The middle of May was something of a berserk time for us here at Powerhead Games. In the space of one week, we had multiple milestones due for multiple different projects, a client visit, and the sort of computer issues that usually only come from having your offices built on an Indian burial ground. It was like the perfect storm, only without George Clooney dying at the end. We think.

So what better week, then, to have the first ever PHG Mixed CD Swap? Armed with a handful of rules to keep things interesting and the names of three other people to make physical copies of their mix with, a bunch of us set about the time-honored tradition of carefully arranging songs and assembling cover art. The results were far better than anybody could have expected, producing a surprisingly eclectic range of songs and styles while proving once and for all that, to truly know the people you work with, you must first walk a mile in their headphones. For some it was their first mix ever (and how any of them have significant others is a mystery for the ages), while for others it was a chance to dust off old skills while trolling through albums and hard drives long forgotten in search of the perfect obscure Beach Boys cover. While some people had themes for their mixes and others just went with a bunch of songs they liked, one thing is abundantly clear now that it’s all said and done: we’re all secretly in love with each other and can only express our feelings through the poetry of Journey and Avril Lavigne.

Everybody seems to have really enjoyed it, and we’re definitely doing it again next month. In the meantime, if you were to take the fruits of our labors and pile them up on the floor in Jason’s office, it might look remarkably like this:

UPDATE: For the curious, some of us have started putting up tracklists in the comments section. Check ‘em out, won’t you?

As mentioned previously, I was on a recent panel discussing the popular topic: “How to get a job in the videogame industry.” The session was well attended and I had fun taking part (thanks to all involved!). Since there’s already a nice write up on the event here, I’m going to focus the rest of this post on the topic itself…

Helping people get game jobs is an important subject at Powerhead, as we’re in a growth “phase” (phase = most of the last three years). We spend a lot of time looking for “fresh meat” and have some advice to offer to offer. (If you read nothing else in this article, the short version is: DIY. Make cool stuff, show it off, and don’t give up.) That said, we certainly haven’t seen it all. So, to prepare for the panel, I recently took a look at what the rest of the internet had to say on the subject:

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While making videogames for a living has its obvious perks (getting paid for tweaking the graphics in level three, Rock Band nights, and actually enjoying your work to name a few), one of the more unsung benefits is the utter lack of a dress code. Most developers are too busy being happy over you showing up clothed at all to care about your funny T-shirt from the internets or your raggedy jeans, and the resulting laid back atmosphere helps take a bit of the stress off when things get hectic.

At Powerhead Games, we appreciate the chance to let our respective freak flags fly around the work place so much that a few of us have taken it upon ourselves to institute Formal Fridays. Every Friday we put away our band shirts and trusty jeans and deck ourselves out in, if not necessarily traditional white collar garb, the nicest clean clothes we can find. It’s our way of saying “thanks” for the clothing freedoms we enjoy during the rest of the week. Also, suits and dresses are totally awesome.

It’s a small group now, made up mostly of the North side of the office (because South side are made of lame), but we’re growing. Pictured below from left to right: Natasha, Nathan, Chris (me), Christy, Niki, and Greg.

I’m going to be on a panel at New York Comic Con. The topic is “Getting a Job in the Video Game Industry”, and it’s in room “1E15″ on Sunday at noon. (The short answer is, go here.) Please feel free to stop by and say hi. If anyone attends the show “cosplaying” as the Powerhead logo, I’ll hire you on the spot… or run away, screaming. Definitely one of those two reactions. There will be no middle ground.

I’ll post a summary of the panel next week.

Last Friday was Rock Band Night! Read on for a semi-exciting tale of Chinese Food, Duct Tape, and the Majesty of Rock!

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Every now and then we’re going to use this space to feature something about NYC, especially our neighborhood, that gives us much joy. Today we focus on: The Shake Shack. It’s only a few blocks south of our office, in Madison Square Park. Here’s a nice write up. It’s not for the cholesterol conscious. In fact, I don’t think we can legally recommend this place without also reminding you to exercise regularly. Oh, then we should probably mention that you should consult a physician before any strenuous exercise. Of course, don’t see a doctor without checking their references. And eat an apple. Unless you’re allergic.

All that said, the lines can get pretty crazy, so it’s good to go during off hours. Fortunately, the clever folks at The Shack have provided a quick way to check out the length of their queue. In fact… there’s no line right now!!!

(Disappears in a puff of smoke.)

Stealing a page from our friends over at Bethesda, we’re going to take a look at what some of our guys are playing. (Thanks to Chris for bothering everyone compiling the following:)

Jim: Team Fortress 2, God of War: Chains of Olympus
Ed: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Matt: Apollo Justice, Wipeout Pulse, Flow
Nikoma: New Super Mario Bros.
Christy: Professor Layton, Burnout Paradise
Niki: Rock Band, Team Fortress 2
Randy: Cities & Nights of Catan, Puerto Rico
Ramiro: Rock Band
Chris: Assassin’s Creed, Rock Band, Professor Layton, Super Smash Bros.
Brawl
Gregg: Mass Effect, Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Nathan: Ico, Professor Layton
Yury: WoW, Sam & Max Season 1, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Mike: Gears of War, Rock Band, Team Fortress 2, N+
Sean: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Rock Band
David: Oblivion, Final Fantasy XII, Super Robot Taisen Original Generation 2
Ethan: WoW, Crysis
Jason: Zelda, Rez HD, Defending an Ancient or three

Our latest game, Winx Club: Mission Enchantix, has been released in Europe! Here’s a writeup from one website:

The story mode has undergone great improvements to add even more relevance from the TV show and flows seamlessly from within the game itself making the entire game feel like an interactive version of the show. More enemies, obstacles and goals have been added as well as improving the number of spells each character can cast. The Magic Closet has also had a lick of paint and now have more outfits, animated textures and customisability as well as the new edition of swapping outfits with other players.

Minigames add to the longevity of the tile as players get the chance to test their skills in a variety of situations with each of the Winx Club members. A new audio/visual club gives the player instant access to stacks of new artwork, video and music making this a must have title for any fans of the series.

Congratulations to the Winx team for another job well done!

As a video game developer, it helps to be well-versed in what’s going on in the game industry. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to video games; that’s why every few months, we hold Analog Game Night, where we all get together and play board games and card games and relax and have fun. But I’ll post more on Analog Game Night another time. This post is about that other analog game some of us at Powerhead play: Dungeons & Dragons.

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Powerhead’s own Ramiro Corbetta was recently profiled in an article about games for girls in The Escapist.

“A game with the brand name on it is going to sell, but you don’t want to sell a s—-y product to people. You don’t want the kids to open their gift on Christmas and be like, ‘Wow, this sucks.’ You don’t want to make a game that makes a kid sad. If you’re in [the business of game design,] you’re hopefully in it because you want people to have fun.”