“What narrative structure do we see in games? Honestly, not as much as you’d expect… Games don’t yet have established formal constructs like chapters or poetic metre.”
Category Archives: Wireframe
THE LAW OF BOOB
I wonder if I and my heterosexual feminist principles are a blocker for good business decisions.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF EVERYTHING (OR, DON’T UNDERESTIMATE BARDS)
There’s a definite drive towards narrative excellence in our industry, but it’s the stories that have faith in their players’ intelligence – the stories that want you to connect the dots, rather than rendering gorgeous and definitive dots for you – that really lead the pack.
IT’S (NOT) THE REAL THING
Nuka-World. It’s a bit like being an ocean tuna transported to a very nice aquarium. It’s chock-full of specially constructed tuna-tainment, but the coral’s all plastic.
MY RAINBOW DOUBLE MOON HEARTACHE: WHERE ARE ALL THE MAGICAL GIRLS?
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gamer in possession of even a few RPGs, visual novels or Nintendo titles is likely in love with Japan.
MOVING THE PAIN AROUND: THE WONDER AND WEAKNESS OF OPEN DEVELOPMENT
“An army, great in space, may offer opposition in a brief span of time. One man, brief in space, must spread his opposition across a period of many years if he is to have a chance of succeeding.”
OPEN THE GAMEPLAY DOORS PLEASE, HAL
Much of human psychology is about control.
TOO CHEAP, PERCHANCE, TO STREAM?
This is an ode to organic indie streaming strategies. I’m confident Shakespeare will forgive me for the title.
THE COMPANY IS NOT YOUR FRIEND
We should stop expecting companies to look after us like friends and family would, because they consistently prove that they won’t.
GAME-MAKING’S SENSE OF LOSS
[ I wrote the article below for Wireframe, a British game dev magazine which ‘lifts the lid on video games’. And, inexplicably, lets me have a monthly column. This one’s from Issue #5, in January 2019. ] Following the last, wheezy gasps of 2018, I’ve been thinking about endings. Fewer players seem to ‘finish’ titles […]
