Back to video games...

As some of you may know, I am a refugee from the field of video game development. I spent more than a decade in the game industry designing, producing, directing and project managing video games. The hours were grueling and the mentality was largely... well... uncomfortable for anyone over 30, female and with interests in things other than games. I spent my last couple years in the industry at a publisher/developer that was not committed to quality and that had a very formulaic approach to game development. Not to mention a fascist, sadistic VP in charge of the effort.

So, when I was asked to be video game editor for a new content site, my first response was "no". But, then I thought about what my knee-jerk response was really reacting to and realized...

I like games. I like video games. I don't think they cause kids to kill people. I think they are fun.

So, I accepted and am pleased to present:

Love to Know Video Games

Is everything bad good for you?

That is the claim of author Steven Johnson in his new book Everything Bad is Good for You.

His premise is that most of pop culture -- tv shows, movies and video games -- are all actually brain stimulators and are ultimately good for us.

He references Woody Allen's book "Sleeper" where a look into the distant future revealed that sugary treats like cream pies and hot fudge are actually proven to be healthful...

He then extends the metaphor to Xbox and other video games that are usually under fire in the media for their extreme content, including sex and violence. He sites the problem solving and decision making of the game playing process, as well as the reward system inherent in most games, as features that are beneficial for us. Of course, he doesn't closely examine the nature of many of those game rewards... He does look at the kinds of thinking that keep the brain fresh and argues that video games do the same things for us that word games have been proven to do -- keep our neurons firing.

While Johnson's claims are appealing, I think there may be better ways to keep our brains active. Don't get me wrong - I am an advocate of video game playing; I am just not sure I'm ready to equate it to spending time with the classics.

Hints for spammers and phishers.

Okay, like everyone else, I hate spam. Yet, I feel compelled to share a piece of information with the rampant spammers.

I get spam everyday. It is easy to identify most of the spam - it is the stuff that is trying to get me to enlarge my penis, order sedatives, mood enhancers or drugs to help my penis (can someone please tell them I do *not* have a penis? and it certainly doesn't need ). But, even before I look at the content, I can spot the spam -- it is woefully mis-spelled. Now, I know they purportedly do some of the typos in order to confuse the spam-guard software. However, I am pretty sure that any half-way decent spam blocker will know that Viaggra or Viaxgra is just as spammy as Viagra.

Then, there are the phishers. They are sending emails that try to get you to disclose your personal information by pretending to be big reputable companies needing "updates". But, the emails are poorly written and laden with grammatical and spelling errors. Do they really want you to think that no one at eBay or Paypal takes any time to proofread?

So, spammers and phishers... take note. If you want to sell, con or fool more people... Run a spell-check.

Am I an Internet Serf?

I saw an ad posting today... admittedly, it was probably a typo:

"... Skill sets: Internet-serfing..."

But, it made me wonder. Am I really an Internet serf? I create web content for low wages for those who own all the land. I dream of being a land-owner, having large web sites accruing my own Google Adsense income, but so far I barely have my own garden plots. Mostly, I spend time creating web content for too-low rates for those who have big enough stakes to use the content to build their empires and rake in the ad revenue. Technically, they are taking more risk than I. And, (usually) they pay me as soon as I complete the articles, helping my cash flow. But still...

I guess technically I am not in servitude, yet sometimes it feels like I am. I need the money I earn to pay for some of our monthly expenses - the preschool and car payments rely heavily on my income.

I am lucky. I do NOT have to accept some of the really insultingly low pay positions I see posted or hear about. I do not usually work for less than $20 an hour and I try to work for much more. But, I still find that my most lucrative contracts have nothing to do with web content, or if they do, it is not of the keyword SEO variety. Instead, I create content for companies who need to impart a message via the web. They are willing to pay to have well-crafted words on their sites, not keyword phrases jammed inelegantly into word-counted prose.

If you are a writer, remember your worth. Yes, go ahead and pick up some of the keyword content gigs to help you fill the gaps between contracts and pay the bills. But, don't put yourself in bondage to that kind of writing. Always keep your own little piece of the land for your own pursuits. Whether you write your own web content for your own adsense account, or even better write what you love to write... cherish that freedom.

My pieces of the pie?
Well, a little chunk of Writers Row is mine... http://www.writersrow.com/anya_werner/index.htm
And, I maintain and operate:
http://www.transfatfree.com
http://www.killerchocolate.com
http://www.monsterdance.com

Projects, projects everywhere

This summer has really shown me that there is freelance work out there. I have as much work as I have time to do (admittedly I have too little time) and I have had the option of turning down projects that didn't pay enough or that did not fit my requirements.

I have actually started to believe that when my daughter starts elementary school, I *could* make a full-time living as a writer. On the other hand, the pay is still substandard, so...

I had a bit of a flip-flop on my book this week. For 2 days, I was full of plans to totally change and revamp it, then finish it.

Then, with the help of some friends and family, I came to my senses. What I *really* need to do is just finish it as is. Despite the urges to move onto something new, I need to finish, resolve, conquer. I will do it. I will. Really...