Forced to spend more time in bed due to illness, I began thinking about the ‘strengths’ of IF. What was it about the medium that was able to convince me to spend what little spare time I had playing IF instead of the dozens of big name video games that sit on my shelves, some still in their shrink-wrap? … Continue reading
While playing through Christopher Huang’s short IF, An Act of Murder, I was struck by the realisation that the location or ‘set’ used in the game–a cliff-side manor house near the ocean–could very easily be repurposed for any number of murder mysteries or whodunits. Indeed, (from memory) An Act of Murder only utilises two necessary details; the … Continue reading
Series and franchises are often perceived as the golden geese of the wider gaming industry. Not only do they keep the larger game publishers in a healthy financial situation, but they allow for a marked increase in marketing presence and consumer mindshare, while offering consumers a reliable option for playing more of what they like. … Continue reading
I’ve stumbled across a few posts that talk about IF writers collaborating on stories. But, from what I can tell, it usually involves a number of people sharing in the duties of writing one story at the same time, or a group of writers playing ‘pass the narrative parcel’. What if, instead, the collaboration focused on a single … Continue reading
Inspired by the Gravemind from the Halo games and the way machines use humans in the 1999 film, The Matrix, the Blogmind is a parasitic intelligence that feeds on ‘meatspace’ data—the metaphysical energy created by the thoughts, dreams and creative stimuli of humans. To grow, the Blogmind needs ever increasing amounts of blog-style material. FaceBook … Continue reading