If a developer spends the time and money to create a new IP, you can bet they're going to try and make it work for them. All aspects of development, from code and assets to character and story development and gameplay mechanics take time to design and execute, so it's easier to iterate than start from scratch.

In my mind, there is a spectrum of sequels, from those adhering strictly to the previous formula to those taking chances and making fundamental changes. The former seems to be the more common type. In a series like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, this can be a huge problem. With multiple entries in each series per year, the changes between the games are sometimes so minute that it is hard to justify the upgrade. Harmonix, the studio behind Rock Band, was recently sold by MTV for $50. Of course, a large amount of debt in the form of unsold product was also part of the bargain, but this was a hugely successful studio that made some of the most popular games in the past decade.

In a game series with a strong story, such as Metal Gear Solid or Uncharted, a fresh story and some more time with the characters and universe can be enough for success. Notice though that sequels in both series do have changes that make them different experiences from more than just a story standpoint.

So in today's world, where Activision can pump out a new Call of Duty every year, utilizing two (and soon even more) different development studios, we have to ask ourselves: What justifies a sequel? People have begun complaining that Call of Duty is largely identical each year, and the short-term fate of the music-rhythm genre has illustrated the fact that people can only take so much incremental change. Right now, Call of Duty is at the top of its game, but so too were Rock Band and Guitar Hero a few years ago.

At the same time, indie studios and even big developers are creating new franchises that provide a breath of fresh air for the industry. Sequels can be a great thing. They serve to invest fans even further in the universe of the game and they allow developers to use previous engines and tools and focus on mechanics and polish to make the game shine. However, developers and publishers must be aware that too much of a good thing can be overwhelming.

I've always believed that humans are not alone in the universe. The odds are overwhelming. There are approximately 200-400 billion stars in the galaxy. If only 1% of those host planets capable of supporting life (as we know it on Earth), we're left with 30 million. If only 1% of those actually have life, we've got 300,000 planets. Now, if only 1% of those life forms are intelligent, that's still 3,000 intelligent life forms in the galaxy. 

So here comes the question. If we go by these extremely conservative estimates, why haven't we seen a single sign of intelligent life yet? Shouldn't we have seen at least a ship or probe by now? These are exactly the questions asked by physicist Enrico Fermi in the 1950s. It's called Fermi's paradox. The size and age of the universe suggest that other advanced civilizations should exist, but we lack any significant evidence to support this theory. 

It's puzzling indeed, but I think it's simply a matter of how technologically juvenile humans are. We've remained within our own solar system for our entire existence. That means that other civilizations in the galaxy would need to stumble upon this one star in 100 billion in order to find us. I say that even if life exists in a nearby solar system, our methods of observing the universe are far too rudimentary for us to notice. We still have to theorize about whether Mars or Jupiter's moon, Europa ever had (or have) liquid water. Also, there's no reason to believe that civilizations in the galaxy are necessarily significantly more advanced than us. Sure, other life forms could evolve more quickly than us and be more geared toward expansion in the universe, but it would take a much speedier civilization that has been borne into existence, developed advanced methods of travel and jumped the tens to tens of thousands of light years across the galaxy before we can even put a human on Mars. 

There are extremely old stars in the galaxy, some nearly as old as the universe, and these stars could support much older systems, but the average age of stars in the Milky Way is just over 6 Billion years old. Our system is young in comparison, but with the wide range of different compositions, types of radiation, gravity and other factors, there's no way of knowing how long it would take life to establish itself in any given system.

Basically, the question is still up in the air. I guess we'll just have to get to work on faster-than-light travel and get our butts out there to find life!

One day, I hope that the world will be free of non-rechargeable batteries. 

Batteries were once the bane of my existence. I can't count the number of times I've stolen half-used batteries from one device to power another or tried in vain to make obviously dead batteries work. No, the freezer, the sun and time are not efficient battery re-chargers. 

I'll never forget the moment in my childhood when batteries became my mortal enemy. I was at the airport, anxious for two firsts; my first plane ride and my first Disney World adventure. Of course, I needed something to keep me occupied while standing in the network of lines that comprise an airport, so I had my trusty Gameboy Color with Pokemon Yellow. There was a problem though - the game could not save. I was fully aware of this, but I was too young and naive to understand that this issue was caused by a battery. I spent my time in the world of Pokemon leveling up and building a party of trusty sidekicks from scratch every time I wanted to play. 

On this occasion, I had found a Pidgeotto, the evolved form of a week Pokemon, early in the game. It was level 9 when everything else was level 2 and 3 and I somehow managed to catch it. (Never since then has such a phenomenon occured). With my new Pidgeotto in tow, I was ready to take on the world when I got on the plane. I stepped up to the metal detector, Gameboy in hand, and the guard looked at me for a second before saying "you'll have to turn that off." Not being one to disobey authority, I squashed my pride and excitement and turned off my system. 

A second later, he was laughing. "I was just kidding buddy! You didn't have to turn it off." He and my parents got a good laugh out of it, but my thoughts were barreling toward rage. I may not have considered it back then, but it wasn't his fault. He had no way of knowing that I couldn't save. He had no idea what a Pidgeotto was. The blame can be placed squarely on the battery. 

This humble device seems all too noble at first. After all, it gives its life to us in the form of energy, but it simply isn't enough. I have since been on a quest to eradicate batteries from my life. If something can be recharged, it is an ally. 

Time has dulled my hostility toward batteries and my struggle to be battery-free has become somewhat of a lost cause, but I will always remember what atrocities these seemingly-innocent cylinders (or rectangular prisms) are capable of. 

Lately, there's been a lot news about the "PS3 crack." A team of hackers called Failoverflow  has successfully hacked the PS3. The significant detail is that they haven't written code that bypasses Sony's security or created a peripheral that allows the console to be hacked, but have instead found a fundamental flaw in the way the PS3 authorizes code. When the PS3 runs an application or game, it checks that the code is signed. Using "simple algebra," Failoverflow was able to solve for a missing number and attain the code needed to sign applications. Since the PS3 will recognize anything signed with this series of characters, this opens the door for people to create homebrew applications and, of course, pirate games. 

I don't find the fact that Failoverflow discovered the key to be a problem, in fact it's pretty impressive. The problem is that they gave the key to another hacker "Geohot" who decided to publish it on his blog. He claims that he is against piracy and that Sony's removal of the "other os" functionality was the first blow. It's interesting that his use of the feature as an avenue to crack the system and his publication of the methods he used was the catalyst for its removal. Now, Geohot has opened the door for the world to create custom firmware for the PS3 and run pirated games. There's no doubt that he knew the repercussions of posting the key to the public. Sony is now suing him and I fully support Sony. 

If Geohot truly doesn't support piracy, then the action of publishing the key in his public blog is simply irresponsible. Sure, he isn't directly pirating games, but he's making it possible for others to do so. He claims that he specifically designed the hack so that piracy can't be done in the way it has in the past, but he of all people should know that hackers are constantly adapting to new restrictions. He may find a way to argue in court, but he is clearly in the wrong here. 

I'm interested to see how this turns out. 

Every once in a while, a game comes along that challenges our expectations. Games like LittleBigPlanet and Minecraft are obvious examples with the same basic premise of user-created content. Even classics like Pac-Man are being re-thought in Pac-Man Championship Edition: DX. The PC indie scene is booming, spawning its own variety of unique games. The vast majority of games use familiar game designs with attached bells and whistles and polish to various degrees, but as we move forward, new ideas continuously emerge. 

The industry is changing. Increased focus on the mobile market has forced developers to find creative ways to bring their designs to touch screen only devices and utilize features like gyroscopes and the ability to be constantly connected to the internet. 

With 3D getting bigger each week (whether we believe it can work or not), designs that include the technology in a more integral way are bound to emerge. Nintendo's 3DS will release in America in a few months, and Nintendo is counting on developers to make 3D a necessary element to games rather than just another gimmick. 

There will always be a place for more "traditional" game designs, but with the mobile market, the indie scene, platforms like XBLA, PSN and WiiWare, and technology like 3D TVs and systems, it seems that developers are being challenged to take risks to advance the limits of design. Who knows what the landscape will look like in ten years? 

It's been three and a half long years, but my time at Pitt is coming to an end. I've got a lot going on this semester with classes, my internship and the beginnings of my real job search, but I'm excited for the next stage of my life.

I'm looking forward to getting a job and maybe seeing a new city. I've learned just as much outside of class as I have in class and I don't think I'd be the same person at all if I didn't go to college. Sure, there are things I would change, but I've made it through and learned from my successes and mistakes. I'll miss college, but I don't think I'll miss being a broke college student!

I think the biggest learning experience was being thrown into this unfamiliar environment with no friends or parents. I went from Lancaster county, home of the Amish, to the city of Pittsburgh and I knew absolutely no one when I came here. The process of familiarizing myself was one of the most important experiences of my life and, coupled with my classes, allowed me to see the world from a different perspective.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to continuing the learning process outside the classroom. I'm excited to work with some of the talented people in the games industry and learn how they do what they do best.