Storytelling and games have a troubled relationship with each other. Telling a lovingly crafted, intricate story requires that control is firmly in the hands of the teller, while games require a certain amount of control to go to the player. Or at least the illusion of control.… Read the rest
Indie Game: The Movie gave me second-hand stress. That is what happens when you see a few very smart, extremely driven and perhaps socially somewhat awkward people, bravely pour years of their life into fragile dreams. Failure would be more than a financial disaster, it would be an implosion of the ego.… Read the rest
Oops, it happened again. About three-quarters of the way through a game I was really enjoying, there was a difficulty spike and I got stuck. Not the kind of stuck where an online walkthrough would help, the kind of stuck that would require dexterity and a very quick trigger-finger or failing that: lots and lots of time and some dumb luck.… Read the rest
I have always been fascinated by interactive storytelling. I remember being a big fan of the Fighting Fantasy books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone as a wee tyke. These fantasy or scifi-themed books would allow you to choose your own adventure, along the lines of: ‘If you want to check out the spooky hovel on your left, go to page 235.… Read the rest
