I shouldn't post things before having my first coffee ;-) I don't think I explained myself too well. I find that there is something very exploitative about the whole freemium game model, and I guess my dim view is really reflective of the kind of thinking that goes into developing these games. Many of them are…

It's all good!

I don't know if you're being sarcastic in a knowing way or not, but seeing as I cannot prove my story, I'll just kindly ask you to take my word on it :-)

I first came across the term 'Whale' while working in the industry. One of my responsibility's was to read user reviews and summarize what people were saying about the game, and report any issues users described. Most of the games we monitored were freemium types, and I naively exclaimed to my boss one day my lack of…

Well said. I'm English, have been here a while, and have gotten by OK for the most part. Having said that, I'm actively trying to improve my French, which is tough (I'm aware how bad it is, so so can be shy about speaking it), but have found people to be generally quite helpful. As for the nastier side of things, I…

Not to nitpick or anything, but Montreal's an island, and Toronto is mainland, albeit next to lake Ontario.

By car it takes roughly around 6 hours, but the plane trip would be very quick.

Magnificent.

Every time I saw a Bloater I was like "Oh crap, do I have bombs?"

I'll just let Robin Williams explain things.

Ditto for Canada. I (used to) know people who'd go on about it endlessly, especially when I worked as a video game tester. I found it boring as hell even when I was a regular smoker.

I started off as a tester, and then did about a year as an (act as) lead. This was in mobile QA

It certainly put a damper on my enthusiasm. I worked at EA for about 3 years before getting laid off, and am seriously re-thinking my goals.

They might be safe due to the Star Wars deal, but who knows?

I haven't seen the place since getting laid off in April; it sounds depressing. Still no luck getting another job so far : (

I've never seen Trevor look so happy.

Do you know by any chance if the 'Not region locked' extends to BluRay movies and DVD's also? Or is it strictly for games only?

Thanks for a well written and argued article Kirk! I can't wait to see how this plays out in GTA 5, and I strongly suspect my style of play is going to change depending on who I'm playing as, especially in free roam. I like how Trevor, for example, is a character designed and written with the rampaging player in mind,…

I watch Heat about once a year, and it never gets old.

That's a fair point. I probably came across as glib when I said variety. Absolutely it should be based on a persons talents that they get a writing or directing gig or whatever. Gender really shouldn't be an issue, and hopefully one day it won't be, but we aren't quite there yet. I just find it a bit odd that there's…