• Where to start when balancing your game - a daunting task.
• Graphs and game design.
• Is the game fun?
• Role-based class balance.
• Achievement, rewards, and addiction.
• 'Balance' and redundancy.
• Balance vs. variety.

I think I forgot the others.

Oh, and I will be posting up game design ideas I have.