by Chris Billowsin Jets Flight Control0 commentstags: Drafted Jets, GM Review, Jets Draft, Jets Goalie Stats, Jets Top Scorers
The new Winnipeg Jets 2.0 established themselves as a mediocre NHL team in 2011-12, finishing 4th in their division and missing the playoffs. Being built on the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team True North acquired a team that were just one or two steps above an expansion franchise. The 2013-14 team marks the third complete season since the Jets have returned to Winnipeg. As you will see, the team remains not much better than the old Thrashers franchise. What follows is an analysis of the 2013-14 team and how Jets Management has been successful in building the team, with a particular focus on GM Kevin Chevaldayoff and the transactions he implemented. Each player who played in 2013-14 is identified by how they were acquired by the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets which can be via a Trade deal, a Draft pick, a Free Agent signing, or a Waiver pickup. Below this table I analyze the team’s composition and the turnover of players who stay with the organization for the 2014-15 season. Player Pos GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW OT Shots Route NS CD 1 Blake Wheeler R 82 28 41 69 4 63 8 0 4 2 225 […]
by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory0 comments
Note: This is an open letter to Chris Bateman at International Hobo. All replies are welcome. Dear Chris Bateman, Thank you for your post on the “The Aesthetic Flaws of Games“. I am writing to provide an exploratory response to the persistent conflict you refer to, noting that this was not the point of your article. In your first point about Aesthetic Ruptures, you explain how narrative and mechanical aesthetic modes can lead to player alienation because of their unskillful use. I agree with you, and believe that it is this very difference in aesthetic modes that is the reason why the conflict you refer to exists. You speak more to this in one of your earlier posts, ‘The Thin Play of Dear Esther“. I have learned through our past discussions on Twitter of your intention to reduce the sectarianism we see in games, particularly the conflict between the narrative vs mechanical tribes, which can be distracting and destructive. As you wisely told me, be careful of trying to own the term ‘Game’. But I am concerned that in seeking a ‘perennial philosophy’ of games we do a disservice to some of the evolutionary traits that games have developed. While […]
by Chris Billowsin Republic of Bloggers0 commentstags: Blogging, Republic of Bloggers, Virtuous Discourse
Dear Chris Bateman, I am writing in response to your blog post “Prolegomena to Any Future Manifesto“. What you write resonates with me as I used to be actively involved in electoral politics and had my hand in the formation of a provincial political party. Your post captures the human tension found in all modern organized entities, regardless of sector, human intention is captured in the trio of Principles, Policy, and Practice. I know this trio through my professional line of work in health care where I help families navigate through a complicated, limited system while trying to address an ever-increasing need. My colleagues and I struggle with the interpretation of Policy, how it is resolved through our Practice, and all under the public scrutiny of the Principles set out by our political and executive masters. A manifesto’s nature is to set out Principles, which become a movement’s rallying point. Principles, like an artist’s broad paint strokes on a canvas, can capture high-level notions of democracy, free markets, and public healthcare. Meanwhile the Policy level becomes the “devil is in details” that is meant to inform us how to live, essentially being the laws of the land. These laws are […]
by Chris Billowsin Business Beller0 commentstags: Boot-Strapping, Business Development, Personal Resolve
Dear friends, My company Promaginy is a few months away from alpha launching our premier game website, Heropath. We are putting the finishing touches on the site’s functionality and still need to do some serious testing. I am really excited about what the site is going to offer RPG fans. I have been in the market long enough and have learned from others that considering the launch of any website or advanced game is more equivalent to a marathon than a sprint. Gone are my fantasy wishes for a home run, instead I am going to focus solely on how to retain the users we attract and to convert and then retain them as customers. I am confident that attracting users will not be our main challenge. The business model of Heropath will have built in virality, since the essential purpose of the site is to share what is created on Heropath. Our challenge will be how to make the user interface so intuitive and responsive that the user experience of building a web-based role playing game is a delight. This will take testing and iteration. Its a process of polishing and refining. Its tedious and requires intensive awareness. Interestingly […]
by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory0 commentstags: Introduction
Here is my first blog post on Gamestories, a website devoted to Game Design. Gamestories is a new general game theory written by Chris Billows. Gamestories recognizes that games may not share mechanics or themes, but they all share the need to tap the player’s senses. Games are different from cinema, literature, music, and other forms of entertainment & art because the senses they trigger are more extensive and they invite the practice of transformation. Instead of focusing on whether a game is fun, art, interactive, or challenging, Gamestories says that games are important because at their best they invite players to bring all of their senses to the medium. A player’s senses are triggered through the game’s events, become remembered, and then later shared with other players. The greatest meaning of a game is not that it tells the player a story, but that the player tells a story to others about the game. Player plays Game > Player transforms Game Events > Events resonates with Player > Player tells Stories about Game Gamestories can be summarized thus: “A game succeeds as a game when it taps the player’s full range of senses, triggering integration of game events, and […]
by Chris Billowsin Republic of Bloggers0 commentstags: Blogging, Introduction, Republic of Bloggers, Virtuous Discourse
Dear Chris Bateman, I am replying further to your reply, The Virtue of Discourse: A Clarification Thank you for informing me that the Republic of Bloggers is not a concept that you personally founded. While I do not intend to embarrass you with an undeserved title, I do believe that any good idea needs its champions and it appears I projected this onto you. Not only do good ideas need champions, they also need a good story. Perhaps this is what is missing from the Republic of Bloggers? While the Republic itself may be a valuable concept, it is only made meaningful when it becomes something we can relate to, which is best done through the form of a story. Given your extensive experience in game design, narrative, and authorship, I think that you are uniquely qualified to help author the story of the Republic of Bloggers. Yet, this does not need to be a restrictive, one-way narrative. Perhaps some of us could engage in a roleplaying game that recreates the virtual founding and beginnings of the Republic. Not only would this serve to create a imaginary and fictional history for the Republic, I anticipate it would be a source […]
by Chris Billowsin Republic of Bloggers0 commentstags: Blogging, Introduction, Republic of Bloggers, Virtuous Discourse
Dear Chris Bateman, I am reaching out to you about your post “A Republic of Bloggers“, which I found to be a refreshing take on a medium that has become far too associated with content marketing and search engine optimization. I am putting forward my intention to join you in your venture. What I found so appealing in your concept is the invitation to engage in a exchange of ideas, thoughts, and perspectives in a format that requires a greater effort and thus the possibility of greater reward. To exchange letters via our blogs is to engage in a practice that is becoming less and less attractive in a time where people prefer to be entertained by the latest tweet or feed. But we do not need to be popular to be meaningful, and perhaps it shall become the mantle for the Republic to do that which need not be popular. It only takes two to have a conversation, so perhaps with enough examples from a few of us, we can gather others to our Republic to expand our company. So I would like to engage with you to discuss some parameters for such an experiment. You mention that the […]
by Chris Billowsin Republic of Bloggers0 commentstags: Blogging, Introduction, Personal Resolve
So I have been very remiss to update my Doc Surge blog for the past year mostly because of Twitter. I have been engaging in discussions and the odd argument with others. I have found this both invigorating and discouraging. There is some really excellent people to follow and interact with, but there is also lots of anti-social behavior that is very off-putting. It has all been very distracting and while I will continue to use Twitter to be exposed to new ideas, I am going to go back to blogging and working on my websites and games. Twitter and other social media realms (they all have their own distinct culture) can be a wonderful method to connect with others. I also believe that it can used to help promote your business interests. But the fact is that it creates the illusion of working. You can social network but you still need to work on your own stuff. Which is why I am going to shift back to blogging on my various sites and start revving up for a soft launch of Promaginy’s latest offering – Heropath.
by Chris Billowsin Jets Flight Control0 commentstags: Jets Farm Team, Jets Improvement, Minor League Stats
The professional hockey world shifted a bit when Atlanta Thrashers relocated to become the Winnipeg Jets. Not only did the NHL get affected, but so did the minor league affiliations which needed to be reestablished. Atlanta had affiliations with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and the Gwinnett Glaidiators of the ECHL. Those were ended in the summer of 2011 when Winnipeg established a new affiliation hierarchy by forming a new team in St. John’s and establishing an agreement with a new ECHL team, the Colorado Eagles. The purpose of this post is to track how the three teams have risen and fallen along side each other to see if there is any pattern. 2011-12 Regular Season Team G W L OTL P Win % GF GA Division Finish Season Change Colorado Eagles (ECHL) 72 38 28 6 82 52.78% 250 252 2nd, Mountain -7.83 pp * ↓ St-Johns IceCaps (AHL) 76 43 25 8 94 56.58% 240 216 1st, Atlantic — ** Winnipeg Jets (NHL) 82 37 35 10 84 45.12% 225 246 4th, Southeast +3.66 pp *** ↑ * same team from CHL, but considered to be an expansion franchise for the ECHL. For […]
by Chris Billowsin Business Beller0 commentstags: Blogging, Boot-Strapping, Branding
Where We Are At I am sure I am not alone with the struggle about when does an IP (intellectual property) or product you are going to release need its own Twitter account? Its own Facebook Page? Google+ Page? The reality is that the internet has become more complicated. It used to be that all you needed to do is throw up a website and submit your domain address to the Search Engines. Now the internet is starting to carve itself into silos. No longer is your web browser the only way to use content now that the world wide web is being carved up by iOS Apps, Android Apps and now by closed networks in the form of Facebook and various other services. Each of the social networks appears to have a niche to appeal to. Facebook is by its initial nature is a place to share personal stories, profiles, and pictures. Twitter is really about following the news makers. Its one-way communication is vibrant though where it really shines is the moments of punctuated dynamic conversations with the hashtag (#) aligning diverse interests. Because of immense volume of tweets, it is really easy for your message to get […]
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