Tags
Eight subjects run through the writing here. Each piece carries two of them, shown under its title. The full chronological list lives on the archive page.
criticism
Writing about games: description, method and the shape of a piece.
design
How games are put together, and what the parts do to each other.
- Reading a game by its verbs
- Why small games end well
- Notes on difficulty
- Making a game in a weekend
- What toys teach designers
difficulty
Demand, resistance and the several different things the word covers.
making
Getting something finished: scope, process and shipping.
play
Play as an activity, including the parts nobody publishes.
- Reading a game by its verbs
- Why small games end well
- The rules you don't write down
- Writing about play
playtesting
Watching other people play, and reading what happens.
prototyping
Cheap early versions and what they can and cannot answer.
toys
Open-ended objects and what they demonstrate about attention.