   Youth
  I read a book just now.  Really a short story."Youth" by Joseph Conrad.  I would highly recommend this to anyone just entering the game industry.  It's a true story of Conrad's first voyage at sea as an officer, sailing from Britain to Indonesia with a bunch of coal.  In general, it mimics those eager early experiences in the industry... such as we are valued not for our lives or souls, but as the deliverers of a product.  All else be damned.Anyway, it's only like 35 pages.  Good stuff.  Available for free all over the internets.   
Fairly nicely formatted text of "Youth", for others.  Haven't read it yet myself.   ;  Sweet. Also check out Heart of Darkness.   ;For Jimmy so brave and devoted hearthe'd take the voyage or any partWhat boat to use, confused was hethe best he thought, was what he could seeThe flagship of the fleet, a mighty shipa thausand sailors who'd never slipOr a fishing frigate, bound for Speariencecould it be, he'd learn some experienceBut Jimmy so proud and pride of hethe fishing frigage was not to be!Jimmy jumped on the flagship with pride and vigorbut everything he saw seemed so much biggerLifting the ropes, Jimmy couldn't hoistthe crew complained with wreckless voicePoor Jimmy he thought, "what foolish decision I've made"what little consideration, his abilities, he'd weighed.- Thevenin   ;Quote:Original post by ajas95I read a book just now.  Really a short story."Youth" by Joseph Conrad.  I would highly recommend this to anyone just entering the game industry.  It's a true story of Conrad's first voyage at sea as an officer, sailing from Britain to Indonesia with a bunch of coal.Just finished.  That was a true story?!  Makes it six times greater, makes me wish I was a mariner living on biscuits.Quote:In general, it mimics those eager early experiences in the industry... such as we are valued not for our lives or souls, but as the deliverers of a product.  All else be damned.I saw the eagerness of the rookies - but the captain's Save everything, we must do our best for the underwriters! seemed more of the captain being old and crazy and attached beyond reason to the ship, not that the higher ups back home cared nothing for their plight (though that was probably true, too).Thanks for posting, by the way.   ;Quote:Original post by LessBreadSweet. Also check out Heart of Darkness.Yeah, Heart of Darkness is another of Marlow's narratives... Conrad has this to say of the two stories:" 'Youth' is a feat of memory.  It is a record of experience; but in its inwardness and its outward colouring, begins and ends in myself.  "Heart of Darkness" is experience too, but it is experience pushed a little (and only very little) beyond the actual facts of the case for the perfectly legitimate, I believe, purpose of bringing it home to the minds and bosoms of the readers.  There it was no longer like a sincere colouring.  It was like another art altogether.  That sombre theme had to be given a sinister resonance, a tonality of its own, a continued vibration that I hoped would hang in the air and dwell on the ear after the last note had been struck..."So it seems 'Heart of Darkness' is also backed up by a forgivable amount of truth.   