We Need Your Talent! Collaboration #2

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by Matthew // Normal Happenings

Are you a blogger?
Do you like any video game ever?
Then it’s time to pay attention again!

With the success of Hyrule: See the Sights! Hear the Sounds!, I am now ready to reveal what the next collaboration is going to be!

The Next Collaboration!
The Games That Define Us

The Premise:

We all have that one game that is truly a part of our identity. It’s not just any video game, it’s our video game. It’s the one that’s always on our mind when we think about nostalgia or even games in general — the one with the most memories and stories attached to it.

Each amazing contributor — that means you — will write about the one game that influenced you the most from the moment it entered your life, telling stories of your adventures along the way and discussing how it still impacts you to this day.

It should be highly personal and should have very little actual “review,” as there are already plenty of amazing reviews about almost every game out there. Instead, focus on the memories or stories behind the game’s presence in your life. Help the audience appreciate what the game means to you in whatever way you see fit.

Any creative interpretation beyond that is up to you, the contributor! Just ask the previous contributors, I hate limiting an author’s personal style.

The Format:

Last time, with the Hyrule collab blog, we had 16 separate posts each with unique art on one page, so loading times on slow connections were already becoming an issue no matter what CSS optimization I did. I’m an accessibility geek — I even wrote my thesis on that topic — so I don’t really want to go with that approach again no matter how beautiful it turned out in the best-case scenario.

So this time around I want to do a 30-day format! That’s right, I want to devote the entire month of November (my birthday month, by the way), to this! 30 days, 30 games, 30 bloggers!

This also gives more bloggers the chance to participate, as I had to turn away several from the Hyrule collab after production had begun.

I’ll publish one post each day in November with similar design sensibilities as the Hyrule collab. The order of publication will be based on each game’s North American release date, and I don’t expect too many discrepancies between that and my wonderful PAL-region audience. I will acknowledge the release dates for both regions when I publish each post.

I’m choosing release date order because I’d like to display the amazing timeline of games that have impacts on lives — that no matter which generation of gaming you grew up with, games all had positive impacts on the human experience. Each individual post will form a linear, interconnected tapestry of amazing pieces.

The Deadlines:

Since Nikki and I will be organizing, designing, and editing each post individually, I’ll need a whole month of post-production. Developing quality features like this takes a very intentional and coordinated effort.

That means the contributions will be due on October 1, 2018, and they’ll start being released in release date order starting on November 1, 2018. No need to panic – October is two and a half months from now!

Because of how amazing the previous contribution turned out, I felt compelled to give the Hyrule bloggers first dibs. I’m pleased to say that most of them have chosen to return, and with some excellent selections in games.

The Contributors:

Now we just need your talent! Either let me know if you are interested in the comments, or if you prefer, send me an message over on the contact page.

I’ll need your:

  • Name (or screen name, if you prefer)
  • Blog Title
  • URL
  • Choice of game (please double-check the list below to make sure it’s not taken)
  • The best way to keep in contact with you! I tend to prefer Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram messages.

Once I get the list filled up, I’ll message everyone with a super-neat, super-secret Google Docs Collaboration. It’s so cool watching people transform a simple cloud document into something awesome!

  1. Matt @ Normal Happenings | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)
  2. Nikki @ Normal Happenings | Animal Crossing (GCN)
  3. Megan @ A Geeky Gal | Spyro the Dragon (PS1)
  4. Ian @ Adventure Rules | Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GCN)
  5. GG @ Hungrygoriya | Faxanadu (NES)
  6. Kim @ Later Levels | The Secret of Monkey Island (PC)
  7. Jan @ The Life of Jan | World of Warcraft (PC)**
  8. KT @ Wintendo 64 | Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
  9. The Well-Red Mage @ The Well-Red Mage | Breath of Fire II (SNES)
  10. Victor @ The Modern Gafa | Digimon World (PS1)
  11. Shauna @ HideNGoShauna | NIGHTS Into Dreams (SAT)
  12. Heather @ Just Geeking By | World of Warcraft (PC)**
  13. Alyssa @ Nerd Side of Life | The Sims 4 (PC)
  14. Luke @ Hundstrasse | Resident Evil 2 (PS1)
  15. Justin @ TWOTALL4UFOOL | Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
  16. Chris @ OverthinkerY | Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
  17. Pix1001 @ Shoot the Rookie | Guitar Hero 2 (PS2)
  18. Will @ geeksleeprinserepeat | DayZ (PC)
  19. Murr @ geeksleeprinserepeat | Pokemon Red/Blue (GB)
  20. The Gaming Diaries @ The Gaming Diaries | Crash Bandicoot (PS1)
  21. Amanda @ Imaginating Life | Myst (PC)
  22. The Keeper @ The Codex: Online | Chrono Trigger (SNES)
  23. Alex @ The Purple Prose Mage | Warcraft III (PC)**
  24. Ruubin @ FTWRuubin | Borderlands (PS3)
  25. Khinjarsi @ Upon Completion | Fallout 3 (XBOX360)
  26. The3rdPlayer @ 3PStart | Zombies Ate My Neighbors (GEN)
  27. Kathy @ Krysanthe | Wizard 101 (PC)
  28. Mr. Backlog @ Mr. Backlog | The Bard’s Tale (Apple II)
  29. Michael @ Git Gud at Life | BioShock (XBOX360)
  30. Ellen @ LividLightning | Banjo Kazooie (N64)
  31. [DLC]* Ryan @ Games With Coffee | Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
  32. [DLC]* Zerathulu @ The Zerathulu View | Starcraft (PC)
  33. [DLC]* Imtiaz @ Power Bomb Attack | Super Metroid (SNES)
  34. [DLC]* Teri Mae @ Sheikah Plate | Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
  35. [DLC]* Skylar-Mei @ gamergal.exe | Guild Wars 2 (PC)

Wow, look at this full roster of amazing bloggers! Registration is now closed, or else I’ll  be designing for years. Now the long wait for November begins.

*With such amazing and overwhelming interest in this project, I’ve decided to open up five DLC slots. The purpose of these are two-fold:

  • to allow more bloggers to participate
  • to serve as “alternates” in case any of the 30 in the main series are not able to turn in a piece.

If someone isn’t able to turn in a post, I’ll simply reformat a DLC piece to fit into the 30-day project. See, it’s a labor of love and not a pressure-filled assignment. Sometimes life just happens.

Whatever DLC posts I have left, I’ll release periodically through early December. In true DLC fashion, I promise to release all posts, including DLC, with the same level of quality as the main series.

**With three posts, the Warcraft franchise is at capacity. Because of the amazing stories from people interested in the franchise, I’m going to do a Warcraft Weekend checkpoint about halfway through this collab. A Friday-Sunday will have back-to-back-to-back Warcraft pieces.

I’m so excited to see the array of different games on display. It’s going to be amazing! I will see you down in the comments.

Help us make amazing designs, better collaborations, and even achieve our dreams of podcast and video content. Consider becoming one of the amazing patrons of Normal Happenings. We would be forever grateful! become_a_patron_button

Published by

Matthew // Normal Happenings

Matthew Estes. STL-based Blogger. Graphic Designer. Happily Married. One day I'll actually complete a book I'm happy with. I love pizza, video games, and using way too many ellipses...

79 thoughts on “We Need Your Talent! Collaboration #2”

    1. Hi there! Funny enough, Nikki actually asked if she could do the same thing, like a board game or something like hide-and-go-seek. It’s a phenomenal idea for a future collaboration post, but in this case I think I’m just going to stick with video games for the sake of consistency. That said, even if you just grew up playing something like Mario Kart with siblings or friends, I’d love to have you write a piece!

      Like

      1. I’m looking forward to it. I have some ideas of what I want to write. I have some posts planned on Crash for my blog around the N-sane Trilogy so this will be nice to talk about why I love the original and why it’s *that* game for me.

        Like

  5. Message with the details sent! It’d be great to have a spot for a collab like this, especially one that involves so many talented folks. Whether I can participate or not though, I’m excited to see this project come to fruition in November! It’s going to be something special.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. You know who I am, so you’ll know what my Twitter is. I’m consider going in for one of the “Warcraft III” expansion packs, but I had an idea. If I were to pitch a co-written post with another person (since we use to play it together), would that work? Or would it just screw up your system? I haven’t asked them yet, so it might not even be an issue. But if it is, I can still write it myself. How does this sound?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey Purple Prose! Of course I know you. 🙂
      I don’t see why not! A co-written post sounds like a really great idea, actually.
      Tell you what: for now, if you’re on board, I’m going to put alone on the list for Warcraft III. As information changes, I’ll update the list. If you’re good with that, I’d love to add you.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. This list is looking great. Some absolute classics on there. While the deadline is actually still quite far off, I’ve actually got mine for the most part finished. Was wondering if you’d fancy taking a look over it to see if it’s what you’re expecting? Also, is it cool to include images? I’ve got one image that’s years old but is kind of a big part of the piece.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That is dedication right there, Murr! Talk about fast. Lol. Please, feel free to do whatever you like. Add all the features you want — I will work around your style to preserve its authenticity. That said, umm, I kind of don’t have the Google Doc ready yet. I’ll message you when I do. 😀

      Like

    1. Hey Ryan! I would love to have you! FFVII is a must-have in a collab like this, and I loved what you wrote on your post. 😁
      I just filled in all of the main series, but, if you’re good with it, I’m going to put yours in the DLC slot #1. As mentioned in the article, that basically means that, if someone backs out between now and Oct 1, yours will be put in the main feature. If not, I’ll still publish yours in December with all the bells and whistles. 😁

      Like

    1. Ohhh, Super Metroid! Yet another amazing SNES game that absolutely deserves the fond memories associated with it. ! I’m happy to have you on board, and you are on the list. Thanks for being a part of the collab! Just be sure to follow me back on Twitter so I can send you a DM. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. you have been followed, thanks for having me 😀 looking forward to this, i already have a rough idea of how i’m going to approach this

        Liked by 1 person

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