There and Back Again

I’m taking Mr. Jesse Schell‘s Game Design(ed) class this semester. As our first assignment, we were tasked with creating an improved version of Hopscotch. Here is my version.

“There and Back Again: A Hopscotch Tale” is a cooperative hopscotch game themed around Lord of the Rings. It is designed for nine players, but has handicap scenarios for less. The game is extremely difficult, and designed so that some players must fail for the others to succeed.

In playtesting the game was met with enthusiasm. The high difficulty was confirmed (which I attempted to tone down each iteration) but the result was exactly what I wanted – people were highly engaged with one another, encouraging each other and strategizing together to overcome the very difficult game.

I count this a success. We’ll see what grade I receive.

Reflection: How to Do Things With Videogames

My latest reading: How to Do Things With Videogames by Ian Bogost. I found the book a little disturbing, and estimate that about half my colleagues would be more disturbed than I was. Here’s what I think about it.

The Dream Factory

On the south side of Pittsburgh, between the Monongahela River and I-376, stands a fairly unassuming office building. From a distance, one might have a hard time telling it apart from its neighbors. From the outside, there’s nothing to suggest that this is the place we affectionately call “The Dream Factory.”

Once you step inside, though, all doubts melt away.

Guess I’m on the right track

In the latest episode of the Brainy Gamer podcast, Michael Abbot interviews Matthew Burns, producer on Halo 3 and Halo Reach. When asked about how to get into the games industry in 2011 (in the last 10 minutes of the episode), Burns mentions that university game design programs are a great way to go these days, and specifically mentions the ETC at Carnegie Mellon. He and Abbot then have a short conversation about game design schools, with Abbot citing an interview with Jesse Schell for the latest issue of Kill Screen Magazine. Burns says that large studios are happily hiring graduates of game design programs, and that the graduates are well-trained and competitive in the industry.

Awesome. Nice to feel like I’m a little ahead of the curve – I start at ETC in two days!

Reflection: The Spark

Part of the suggested reading prior to my first semester at ETC is a book called The Spark: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All, by John U. Bacon. It was a quick read.

The book presents a behind-the-scenes look at Cirque Du Soleil, and the culture they cultivate. It’s presented via the fictional story of a sports agent who takes a sabbatical with Cirque. Mild spoilers ahead (though it’s not a very spoilable book).

Live DMing in Digital Games

Alexis over at Tao of D&D posted a pretty intense vision for a digital D&D engine that would be infinitely tweakable, moddable, and mouldable to the DM’s wishes. I think it sounds like a super-fancy version of Rohrer’s Sleep Is Death. I would add that it needs a strong community content library, like Spore or LittleBigPlanet, because no single studio in the world could produce enough assets to uphold Alexis’ vision. I do very much like his image of zooming from world level all the way down to view the players, running around town.

Maybe there’s a better setting for this kind of tool than D&D, though…

Reflection: Crawford’s Art of Computer Game Design

I’ve just finished The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford (1984) – the Kindle edition with chapter endnotes added this year. This was a pleasantly focused little book.

Delving for “Fun” and Profit

I gave Dwarf Fortress a good go. Three solid attempts. It’s worth a try, but I’m afraid I’m done with it. Here’s the story:

Consumption Record

I’ve finished lots of experiences since I last posted about one, and haven’t had a chance to reflect. Here’s a quick blurb on some favorites.

The Journey: Rochester, MN

Where were we? Ah yes, Minnesota.