(This is in response to John Wick's "Chess is not an RPG" post. Read that first lest you succumb to my ramblings mid-stream).

Part of my game design learning has been working out mental models of how to translate certain Role Playing Game concepts into computer game concepts. I think …

Adding to the growing pantheon of awesome companies with phenomenal customer service is Rob Boyle of Posthuman Studios. Around Christmas-time I realized the Panopticon book that I'd purchased from my FLGS was coming apart. I sent a photo over to Posthuman Studios and after a little back and forth discussion …

Back in 2007 I participated in PyWeek 4. The results of that contest were a game that I "released" called "Busy Busy Bugs". The premise is you are a spray can of insecticide trying to keep bugs away from your plants. Every time they attack your flower it "droops" a …

I'd love to understand why there's a certain video-game fad over featuring shitty controls.

Flappy Bird: Shitty Controls.
QWOP: Shitty Controls.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch: Shitty Controls.

[caption id="attachment_3491" align="alignright" width="300"] 16 directions of freedom, none of them the one you wanted. (photo: Wikipedia)[/caption]

Perhaps the reason …

I've wanted to post this for a while. You'll remember I recently posted about a dreadful customer service experience with Barnes and Noble and an amazing customer service from O'Reilly Media. I was tempted to include this experience in that previous post but thought better of it for various reasons …