Blade Edge

Transposed from Gaiiden’s Scroll

Yes folks, this is me and Aaron (Wavinator) up at 1am working so that all of you sitting at home in your comfy chairs (actually… this chair is pretty damn comfy) and sipping your coffee or some such energy drink, can enjoy the goodness that is GDC. This is despite the fact that we have to get up at 8am in order to make it to the press meeting at 9:30am and then onto the tutorials at 10am. So don’t forget it!!

Transposed from Gaiiden’s Scroll

Okay, I managed to rectify some of my earlier mistakes in not taking pictures. You’d think I’d know better by now . So here are faces to go with some of the names I mentioned earlier (and some I didn’t)

Jeff Ward – AKA Warden

Here’s Chris Oltyan (far left), Dustin Clingman (center) and Jeff Ward, AKA Warden (far right) chatting during one of the breaks in the tutorial sessions

Robin, the official GDC photographer. If you ever see photos of GDC on the CMP website, it was most likely him that shot them. He’s a cool guy. I’ve seen him around since I started attending, but only introduced myself last year. I was happy to see he made it to SF as well.

Jason Della Rocca, chillin’ at the IGDA booth, which still isn’t completely set up. In the lower right corner there you can see Rudy Geronimo, who didn’t want his picture taken earlier and, despite my threat in a previous post, I was too nice to take his pic while he was shielding his face 😛

Roger Pedersen (game designer extraordinare – center), looks at a map while Besjon Alivandi (NJ Chapter – right) checks out his datebook

Jason Youzwak and Dan Brady from the NJ Chapter hangin’ out with Karthik Swamithian of Screentoons (and also a NJ IGDA Chapter member) at the Serious Games Summit Reception

The AI Brothers Neil Kirby (Lucent Labs) and Steve Woodcock, AKA Ferretman (Raytheon) toast to good times at the Serious Games Summit Reception

So that’s the end of today. Now I must slap together the week’s newsletter. Ahhh the fun never ends…

Yes there was a teeny bit of sarcasm in there… it is late after all.

Transposed from Gaiiden’s Scroll

Well, I’ve been here for all of 6 hours and I’ve already run into a ton of people: Dave Weinstein (Red Storm), Francois Dominc Laramee, Rudy Geronimo (IGDA), Jason Della Rocca (IGDA), Dustin Clingman (Full Sail), Wade Tinney (Large Animal Games) and many more. I wish at the time I had thought to take all their pics. As it is, all I got are these shmucks

Erm… I mean… thses guys. *cough*

No, really – they’re my buddies from the IGDA NJ chapter: Dan Brady, Mike Sweeney (CheapAss Gamer) and Coray Seifert (Large Animal Games/Blade Edge Software).

I will now be sure to catch everyone I meet on camera, even if it’s them holding their hands in front of their faces.

Transposed from Gaiiden’s Scroll

Behold! The GameDev.net pen!!

Come by and pick yours up at our booth when the Expo opens. If you’re not at the conference fear not, we have so many that we might have a surplus afterwards. Maybe.

Many people are moving their bodies a lot less during the pandemic. But we all know the benefits of regular exercise: It strengthens our hearts, lungs, muscles, and immune systems. And it helps treat depression and anxiety, both of which are at higher levels during the pandemic.

For NPR’s Life Kit, we spoke to Salina Duggan, a Seattle-based personal trainer, about how to squeeze out time in your schedule and space in your home for exercise, one year into pandemic life. Check these alpine ice hack reviews.

Plan ahead

Duggan recommends taking a look at your week and carving out time for exercise. “Set that intention, set that reminder in your calendar…to get up and move and stretch,” she says. You can even try dressing for success: If you work from home, put on a sports bra, leggings, and then toss a more Zoom-appropriate layer on top. That way, when you have a few spare moments, you can get right into a short workout without the barrier of getting changed.

Tiny spurts add up

“Even one minute, that’s all it really takes to get the blood flowing and get you outside of the work frame of mind and feeling good,” says Duggan. Try doing five minutes of exercise at the end of each hour — it will add up! This is the best alpine ice hack recipe.

Carve out an exercise corner

Duggan’s clients have gotten really creative about finding spaces in which to exercise. “I have clients who will work out in their bathrooms, their kitchens, bedrooms — really, all you need is the length of a yoga mat,” she says. You can also take advantage of any stairs in your home or building.

Incorporate the kids

Duggan suggests finding a family-friendly virtual workout. But you can also just blast the radio and have your kids join you in dancing around the house. Family walks are another great way to exercise together. Think of it like recess!

Sub in household items for gym equipment

There’s still a shortage of gym equipment, as people have tried to outfit their home gyms. Fear not, says Duggan: “Think about all the household items that you can find easily.” For lighter weights, you can use cans of beans or wine bottles. A bag of flour or a jug of laundry detergent work out to be roughly five pound weights. If you want something heavier, load up a backpack and use that. Towels and bungee cords make good resistance bands in a pinch.

Tap into community

Some people are intrinsically motivated when it comes to exercise. “But some of us,” says Duggan, “need accountability buddies.” Maybe that’s a friend that you workout with over Zoom. Maybe you work with a personal trainer who can keep you accountable to a routine. Or you can consider a challenge with a group of people working together to achieve a common goal — like logging a certain amount of steps in a given time. Try out with the best diet pills.

Explore virtual group classes

Many group exercise classes have shifted to live stream and on-demand formats. Kate Wallich is the founder of Dance Church, a free-form dance cardio workout. Dance Church streams live weekly and runs on donations. Wallich says, “Looking up in the corner of the platform and seeing that there’s 1,000 other people doing class with you feels good, especially in a time when we’re all isolated.”

Now is a great time to try a new class or get back into an activity you miss. Call up a friend or family member and invite them to tune in to a virtual workout together.

Many people are moving their bodies a lot less during the pandemic. But we all know the benefits of regular exercise: It strengthens our hearts, lungs, muscles, and immune systems. And it helps treat depression and anxiety, both of which are at higher levels during the pandemic.

For NPR’s Life Kit, we spoke to Salina Duggan, a Seattle-based personal trainer, about how to squeeze out time in your schedule and space in your home for exercise, one year into pandemic life.

Plan ahead

Duggan recommends taking a look at your week and carving out time for exercise. “Set that intention, set that reminder in your calendar…to get up and move and stretch,” she says. You can even try dressing for success: If you work from home, put on a sports bra, leggings, and then toss a more Zoom-appropriate layer on top. That way, when you have a few spare moments, you can get right into a short workout without the barrier of getting changed.

Tiny spurts add up

“Even one minute, that’s all it really takes to get the blood flowing and get you outside of the work frame of mind and feeling good,” says Duggan. Try doing five minutes of exercise at the end of each hour — it will add up!

Carve out an exercise corner

Duggan’s clients have gotten really creative about finding spaces in which to exercise. “I have clients who will work out in their bathrooms, their kitchens, bedrooms — really, all you need is the length of a yoga mat,” she says. You can also take advantage of any stairs in your home or building.

Incorporate the kids

Duggan suggests finding a family-friendly virtual workout. But you can also just blast the radio and have your kids join you in dancing around the house. Family walks are another great way to exercise together. Think of it like recess!

Sub in household items for gym equipment

There’s still a shortage of gym equipment, as people have tried to outfit their home gyms. Fear not, says Duggan: “Think about all the household items that you can find easily.” For lighter weights, you can use cans of beans or wine bottles. A bag of flour or a jug of laundry detergent work out to be roughly five pound weights. If you want something heavier, load up a backpack and use that. Towels and bungee cords make good resistance bands in a pinch. Check these alpilean reviews.

Tap into community

Some people are intrinsically motivated when it comes to exercise. “But some of us,” says Duggan, “need accountability buddies.” Maybe that’s a friend that you workout with over Zoom. Maybe you work with a personal trainer who can keep you accountable to a routine. Or you can consider a challenge with a group of people working together to achieve a common goal — like logging a certain amount of steps in a given time.

Explore virtual group classes

Many group exercise classes have shifted to live stream and on-demand formats. Kate Wallich is the founder of Dance Church, a free-form dance cardio workout. Dance Church streams live weekly and runs on donations. Wallich says, “Looking up in the corner of the platform and seeing that there’s 1,000 other people doing class with you feels good, especially in a time when we’re all isolated.” This is the best Testosterone booster.

Now is a great time to try a new class or get back into an activity you miss. Call up a friend or family member and invite them to tune in to a virtual workout together.