Welcome! Within this blog I hope to cover a variety of topics related to computer games and their development, which is likely to include the following areas at a minimum:

• Critical reviews of games as I play them (most old, some new), steering away from focusing on presentational aspects and more towards abstract game systems and overall aesthetics;
• Implementation considerations relating to computer game development, typically regarding tools, libraries, and programming idioms;
• Use of languages other than C++ in game development, especially Python, but potentially others including Lua, Javascript, C#, PHP, ActionScript, etc;
• Artificial intelligence algorithms and techniques as they relate or could possibly relate to games;
• Game design concepts, typically in the genres that interest me most such as role-playing and strategy, but hopefully with wider application;
• Procedural generation of semantic content and other methods of reducing the spiralling cost of content creation;
• Wider industry issues such as working practices, social issues such as the “do games cause violence?” debate, and perceptions of games and gamers in the media;
• …and the obligatory discussion of issues raised by other ‘bloggers’ in similar areas as they arise.

I apologise in advance for the wide scope here, but I hope in a way to show that a wider view of game development is beneficial compared to specialising in one or two key areas, and that an understanding of both programming and design is necessary to make the most of the medium and the development process.