I wish I could say this blog was started with only the most noble of intentions, but the truth is that I began writing Magical Wasteland as a way to give vent to some of my more personal frustrations with the industry in which I labored. I wrote anonymously in order to protect my employers from anything off-message (the number of big-developer bloggers who have gotten in trouble at one time or another for something they wrote on an ostensibly personal site is, I suspect, close to a hundred percent), and to protect myself, especially during the time I was working as part of a team whose members with more public contact information had been, without exaggeration, stalked, and more than once. I was also sniping at what I saw as “bad writing” in the enthusiast press, and, combined with my inextinguishable penchant for being a smartass, was sure to make trouble for somebody at one point or another.
The anonymous days, however, are over. Now, the only people I can cause difficulty for are me and my wife (who is used to that idea). After many years of working on very big games I have decided to try something new. Floating untethered without an idea of exactly where one is headed is an odd sensation, but one that I hope will turn out to have been necessary: the right decision. I am designing and writing, and hopefully all of the game journalists who have held deep in their hearts fiery vendettas against me for lampooning their typos– I’m flattering myself, I know– will see fit to forgive, and look upon my future creations with a benign eye. Magical Wasteland will continue to be a place for my personal thoughts on games, and future updates on the other things will come from more appropriate venues. I’ll conclude this little announcement of a post with a quote that I hope I will not get in trouble for, from the good people of Bungie (whom I all still love dearly, don’t sue me please), occasioned by the studio’s triumphant, nearly miraculous departure from Microsoft on July 7th, 2007. “The road to World Domination,” they wrote, “is twisty, and paved with bumps, potholes and sweet, sweet jumps.”
Comments (15)
Wow. That's pretty cool. I'm tempted to say "pics or it didn't happen" but I believe you. =P
Posted by Ben Abraham | August 27, 2009 8:29 PM
Posted on August 27, 2009 20:29
Congratulations and good luck, man. That's a great occasion to de-anonymize yourself. I hope the change of job doesn't result in a complete halt of typo lampooning.
Posted by Chris Remo | August 27, 2009 8:34 PM
Posted on August 27, 2009 20:34
I can already feel the magic in the air. Err.. I mean, even more magic than before, of course. I can assure you that there existed magic before this post, but now it's even more magical.
Like a Wizard that just got quoted from IGN.
Posted by Kimari | August 27, 2009 9:49 PM
Posted on August 27, 2009 21:49
Welcome to the public side of the curtain! For me at least I want to re-read your previous posts knowing that you're on the production side of things... for some reason I'd previously assumed you were an artist or designer.
Keep up the great posts and the excellent columns in Game Dev... they're the first thing I read in every issue.
Posted by Alex Beckers | August 27, 2009 11:56 PM
Posted on August 27, 2009 23:56
Congrats. I really look forward to whatever you release in the future.
I always wondered if this blog will stay mysteriously anonymous. Will this affect any of your older posts (editing/deleting them)?
Posted by Rick | August 27, 2009 11:56 PM
Posted on August 27, 2009 23:56
Good luck in all your endeavours, Matt.
Posted by Radek | August 28, 2009 12:07 AM
Posted on August 28, 2009 00:07
Very awesome. Best of luck, and I look forward to your independent creative output.
Right now thousands of bloggers are grammar checking every game you've ever been associated with.
Posted by thesimplicity | August 28, 2009 6:19 AM
Posted on August 28, 2009 06:19
Congratulations on the move, Matthew.
Posted by Duncan Fyfe | August 28, 2009 3:48 PM
Posted on August 28, 2009 15:48
Let me parrot (squawk!) my own congratulations. I will now have to change your name, yes, in the acknowledgments of my book? Has any member of the enthusiast press, though, really responded badly to your shiv stabs? If so, wtf did they even say? I mean, had I been responsible for any of the execrable bits you've posted on here, I think I would throw my laptop in the ocean and take up professional badminton. Hey, wait a minute . . . I *was* responsible for one of the bits you savaged on here! Smiley emoticon...
Posted by Tom Bissell | August 28, 2009 7:29 PM
Posted on August 28, 2009 19:29
This is a good thing.
Posted by Pen | August 29, 2009 12:16 AM
Posted on August 29, 2009 00:16
Nice, I'll keep an eye on your new site. Bungie eh? Kept it well hidden, for the right (if sad to most) reasons.
I will also be looking forward to the first IGN quote from your first game too :) I expect puns on both Magical and Wasteland, haha :)
Hope you keep writing for game developer and keep up the posting here (although you say you will, hooray!)
Posted by Andrew | August 29, 2009 2:47 AM
Posted on August 29, 2009 02:47
I've got your back, sweetie!
Posted by Mr Wasteland's Wife | August 29, 2009 3:23 PM
Posted on August 29, 2009 15:23
Often the path to great achievement runs outside the realm of secure surroundings. May your intrepid journey be rewarded with discovery and fulfillment.
Posted by =f | August 30, 2009 10:30 AM
Posted on August 30, 2009 10:30
yay announcing!
see you next week! ohoho
Posted by brandon | September 1, 2009 2:18 PM
Posted on September 1, 2009 14:18
Here's hoping this jump is sweet for you, Mr. M. Burns (man, that is an awesome name). Congrats, and best of luck!
Posted by Samit Sarkar | September 11, 2009 3:56 PM
Posted on September 11, 2009 15:56