November 2011
2 posts
October 2011
1 post
Feel Fit
GOOD FEEL IS RARE. Feel is in the eye (and all other senses) of the beholder; one person’s meat is another’s poison. So much is ‘red hat’. But ‘Feel’ can mean the difference between remarkable and unremarkable.
Take the iPhone and the Nexus One. In terms of first impressions – visual engagement – the iPhone exudes class before you even touch it. It’s...
September 2011
3 posts
Boost Your Quarrel Word Armoury
I threw together a spreadsheet that Quarrellers might find useful.
http://is.gd/6vl4E8
It’s all the two- and three-letters words you can make in Quarrel (124 two-letter words and 1,292 three-letter words, stat pervs). You owe it to yourself to know the best of these as they can help you earn prisoners, slay giants and even turn a whole match around. Why, the mere knowledge of their meaning...
Moments of Being Quarrel
SO HERE I AM again, quarreling at Calamari Cove, this time with the Elite – Rex, Helena and Kali – and playing in last position (my preference).
It’s been a real roller coaster ding-dong battle. I’m browbeaten and down to my last territory and only two troops (who really ought to be hugging each other for comfort right now) plus one ‘in the chamber’ as it were.
On the...
I’D FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS. I have nested...
August 2010
1 post
What's Your Flavour?
IT HAPPENS A LOT with sweets and me, especially with Jelly Belly but just as easily with, say, fruit sherbets (or sometimes ice cream or, better still, gelato). My mind and taste buds are expecting one flavour, like lemon or lime, but, when engaged, are (typically pleasantly) surprised by pineapple or apple instead.
What’s not so pleasant is when you expect sweet only to be met by savoury....
July 2010
1 post
R:\MOVE *.* V:\
The world is becoming increasingly intangible; more virtual, less real.
Will the tangible increase in value as a result?
Will we become less stimulated by the tactile?
Will we become less attached to the tangible, less attracted to physical possessions?
Will we become more frivolous and compelled to consume the more readily available; more consumed by the more conveniently made, stored and...
March 2010
1 post
Play With Us
This is the Microtalk I gave at GDC this year. It’s a very shallow explanation of The End and The Way, which are touched on in previous posts but merit more extensive explanation and examples in future posts.
I decided to give the sort of talk that I like to receive: lots of pictures; too much information; intriguing but confusing.
It feels like it took a lot more effort to make a...
February 2010
1 post
Closet Skeleton Fan
YOU CATCH the Women’s Skeleton last night? I’m not a sports fan but this was gripping stuff. I only caught it by accident, channel-hopping. (Ah, the joy of serendipity.)
The likes of athletes competing by running in straight lines or around in cinder circles leaves me cold. The winter sports, on the other hand, tend to be far more engaging - primarily because the competitors...
January 2010
1 post
Toys Are Us
(CREATION Magazine Column, 2000)
TOYS ARE FOR KIDS – all the best dictionaries say so. What grown person in their right mind playacts with dolls? Or plays at war with little toy soldiers? Or with mock weapons, pretending to exchange fire with other grown people?
More and more grown people every day, it would seem…
Since an industry was founded on the exploitation of virtual space for...
May 2009
21 posts
Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death
I DO SO enjoy playing card games on computers. Apart from being an engaging way to pass the time, they are a great example of how convenience can improve the overall experience of play.
The playing card toys are familiar (and typically the gist or the rules of play are too). You don’t need table or floor space. You don’t need to shuffle or deal or maintain card arrangements. You...
Love Frustration
FRUSTRATION! (by MB Games) is a firm family favourite in our house. We love playing it. Admittedly not so often with my youngest daughter who’s four and plays in her own special way. She can’t help it, which doesn’t sit so well with my eldest daughter who’s six and very serious about playing properly – not to mention winning.
The die-fuelled blend of race and tag is almost...
April 2009
15 posts
Pizza Excess
DAMN, my pizza’s good. I mean: fucking awesome. Every week for the past three years I just can’t believe I made it. Every week I make it and eat it with gusto – sometimes with ferocity because it’s so compelling – and I’m always left feeling satiated but ready for more. It’s a visceral, almost carnal experience. Really.
I let the Panasonic SD-253’s dough program do all the boring work, leaving...
Jam Hot
WELL, what with one thing and another I seldom get much time to myself these days. And even if I do get much time to myself, I’m seldom in the mood to do much with it (the joy of doing nothing being the most indulgent use of time).
I do miss messing around with stupid ideas, particularly in written or game form. So last week I made an effort to take part in the fourth Dundee Jam. I managed...