Wrapping up the last seven days, it's time to recap the top full-length features of the past week on Gamasutra, plus extra features and Game Design Challenge goodness from sister edu site GameCareerGuide.

Some really good stuff in here - including interviews with Monkey Island's rebirthers at Telltale, an analysis of Japanese import publishers in the West, defining game genres, looking at usability to make 'games that don't suck', and two bonus education-specific features.

Fiction factory:

The Facebook Doctrine: Gaming And The Future
"With Facebook-based online games from third parties sporting millions of unique monthly players, Gamasutra sits down with Gareth Davis, Facebook's platform manager, to discuss the social network, the rolling out of Facebook's own payment platform, and more."

The Designer's Notebook: Sorting Out the Genre Muddle
"In his latest 'Designer's Notebook' column, veteran designer and educator Ernest Adams suggested that the game industry has "matured into a form that has left the concept of genre in something of a muddle", and analyzes the resulting melange in depth."

Designing Games That Don't Suck
"In a detailed design article, Griptonite Games' Jason Bay uses classic usability concepts to break down the gamer's use of in-game weapons, objects, and puzzles, suggesting how this can make everyone build better video games."

The Business Of The Japan Niche
"Gamasutra takes a close look at the business of republishing Japanese console and handheld games in the West, talking to executives from XSeed, Atlus, and GaijinWorks on building relationships, financials, and trends in the intriguing submarket."

Sponsored Feature: Two Brains Are Better Than One -- How to Thread Game AI
"In this Intel-sponsored Gamasutra feature, game programming veteran Orion Granatir presents a practical look about how to use multi-core CPUs to thread game elements, in this case artificial intelligence (AI) for your game."

Back In The Water: The Monkey Island Interview
"As the much-beloved Monkey Island series returns, Gamasutra sits down with Telltale design director (and original LucasArts Secret Of Monkey Island writer) Dave Grossman to discuss the series' heritage, the evolution of adventure games, and Telltale's long-term plans."

GCG: A Guide For Aspiring Level Designers
"Working on a level design demo reel? Level design director Josh Bridge (Dead Rising 2) explains the common pitfalls of design and presentation, to find the right balance for showing your work."

GCG: Industry Hopefuls: Prepare Intelligently!
"Game design educator Lewis Pulsipher devises a list of things every aspiring game student should know, and take to heart, in his or her quest for a quality education."