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How to Serendipity
“Voler plus haut” by André Desjardins. (Photo: Galerie Roccia) It was my last day in Montreal. I had just finished lunch at a local landmark a friend had recommended. The rest of the day was wide open...
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PRACTICE Makes Better: Self-Improvement Through Game Design
A slide from Robert Yang’s PRACTICE 2013 talk, “Well-Made: Back to Black Mesa.” “How do you let people betray each other?” “How do you handle gay marriage?” “How do you get people to want to play?” No,...
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Play Nice: Building the Well-Behaved Game
Screenshot: UFC Undisputed 2010 Maybe it was something a teacher said to you years ago, when you were still a child. Maybe a parent uttered an offhand comment that stayed with you, despite its seeming...
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Particle Mace: The Space Game About Selflessness
Particle Mace in action. Nothing can match the power of subtext. In almost any interaction between sentient beings, the things that go unsaid tend to be the most powerful. One reason for why this...
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The Lasting Excellence of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver’s Writing
Raziel in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is widely regarded for its excellent writing. There’s a reason for this that may not exactly surprise you: its writing is excellent,...
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Shipping Is a Muscle
New copies of Jason Rohrer’s Diamond Trust of London. Finishing things is hard. For all the brand new conveniences and leisure distractions available today, the harsh reality is that the world only...
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Tour Guides and Wanderers: The Replayable Narrative Dilemma
The Teylers Museum in the Netherlands.
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An Oculus Bedtime Story
Photo: The Verge “Mommy, will you show me a bedtime story?” “Yes, dear. Now get ready for bed.” Charlie hops into bed, pulling the comforter tight over his little body. Wiggling his toes beneath the...
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How Elegy for a Dead World Coaxes Forth Creativity
Writing is not the act of putting words on a page. It includes that, to be sure, but there is so much more to the process than simply creating the result. Your mind stretches and spaces out; thoughts...
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Writing Interactive Fiction in Six Steps
Writing is hard. Writing interactive, multiple-choice games is harder. Good at turning a phrase? Excellent – now turn seven of them, all equally-well written, that make sense in four different...
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