I had an awesome opportunity a few years ago to watch Andrew Glassner do a talk on story telling. I learned a lot about story telling in that presentation however, the thing that stuck with me the most was how he broke up his presentation with beautiful images (digital sherbert) that he called palate cleansers (at least I think that is what he called them). It fascinated me because they would hit at precisely that moment when your mind starts wandering and is fatigued in his presentation. I don’t know if they were 10 or 15 minutes apart or what the magical formula was but it made the entire presentation fascinating.

What does this have to do with making games? I’ve been a bit stressed out in the last couple of weeks and decided to take a break and search for a good palate cleanser to get me back into the swing of making things. I took some time to research what classes are available around my area that aren’t in my direct area of expertise (programming/managing). There are some fascinating classes I am considering in everything from 3D modeling/animation, Sound design, stop motion animation and even acting. A little cross training or trying something new may just be the palate cleanser I need to really hit my hobby projects. At the same time I can grow a breadth of skills that will help me eventually live up to the I, Game Maker moniker.

It is kind of silly to forget how exciting the potential of learning new things is. As I was reading through course descriptions I was finding myself getting more and more energized. Rather than signing up immediately, I decided to relax for the weekend and try and play through a game: Resistance: Retribution for the PSP. I am near the end and will do a writeup when I am finished. Come Monday or Tuesday I’m hoping I will sign up for a class or two!