writings

The Escapist

Back in July 2007, I started working for online game publication The Escapist as a columnist and game designer. Every month, I contribute one non-digital game to their site for the feature Game Design Friday, along with a writeup and critique of the design process and its results. The job is an excellent opportunity to flex my design muscle, as well as promote non-digital gaming to a predominately digital-gaming audience. I also write occasional features for the site. Check out the games section for a full list of games published:

» Simplified Systems: Why 2008 Might be the Year of the Board Game, 3 June 2008
» You Have to Lock the Entry!, 30 May 2008
» The Filler, 26 October 2007
» ARROWGAMÉ, 28 September 2007
» Magic Numbers, 27 July 2007

Joystiq

Joystiq is one of the largest and most successful gaming news blogs on the web. For two years I published Off the Grid, a column on non-digital gaming for the site. I also worked as a full-time blogger for the site, and did coverage of specific events. Everything I wrote for Joystiq can be found at this link. Below are a few specifics:

» Risk: Black Ops and Hasbro’s wrong direction, 18 April 2008
» Off the Grid interviews Brian Reynolds of Big Huge Games, 22 February 2007
» Off the Grid: Thanksgiving Editition (or industry favorites), 23 November 2006
» No PS3 love for Montreal, 15 November 2006
» Joystiq interviews Elan Lee of 42 Entertainment, 14 November 2006
» Joystiq interviews Chaim Gingold and Chris Hecker, 13 November 2006
» Off the Grid: Digital killed the analog star, 12 October 2006
» Wired reports on Gizmondo’s high-speed crash-up, 5 October 2006
» Times Square tourists learn that it’s “Cruel 2 B Kind”, 26 September 2006

http://numberless.net

The blog on this site is a journal of my thoughts on game design, the game industry, and various other topics. It’s used to talk about the games I’m designing, or discuss topics that aren’t relevant to my other writing jobs. Below are some notable posts:

» How to write rules (without confusing people), 6 April 2007
» Why casual games are addictive; an unordered list, 19 February 2007
» Crashing the metaphor, 30 June 2006
» Call & Response; game design problem #2, 1 August 2006

Away From Keyboard

Away from Keyboard is/was a blog focused on investigating “big games,” started by area/code’s Frank Lantz and Kevin Slavin. During my internship with area/code over the summer of 2006, I wrote for AFK. The AFK website seems to have flushed its old database of posts, so below are two that I reposted on numberless:

» PSP Scavenger Hunt with CollecTic, 4 July 2006
» Poop-Themed Location-Based Game, 22 June 2006

Game Politics

Game Politics is run by Dennis McCauley, and focuses on politically-oriented video game news. I worked as a correspondent for GP from November, 2005 to April, 2006.

» McDonald’s Game Parodies Fast Food Ethics, 17 March 2006
» Website, Academy Promote Diversity in Video Game Scene, 20 September 2005
» Sony vs. The Pope, 10 October 2005
» Get-Well Gamers Charitable Organization Helping Sick Kids, 20 November 2005

Other Writings

» Bard Film Professor Interviewed in Game Space, The Bard Observer, October 2005
» The Game/Art Problem Presents: The Intruder, bard xy, 28 September 2005