Jason Rohrer in Esquire
Esquire just published Jason Fagone’s profile of art game developer and friend Jason Rohrer. The piece is a part of that magazine’s “Best and Brightest 2008” features, and it’s a terrific portrait of a strange but earnest man whose work is surprising and important. I make a few brief appearances in the article, for which I am grateful, but mostly… read more
On multiplayer games that estrange. From my "Persuasive Games" column at Gamasutra
Players of Jason Rohrer’s previous art games Passage and Gravitation might squint at first when trying his latest title, Between – intriguingly made for Esquire Magazine as part of its “Esquire’s Best and Brightest 2008” issue. Sure, they will recognize Rohrer’s characteristic style: a preference for pixellation and visual austerity, the simple control over an abstract character, and an environment… read more
A Review of the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer
For years now, it has been necessary to remove laptops from carry-on bags for inspection at airport security here in the States. The TSA imposes this requirement to insure a clear view of the internal components of some electronics. Scanning a laptop separately allows security personnel to insure that a laptop not an improvised electronic device, a process made more… read more
The role of games in the 2008 election, and beyond. From my "Persuasive Games" column at Gamasutra.
The 2004 election cycle saw the birth and quick rise of the official political video game. While election strategy game have been around since 1981’s President Elect, that title and its followers were games about the political process, not games used as a part of that process. 2004 marked a turning point. It was the year candidates and campaign organizations… read more
From this year's Fiscal Fright jack-o-lantern series
I present the next installment of this year’s financially-themed jack-o-lanterns. First we had Mortgage Meltdown. Now I humbly offer Credit Crossbones. This one is a bit more subtle, perhaps, than the last. You get it though, right?
From this year's Fiscal Fright jack-o-lantern series
Jack-o-lanterns are serious business in my house. Yet, I knew it was going to be hard to top last year’s excellent Jack McCoy-o-Lantern. A political theme was possible, but it’s been done, and I’m hardly the kind to print a template from a website. So, we settled on a different theme: Fiscal Fright! Because honestly, what’s more terrifying than the… read more
More TSA Brow-Furrowing
As a frequent traveler I pay close attention to the caprices of the Transportation Security Administration. Recently, the TSA has announced a program to support and encourage manufacturers’ creation of “checkpoint friendly” laptop bags. The idea is this: if companies make bags that allow unobstructed x-ray views of the laptop from within the bag, then it will no longer be… read more
Sculptures from Meaningful Play
Greetings from the the Meaningful Play conference at MSU. This morning, Leigh Anne Cappello from Hasbro spoke about toy design. Hasbro brought packages of Play Doh for every table, and Leigh encouraged us to make things during the talk. So, I made a Play Doh Sarah Palin. It’s not nearly as nice as the Katamari Prince that my neighbor made… read more
A "debate" between myself and Jay Bolter
This past week, renowned new media scholar and colleague Jay Bolter and I staged a debate on theory in the study of digital media. Here’s how we described it: The Digital Media program in LCC is described on its website as follows: รข??The Georgia Tech Digital Media Ph.D. provides both the theoretical and the practical foundation for careers as digital… read more
Jacket Art, Title Announced
Nick Montfort and I are happy to share the cover art and a revised title for the book we wrote on the Atari Video Computer System (more about the book). The final title is Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System. “Racing the beam” is a way some VCS programmers describe the process of setting up scan lines of… read more