We have daily drink-coffe-catch-up-talk-about-anything-get-togethers at 10. And at 15. (that’s 3 p.m. for those of you who speak a.m./p.m. language). I don’t always have coffee and I don’t always make it to the kitchen at all, but when I do there’s always a conversation taking place that fits nicely on the blog. And mostly that’s the case with the lunch discussions as well.

Most people here might be programmers, tech dudes and men - but they sure offer a great variety of hanging-by-the-coffee-machine-talk topics. You never know it you’re gonna spend the next half an hour learning about sharks, corduroy pants or sheep. Or maybe just some random ramblings on the upside of goldfish, dangers of daffodils and potential joy of getting a new haircut. A-n-y-t-h-i-n-g.

Of course, a lot of times it has something to do with games. Computers. Pixels. Resolution. Graphics. Technology. Bandwidth. Internet. Movies. Tv series. Avatars. Music. Gender.

Aaaah. There’s an interesting topic, let’s focus on that for a minute. It all started with Anders showing us a picture in his phone, taken at a game shop the other day. How about this for gender neutrality?

Well I don’t know about you guys, but I sure feel like we treat our kids equally and really do our best to eliminate that prejudiced gender burden…right?

At this 10 o’ clock gender-around-the-coffe-discussion we came to the conclusion that it’s all about the money. Surprise. Share holders and boards want to improve account balances, they care less for making the world a better (more genderly equal) place. Game studios will do basically any game in order to be the “next big thing” or basically just pay the rent. Noone takes the chance of breaking the habit and be brave enough to go where hardly anyone has gone before.

But seriously oh dear God almighty - how many versions of World War II are we gonna have to endure? How many shades of grey is there? How many oversized killing machines stuck in a dystopian city is gonna look down on me from the shelves at the game store?

I wish money didn’t rule. I wish independent developers got loads of money for making those innovative and cool games that, today, most people miss out on ’cause they don’t know they exist. I wish game developers weren’t such cowards. I wish more people took bigger interest in finding out what the key elements of difference in “male” and “female” gaming is really all about. I wish there were no such thing as a “boys” or “girls” section in the clothes, or toy, store. I wish my only clothing option in Test Drive Unlimited wasn’t “miniskirt” and “sexy top”.

Well well, I can sit here all day, keep wishing for things to change. I guess I have to start with doing everything in my power to stop crap like that entering the Power Racing zone. And keep telling Ruben there’s no such thing as a girl’s color… and buy him pink socks.

Soon it’s you-know-what… FREDAGSFIKA! Have to pop out for some drink. As in Coke. Not vodka, no no no…

Take care, have a good one.

/ L

Anders S sent me a youtube link to this cool and amusing little thing about the immersive nature of games. Or at least that’s how I interpreted it. (it can also be found at New York Times Magazine)

In less than an hour I’ve received nine medals and tried out ten different tracks. So far so good. But the process of getting to the starting line was far from simple. Let me put it like this. My mum couldn’t have downloaded and installed this game. Probably not even my sister, who’s not an entirely idiotic person when it comes to sort-of-techy stuff. Then again, maybe my family isn’t exactly the TrackMania prime target group?

Ok, so using STEAM is not the end of the world. But it’s not common knowledge either. And ok, there was probably another, much easier way, to get hold of TrackMania then the STEAm one… but if so, it’s very well hidden.

It’s not just about the actual gaming experience, the race itself. It’s also about the accessibility.

Still, they’ve definetely done a few things right.

• the tracks are rather short - this in combination with smooth restart/respawn functionality gives you the strength to actually bother trying to improve again and again without wanting to strangle yourself out of boredom
• instant replays after every race (not so funny every time, but they’re easy to escape. litterally.)
• extremely easy-to-grasp-and-use controls
• easy-to-understand menu system
• instant feedback/ratification - “New Personal Record” in a popup window after pretty much each race (this could also, on the contrary, be very annoying for a non newbie who is confident in him/herself)
• very quick loading of tracks

On the downside of things…

• graphics are “dead” - no real feeling in the environment
• extremely complicated, non intuitive, download and installation process
• no obvious social context or community activity next to the game  (ok, so I played single player races… but still - the game didn’t shout “social activites” or “forum” at me…no sir…)

And after I’ve played this game for more than like… 40 minutes I’m sure I will have much more to say about the depth, the gameplay, the physics, the controls, the game modes, the fps rates, the track designs, the cars, the community functionality etc etc etc forever and ever. Is it realistic enough? Challenging enough? Is it good looking enough? Does it provide me with enough variety? You know, all these things that put together decides if this is game for you, or not.

Will play some more tomorrow. Time to hop out of the office.

// L

A friend of mine is turning 30 in one months’ time. I’m not saying its’ me, a friend! This friend has been turning 30 for almost a year now. “Oh, you are 29 years old are you… 30 next, eh!” *wink-wink*. Oh really? Which British prep university did you study at that taught you such excellent deduction skills? Needless to say my friend is tired of insinuations from humorless people who have nothing better to talk about.

But you know, it’s ok:

• Hair turns grey – it’s ok, because it also looks distinguished.
• Body… changes – it’s ok, because this change is NATURAL, rather than the changes that follow neglect. In effect, after 30 you can stop narcissistically checking the mirrors for changes, because they WILL be there. If they weren’t, then that’s a cause for worry.
• Meaning of life not yet discovered – Congrats: there is still a point with your existence.
• Not rich yet – it’s ok, if you were meant to be rich it would have happened by now. From this day and forward you can relax and enjoy your evening supper of knäckebröd and glass of water in peace. Doesn’t it taste better?
• Eyesight impaired – this is a safety mechanism imposed by nature so you won’t see yourself (and your friends) deteriorate. It’s a wonder how it all fits together.
• Slower reactions – it’s ok, because you are also wiser, smarter and more experienced. Being one step ahead of everything means your reactions don’t have to be as fast as they used to. You can still be a top Power Soccer player if you put your mind to it.

In short – it’s ok.

I changed my desktop background last week, back to one of my favourite pictures of Azumi.

I’ve said it before but I say it again - there’s nothing like a girl with a sword. I know it’s close-to-pathetic and so typical, but still…gives me goose bumps. I’m a sucker for kung fu. Badly. Haven’t seen all the Hong Kong classics, but a good fighting sequence in any movie almost bring tears to my eyes.

Why is that? Why am I so impressed with people having almost extraordinary superhuman abilites? People being more than the average person, when it comes to self control and physical skill? Maybe it comes from being that only girl in school who weren’t the slightest bit talented when it came to gymnastics, not so comfortable jumping over things, running… well, moving in any way that resembles being atheletic. So there I am, daydreaming away, pretending to be so much more than an average, quiet reading normal person. Imagine having all that strength and skill and agility…making a difference… Cute and naive, isn’t it?

So, this morning Magnus asked me if I’d watched the Ninjai cartoons? No - totally missed that one. So I checked the first four episodes out, played the first game and I’m hooked. Love it. A  bit like Saladfingers

(the http://www.fat-pie.com address was broken at the moment) meets Beatrix Kiddo.

Beside ninjas and kung fu masters I’m in the mood for vampires. They’re just everywhere right now! We seem to be in the middle of some kind vampire frenzy. Is it just the same old, same old or are people actually renewing and altering the myth?

I still haven’t tucked in to the new HBO series True Blood. There’s a Swedish movie out called Låt den rätte komma in - in English it would be something like “Let The Right/True (One) Enter”. It’s based on a book that was published a few years ago. Vampires in Stockholm… Could be interesting. And the new movie Twilight, apparently a next-to-Harry Potter-like success in America. Based on a novel by Stephenie meyer it has now hit the screens all over the world. The age restriction, 15, has been the subject of some outrage in Sweden. Twilights main target group seem to be teenage girls (or women, in touch with their younger self) from age 12-13. We can only imagine the amount of seriously disappointed girls in Sweden this December.

Sipwell asked for some Kodak moments to be posted on the blog. I told him it’s like - 5 degrees, semi storm and a light snow fall. That put some weird visions in to his head of the entire staff throwing snow balls, Pow in his sled, me with rosy frozen cheeks… We’ll see what I can come up with. In any case there will be some fundamentally amusing pictures after the office Christmas party taking place in a couple of weeks.

Now we have a meeting with Tomas Dunard, our latest addition and proud Product Manager of Power Racing. Very interesting. The vision, the release plan etc etc. So who knows, we just might have ourselves a release date any time soon!

Later!

// Linda

Well, if you know me at all, you know the answer to that. There won’t be any completely un-related eye candy in this game. Eye candy as in cool exhaust pipes or shiny rims or super high tech tuning parts - of course. That’s what it’s all about. Cars. Engines. Driving.

But no one has to this point been able to explain to me, the connection between half naked girls - only there for the show, eye candy material - and racing. At least not in a very persuasive way.

“It’s just the way it is” “It’s always been like that” “There are always grid girls at racing tracks” etc etc.

So fine, I get it. They exist. But WHY?

Let’s say racing games and car sports are considered a male area of interest. It’s for men only. What could be considered “female” areas of interest? Kitchen appliances? Washing machines? How often do you see semi naked men posing next to those, to enhance sales? Like…never?

Why do guys need stereotype images of women to focus on something? Why aren’t we seeing an upgraded version of the “typical male” and “typical female” concept? Why are we still living in the 19th century - or worse - when it comes to these things?

I know men/boys/guys who definetely aren’t like this. Who aren’t afraid of real women. Who don’t buy stupid magazines where page 3 girls take their top off to get ahead in the world. Who see through the artificial layer we seem to cover women in (you know what I mean, mini skirts, huge boobs, unbuttoned shirts, flawless skin, neverending legs and a waist so thin she’ll snap if you touch her).

But where are these men when games are being developed? Is the game industry really such an old fashioned environment, with such gutless creatures, that women in games are destined to be no more than cute props on the sideline? Who is gonna take that step forward, refusing to accept “reality” and change the way we portray women?

Stop hiding behind “we’re just giving people what they want”. Change what people want! Show them an alternative. Find another target group, dare to be different.

God these things make me mad… I’m so annoyed I even missed the PS demo which is now taking place in the conference room. Gotta go.

Happy weekend. Be brave. Think differently. Challenge yourself. Play games. Eat fruit. Read a book. And remember, be nice…

// L

So I was in a games shop the other day, just killing time, hoping to be impressed and lured into buying a way too expensive game for the 360 at the office. Or maybe even a really cheap one for my PS2 at home. But no. No no no. Nothing that even resembled a blasting hilarious innovative driving game.

The two next-to-potential ones were Project Gotham Racing 4 and Midnight Club Los Angeles. Didn’t get them though.

Yesterday someone in the team said “we should get some new games, like PGR 4 and Midnight Club…” So today I’m strolling up the street on my lunch break getting those games. And I think I’ll spend some of the afternoon in the game room…I swear I’m gonna break down in tears if there is even one half naked girl in that da** game. One! It’s still one too many…

What are you doing today?

I’m the earliest bird here at the office. Most days Sebastian is here before me, sometimes Simon as well. Then it’s me, then Magnus or Per, then Mikko and Jukka, Erik (most of my precious team) and then, somtime between 8.30 and 9 the rest just sort of keep rolling in… Daily scrums are holy, same time, same place, same people every day. You need one hell of an excuse not to be there. Like “the crocodile ate my bike” or “my grandmother’s Alsatian walked me in the wrong direction” or “Tomas A kept calling me all night saying funny things so I just couldn’t sleep and then didn’t hear my alarm in the morning”. Stuff like that we simply have to forgive.

Anyhow. It’s nice here at this time of the day. Completely quiet, rather dark (except for the cosy Duderö light, from IKEA, obviously - we are Swedes after all!)

That’s not a picture from our office, but it’s the same kind of lamp.

And soon it’s time to put up the electric advent candlesticks. Have no clue if that’s a world wide phenomenon, but in Sweden it’s a major happening. Come December 1st and there  are lights in every window. Stars, candlesticks, angels, reindeers… anything that looks good with a light bulb. Or seven.

This is what the Power Challenge elctric advent celebration looks like:

We got six of them, maybe that’s not enough? Maybe we need some illuminous reindeers or something… have to give it some serious consideration.

Now it’s time for me to walk out of the office, cross the street, enter Hemköp (Swedish grocery store) and buy some buns/glögg/cake/candy. It’s sprint planning day today, and retrospection, and God (Sipwell) knows we need the sugar rush.

Plus, it’s absolutely freezing in Linköping today, so we all need some warm glögg to keep us from turning into ice cones.

I’m outie. Stuff to buy, sprints to plan.

/ L

Spent a few minutes cleaning up the kitchen, in the early morning hours, here at the office. Nothing major, moved some magazines around, put an empty ginger bread box in the recycling, put some coffee cups in the dishwasher, threw out a few cans and jars that had outlived their “best before date” by far…and then my eye caught the lolcatzmagnet “pain” and I came to think about the superhot very famous classical quote “Pain don’t hurt” by Patric Swayze in Road House. And after looking through the quotes page for that film it occurs to me that the entire film is just one gigantic quote machine… take a look for yourself! It just kills me thinking about how that movie is actually supposed to be serious. Real. With serious messages.

In the same way as Nico or any other Steven Segal movie.

But let’s focus on the man of the hour. The dancer gone fighter gone weirdo. Let’s focus on Johnny.

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner” - timeless. Dirty Dancing was a huge success among the girls/young women of the late 80’s.

Then some 15 years passed and suddenly a movie came out that finally proved to us all that rabbits can be seriously disturbing. Donnie Darko. So mindblowing. Puzzling. Impossible to grasp. And who do we find playing the not-so-nice character of Jim Cunningham? Our dear Patrick. Very unexpected. If you haven’t seen Donnie Darko yet - please watch it and then let me know what the ending really means, ok?

So - that was today’s celebrity. Who knows what we’ll focus on tomorrow morning. A religion? A car? A liquor brand? A river? A superhero?

I’m thinking of having a recurring daily post on “Todays xxxxx”, whatever topic or subject that pops up in my head when I get into the office in the morning. How about that? Or should we have a weekly focus? Like… “this week’s fruit” or “this week’s vehicle” or “this week’s animal”?

// Linda

Our eminent Executive Producer Richard held a two hour “getting to know scrum”-session with the racing team today. It was partially based on some equally eminent slides by Henrik Kniberg, the number one God in the house of Scrum according to Richard

And I agree. Those two days of Scrum Mastering he took us through were filled with realistic, eye opening observations and examples from real life, all delivered with a great sense of humour and self-perception. Entertaining and educational.

So, we agree that Henrik is on the same level as Jesus. Minimum. Maybe he’s Jesus’ older brother. Anyway, what was interesting to see today, was that the developers themselves didn’t have a hard time getting the core values or principles of Scrum and Agile. They could relate. They nodded and smiled and remembered projects they’d been part of that were very similar to those presented on the slides.

And that’s the beauty of Scrum. It’s all about common sense. It’s not the magic bullet. It’s not (despite what I said about Henrik) a divine solution of all evil in the world. It’s just a matter of facing reality, accepting facts and STOP LYING!

A stakeholder (investor/publisher) want something. They ask someone (CEO/Project Manager/Sales Director) how long it will take to build and how much money it’s gonna cost. That someone wants to get the contract. In order to get it, they lie. Yes. They know they can’t make any promises, they know everything changes during the production cycle, they know software development isn’t predictable… still they make promises.

The traditional waterfall method isn’t based on mutual trust or the acceptance of change as a given factor. And that’s why most projects of that kind are destined to fail. (I know there are endless ways to define “fail” or “success”, but still…) Things change. People reconsider. Stuff happens. Nothing, ever, follows the plan.

And that whole trust/lie-issue is covered in this excellent presentation by Henrik (it’s in Swedish, sorry all you foreign people dying to know more about why scrummers don’t lie)

…and that’s where my focus just drops. Need coffe or water or something. I think it’s time to wrap this up and sign out. And also, it’s demo time in a few minutes. This sprint is over and we show the rest of the office, potential stakeholders etc what’s been done since last week.

I think the retrospective is gonna have to wait until tomorrow. My brain is really of no use to anyone right now. Excellent time to go through the product backlog.

See you later.

// Linda