Category Archives: Walton-Style Game Fu
Limited Edition Games
Archived here from a discussion on SG. I’ve been thinking a lot about limited edition games because some of my most interesting game concepts probably have a rather limited audience, … Continue reading
Explicit Procedures and the Permission to Decide
One of the projects that I’ve been doing volunteer consulting on lately, as part of the new plan for Corvid Sun, is actually a previously planned collaboration with two old … Continue reading
Our Product is an Experience
Calling them “games” is just an excuse, a pretense to get people to act in ways they otherwise might not. This isn’t an original observation, of course; it seems like … Continue reading
“Core Games”: Learning from thatgamecompany
So my current favorite indie video game designers are the folks at thatgamecompany, makers of Flow, Flower, Way [edit: actually made by Chris Bell before he joined TGC], and the … Continue reading
Randomness and “What Happens”
So I was thinking about the chorus of “play to find out what happens” that Vincent describes at one of his PAX panels. Traditionally, the “what happens” emerges from a … Continue reading
Some Principles for a “Story Now” Video Game
Over on SG, I objected to Jamie’s claim that “what [indie roleplayers] know [about storytelling in games] can’t be done on a computer yet,” saying that “Complex, emergent, player-driven stories … Continue reading
Connecting the Present to the Premise
Vincent says some really smart things in this comment over on Anyway, about the importance of connecting what a player is doing now to what the overall premise of the … Continue reading
The Process of Narration
Jamie Fristrom, who I finally met last week, is asking good questions about narration rights in GM-less games over on SG. Actually, I think Jamie’s one of the most interesting … Continue reading
Taking a Break from Editing Talk
So, I’ve decided to take a personal break from the editing-related controversy and discussions for the next week. While I think there’s some good stuff being said and some important … Continue reading
Limitations as Virtues
Over here, Ryan asks what “punk” means, as far as indie publishing goes. I agree with Lukas that “punk” is not quite the right word, with all of its other … Continue reading
On Publishing: What I Should Have Said
Based on my brother’s recommendation, I recently read part of Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life, about the rise of indie rock music in the 1980s. What it … Continue reading
Quick Note and Apology
Fred Hicks has mentioned that some folks were really annoyed at my rant about editing. If so, I apologize, since I didn’t meant to make people upset, just to question … Continue reading
