Hello, my name is Mike Gowen.

Hot Sidebar Action: October 16th

• Theme and Game Design
  Danc examines theme usage in game design. Another great Lost Garden post!
• Game Design Lessons From Evolutionary Psychology: Social Status, Pt. 1
  Brett examines the intrinsic human desire for status and how it is applied in Facebook games.
• The “Core” of a Game
  Brenda Brathwaite talks about the “core” of a game, and how everything needs to support it. Looking forward to the follow up posts she is promising.
• Using dual currency systems is the best way to sell virtual goods
  This is oldie but a goodie. Matt Mihaly explains the concept (and genius) behind dual currency systems. Must read!
• Kinoma Redesign Process
  I love when Jesse does redesign posts! He’s such an incredible designer and it’s always inspiring and informative to get a glimpse into his process.
• Ask 37signals: How did you come up with pricing for your products?
  A quick look into how 37signals prices their products. I love these posts!
• Do It Yourself First
  37signals gives sound advice for those looking to hire for any position.
• Sequoia Capital: Armchair quarterbacks
  Jason Fried comments on Sequoia Capital’s advice to startups. “Good advice comes before the bad times roll, not after.” Dead on.
• World of Warcraft - Mirrors, Patches, Files
  If your ISP ruthlessly blocks all ports and you cannot use the Blizzard Downloader, you can find all the patches here.