Ok, so I shouldn’t read too much into this, I mean, I’m fundamentally crap at PS, I never fix any bugs, I don’t produce any hot graphics, I’ve never created, started or killed a demon, never once programmed a game server… so basically I’m not essential to this game at all.

Still…some people consider me being their favourite crew… ME!?

look how shocked I am:

I knew you wouldn’t believe me. But look for yourself, the truth is out there. In the forum.

It struck me, looking through the Power Soccer forum like I always do a couple of times a day. Found a thread started by Powdersnow called “Presentation thread” where he encouraged everyone to write about themselves, age, occupation, favourite food and tv-series and colour, name and whatever else that anyone might want to know.

And I started reading through the answers, page up and down with people gathering, communicating. There was a 10 year old from Hong Kong, someone named George from Greece, Sipwell of course, a 12 year old from Tirana and hundreds of others. Seven pages, 340 replies. Everyone so eager to share, to get the chance to learn more about the friends and co-players of PS.

I got to think about my son Lewis and how he, the other day, with great pride in his voice shouted that his post was “post of the day” on his favourite forum. Needless to say he’s an active member and this forum is like the centre of his universe. “Everyone will read this! It’s the top post!”

The topic of the thread itself might not be that important, but the look on his face, his self esteem boost… not to mention his improved social skills and English vocabulary… that matters a lot.

Imagine that. Being able to write something you care about and innumerous people around the entire world will be able to read it within seconds. Everywhere. Suddenly it doesn’t matter where you live, how old you are, what you look like, how fast you run 100 meters, if you bother to cut your hair or not, what sneakers you wear…

That was when it struck me. Internet sometimes has the ability to make real life matter less.

In a good way. You can be whoever you want to be.

It lets you find friends who share your interests. It lets you be the person you really are. It patiently waits until you got the time. If you’re shy no one will see you blushing. If you want to write you write - and get published! If you like flamingos you’ll find others just like you and you can start a flamingo club.

To me that’s what online gaming and communities are really about. Friendship. Communication. Mutual understanding and support. Finding friends no matter what happens in school, at work or at home.

So besides all the great lol cat pictures and cookie dough recipes, there are other ways in which the internet is fundamentally cool.

Making people grow. Making the friendless socialise. Letting the quiet speak up. Allowing the wannabe to BE.

God save the internet.

And just a quick reminder that you can still follow PS on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/powersoccer

Lewis just phoned me, to complain about having to go on the bus for half an hour to get home from school… about how much it sucks having to walk a kilometer from the bus to our house…and about the fact that he missed the last bus today and has to go home with me. In the car. After I’ve finished working. Poor poor industrialized country children of today. The horrors. The dreadful circumstances they have to put up with! (major irony taking place here)

While on the phone he asked if he could borrow my laptop once he gets here. “No, cause I’m working”. Oh, but the other one? (spoiled! - there’s always another computer lurking around the corner) “Yes fine, you can use that” Have you released that racing game yet? “No, it’s not out yet” But you could play it on the internet? “Yes, but it’s not OUT yet. It’s just for us, it’s not for everyone. It’s still being developed” Right, you need like a code or something. “Sort of, yeah”. It was fun, I want to play it…

And that’s when I get a sort of warm fuzzy feeling inside… My gaming child likes our game. He wants to play it. He’s not into sports of any kind - he doesn’t play PS at all - he just really likes games. And he really liked PR… That’s a good sign. And right now, looking out, I definetely need a good warm fuzzy feeling.

Imagine “Great Britain Grey” as if there was such a colour. Then add drizzling rain. Then through in a bit of snow, nicely blending with the rain. And ta-taaa! That’s Linköping today. (update: now it’s actually snowing, like Santa is coming to town…what happened to spring and birds singing and those daffodils finding their way through the frozen ground?)

Looking forward to that lit fire that will be burning in our living room later this evening…

So there was a Christmas party yesterday. We drank, we played, we Spotified, we cheered, we ate, we drank some more, we danced… And here we are, looking awfully bright and perky if I might say so myself. (thank God there is Helena Rubinstein Magic Concealer to cover up the tiredness. makeup is my best friend)

One of the events was a PS cup that Powdersnow - of course - won.

(Sipwell might claim he would have won had he only been invited, but that’s a different story.)

Proud winner of the office Power Racing tournament was… Erik H! Power to the racingteam! My guys truly are the best… And they’re happy too!

(notice the mega cool five of a kind t-shirt that Per S m-a-d-e for the event)

Then there was some Guitar Hero action and for the first time ever I beat Erik in a game, something I guess will never happen again.

(I actually beat Josef too, come to think of it…)

Here follows some random evidence of friendship, joy and beer:

Then we left the office and went to Platå, a restaurant/night club in Linköping where we had some food,  glögg, beer and cocktails.

Quality dude meets code dude.

Code dude happened to grab Emperor of Fun’s nose

Chancellor of Surreal vs. Per “Tropic Thunder” L.

From all of us, to all of you - a very, merry Christmas!

No, I haven’t left. I’m still here. Just been fighting the mighty cough dragon and sore throat demons. Not feeling the slightest bit better really, but staying home doesn’t help - does it? Let’s drink tea and try to stay awake shall we? Out of respect for my co-workers I’m sitting in another room at the moment, keeping my cavalry of germs to myself.

Well, that was just about as much talk on the topic of “illness” as I can bare. Let’s move on.

What’s going on in Power Challenge Universe? Well… a lot of things that need our attention but isn’t much fun blogging about. Or at least it’s not bloggable just yet. There are some structural changes taking place, new people coming in, others moving on to new positions within the company. Changes as to how we work, methods, who’s doing what, who decides what and why - and when…all that kind of stuff.

As I’ve so cleverly put it in the past, change can be hard getting used to. Although, I think we all feel this new order is very good for the company, the people who work here, the games we build and the people who play them.

(just imagine… a squad of PI’s, cooler than Kojak…

sharper looking than Bogart, bringing law and order to the     games industry… Their weapon of choice? Code standards. Scrum training. Time boxing. Outlines, descriptions and regulations that instead of narrowing peoples space, provides them with more freedom. Know your boundaries)

So, although all is well here in PS universe, we still have a lot on our minds - ergo, not so much writing about the stuff that ALSO matters. Like games in general. Candy. Why one should not eat candy. Movies. The latest gadgets we simpy Must. Have. Reindeers (after all, it’s December).

I’ll try my very best to be a more frequent blogger. Marx Brother member. Power Soccer visitor. And my guess is that the next few weeks will bring us much exciting news about Power Racing so hopefully we can give you some updates before Christmas. The wheels are beginning to turn, the intense discussions and gameplay battles are towering even as we speak… and we’re all very excited, of course. Can’t wait to finally spread some more words and news to you lot, who desperately cling to this blog, begging for some news, unable to sleep at night…no? Really? Disappointed!

Oh well. Life goes on I suppose. I’ll still bring you the news, as soon as I can. Feel like a mushroom? That we keep you in the dark, feeding you…manure? Don’t. It just takes longer than one would like sometimes to actually reach a point where information can be shared, freely and globally.

Ok, I’m almost staying to the point here, not good. Not at all like me. Have to do some severe sidetracking here… like…Richard E Grant! Isn’t he just one of the greatest, ever!? Haven’t seen much of him lately, and thinking about it, I can only recall two films I’ve actually seen him in. Jack & Sarah and Hudson Hawk. The latter has a rating average which is somewhere near that of Waterworld. Imagine that. I have to admit I’ve watched it like twelve times, not sure why. Hilarious one liners and characters though. Like David Caruso, doing the silent role of Kit-Kat the thug.

Anyways, Richard E Grant has an expression that is close to another favourite actor of mine, Alan Rickman. (some low quality youtube clip there…) They could act through an antire movie without saying a word, their faces and gestures would tell you everything. Marvelous.

Rickman has brought so many villains to life: Snape. The Sheriff of Nottingham. Hans Gruber.

Timeless, classic bad guys. But he’s also played some  rather quiet, ordinary people like in Love Actually, Sense and Sensibility or that tv production I watched like a thousand years ago in England. No bad guys, no shooting, just top class acting and extraordinary charisma.

One minute to daily scrum. Gotta dash.

// 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

“And we’re live!” - Michael just shouted. Today’s testing is over but the over all work is not. We still got plenty to do I guess.

As you’re about to find out if you go to Power Soccer, there have been some updates and rather severe changes made. New cup funcionality, clan pages and more. Take a look.

And when you’re sort of doing fifteen things at once, trying to keep track of those test cases, keeping five skype conversations alive at the same time, booking hotel rooms for people going to Stockholm tomorrow, having release meetings and… well, you need those Post-It’s…

Let me give you a quick glance of the view from where I sit:

my desk ——>

<—– my co-workers (dodgy dungeon-like atmosphere, is it not?)

Mattias’ personal to do-list  —->

Ok I’m outie. It’s Laura’s birthday and I feel the pressure to be a sort of decent parent and actually cook for once. Pizza, of course.

Happy release everyone!

// Linda

One of the guys turned 30 earlier this week and we took the chance to celebrate with cake at the weekly Friday 3 p.m. coffee break. Some chocolate, some marzipan and some raspberry - and cream, of course.

Anyway. It’s Power Challenge Crew cup time right now, to settle once and for all who the best PS player is in the office(s). Like hello? Do we need to play a cup to figure that out? We all know his name, it begins with “Pow” and ends with “dersnow”.

I’m also diving deeper into kongregate.com. What a great place for finding new ideas and inspiration. Like this - really addictive! http://www.kongregate.com/games/Jayisgames/casual-gameplay-escape

It’s Friday afternoon and the weekend is just around the corner. Will definetely check the blog for posts though so keep posting!

Signing out.

// Linda

There was a new version of Power Soccer released yesterday. Normally, if you work here you can’t miss when there’s a release around the corne. The pace is far from sustainable - it’s frantic.

And that’s the number one weird thing - yesterday it was…calm. Quiet. I would say that instead of despair and grief the general mood was optimistic and cheerful.

We’ve gradually improved the process, workflow, during the last six months and I think we’re actually getting somewhere. Production- and otherwise. Meetings, checklists, teamwork, testing…it’s all beginning to come together. This has probably helped a lot with keeping people out of the stressloop.

As always- more can be done. We can get even better with our planning and estimating, stop lying to ourselves and everyone else with how much work that can be done within a sprint, we can probably improve how we communicate with our users and hundreds of other things. But still - it was a good release and I’m very proud of everyone here who’s worked hard to make it so.

I read some of the posts in the PS forum yesterday and, as always, most of them basically said “bring the old version back”. I spoke to Thorbjörn (Powdersnow, a legend in PS and now part of the crew) about it, just checking if this was normal procedure and guess what? It is. It’s like this after every release. So I’m very curious to see what the buzz in the forum will be like during the next week or so. If our users will be able to rise above the fact that we changed some of the things they were used to and try to accept, embrace and enjoy the improvements.

Because, as we all know, us humans are creatures of habit. We like to know exactly what to expect, be in control. Change can be really hard getting used to.