Flash Dev Humor in the World of Glitch

While playing around in Glitch last night, I discovered a new (and very funny) item: a SWF. For those that haven’t worked with Adobe Flash, a swf file is the primary format for all Flash animations.

Working with Flash animations is similar to working in Photoshop: you have a core file (PSD), but then use it to create instances (a single JPG, etc). In a similar vein, when working with the Flash source file (FLA), you create SWF files. Those SWF files are the things that get uploaded to servers, and it’s what people see when they view Flash animations, ads, or play Flash games.

When I first learned Flash, I remember having a discussion with my friend Ron (who taught me much of what I learned, early on). We were debating how to pronounce the file types, so that we could have a common frame of reference. We landed on calling FLAs “flagh files,” and SWFs “swiff files.” Most of the other Flash guys I’ve met tend to use the same pronunciation too, oddly enough… though some prefer to sound out each letter (F-L-A and S-W-F).

Anyhow, running across this geeky joke while playing Glitch gave me a genuine chuckle. Having been playing the beta version for a while, this was definitely a new addition (and a fun surprise). Small little jokes like this are sprinkled throughout the world. It’s not critical that you totally “get” what they are, but it’s funnier if you do.

// Note: Flash devs may enjoy the planning that must have gone into the animation behind the game’s Rook Attacks. Pretty nifty and well-executed overlay effect.

As far as I can tell, you can’t do anything with the SWF for now. When you try to interact with the object, there aren’t any available options. Based on the description, it looks like there may be two other pieces that can be found. An MP3 perhaps? An XML file? My guess is, once you combine the objects together, it’ll make for a mini-game within the game.

PS: Anyone still interested, I’ve still got invites.

Related:
Glitch: Browser-Based Game Of Exploration And… Pig Petting
Glitch: Waiting For The World To End
Glitch: Rook Attack