Category: games

08/19/05 11:39 - ID#34218

GamesFirst! Relaunch

Wow, it's incredible how much work I've been putting into the new GamesFirst! (http://www.gamesfirst.com). (e:Paul) helped a bunch and gave up a few key scripts that made my life SO much easier. I definitely am grateful. But even so, it's been a long 3 weeks of insane development days.

I'm so excited about the results. I came here in large part to learn to make a better GF! I knew where we needed to be, but I hadn't been able to get anyone to get us there. I actually hoped I'd just find somebody to do the programming, but I think it's better that I've done it (mostly) myself. I don't mind having worked with (e:Paul) either -- because I am still fully aware of exactly how everything works. If I decide something isn't quite right, I can sink a few hours into reworking it.

Anyway, I don't know how many (e:strip)pers have checked out GF!, but the former version looked like some shitty ad company had puked all over a shitty website. And somewhere in there was buried some great articles. Nobody ever found them. The old hosting/design company (MediaPier, who thoroughly suXXor) responsible for the utterly crap design complained that they didn't make any money from GF!, which we told them would happen in the first place. But when they put those seizure-inducing flash ads on the site, it just got way out of hand. Nobody would read it. Friends and family said to me that they couldn't stand it. And it made me cry to look at it. Seriously. It's like as if I'd given my baby up to a baby-makeover place, and she came out looking like Joan Crawford. People instinctually fled from it. I contemplated shutting down the whole thing...

But I didn't. We've rebounded, as GamesFirst! always does. There's something about a dozen folks totally into the same thing that can produce amazing synergy. Or at least make me feel too guilty to pull the plug...

Anyway, I think I'm at a stopping point for the moment. It's time to get life in order for the school year to start again. We just launched our first podcast on GF!, so head over to (www.gamesfirst.com) and check it out. It should be listed in iTunes soon... And feel free to let me know if you have any comments about the site -- I'm back in the driver's seat.