language

Gaming’s Tower of Babel

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A few weeks ago I discovered Rogue Legacy, a brilliant indie game that instantly became a time sink for me over vacation. I even reviewed it at NerdCaliber. No, I haven’t finished it – yet – but it is a fascinating study in getting a game “right” in a way where people “get” it. Also I want to finish it but I started a new job . . . and Cubeworld.

Rogue Legacy is a fusion of several elements:

  • Roguelike randomness (deriving from the early random-dungeon game Rogue).
  • Sidescrolling castle exploration of the “Metroidvania” type (reminiscent of some Metroid games and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
  • Brutal difficulty common to both of those games and popularized in the hardcore games Demons’ Souls and Dark Souls.
  • An aesthetic reminiscent of other hardcore games, Ghosts and Goblins and Ghouls and Ghosts.

Basically you go into a randomly generated castle, explore, die, and then a randomly generated set of ancestors are available for you to take on the journey again to get far enough to win – usually after a lot of descendants.

Now if you’re a gamer like me, you’re already responding to rods like “Roguelike” and “Metroidvania” and “Hardcore.” My choice of words – and Rogue Legacy’s ancestry – speak to powerful and popular concepts in gaming. In short, Rogue Legacy’s designers speak the language of people like me, and a language with years of history. They know what some of us want and how to do it and communicate it.

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We’re Stuck With The Resume

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I rarely meet people who like doing resumes.  I’m one of them, which probably means there’s something desperately wrong with me.

I’ve been hearing for, about a decade, how some piece of technology will replace the resume.  Admittedly having seen some utterly terrible ones, I kind of wish there was a better substitute, if only to see things screwed up in new ways.

However, I don’t see it coming.  Sure we’ve got video resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and the rest, but the resume is with us for a long time.

Because it’s a standard.

Think of the resume as part of the language of the job search.  It’s something so common, so useful, that even if it seems archaic, it’s something we’re used to, and something we rely on.  It may be inconvenient, most of us may hate making them, but it does the job, and to change over even if there was a better idea would be a big cultural shift.

So, we’re stuck with it for now.  The best thing is to get good at making a resume – and to work on those “supplemental” elements like LinkedIn profiles and portfolios so they enhance the value of your resume.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Book Review: Language Intelligence By Joseph Romm

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Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga  by Joseph J. Romm

ISBN-10: 1477452222
ISBN-13: 978-1477452226

PROS:

  • Explains good communications skills.
  • Lots of interesting current and historical examples.
  • Spells things out in plain but effective language.

CONS:

  • Glosses over a few areas.
  • Feels a bit rushed.

SUMMARY: This is the book to buy right now to improve your communication skills.  But, you know, read the review first if you want.

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