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ALL-CARDS Small Things
👋 Welcome to the many new subscribers who signed up for Equip Story via the ALL-CARDS Kickstarter! This is where I write about my creative process and thoughts about game development, like how I playtested a game with my family in the bathroom and how a Japanese elevator music singer convinced me to defend my…
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NDA Jam 3: Self-Construct Sequence
There was another game jam week at my studio, Doborog! These regular game jams are my favorite job perk. Our studio game jams are whatever we make of it. The five days are self-directed. We can build a game, work on a side quest for an existing Doborog project, or learn a new development skill,…
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I Cheated on Unity
There’s a way to get a leg up in the game dev job market. No matter your title – artist, narrative designer, QA – you will always impress your prospective studio if you know your way around a game engine. It’s like applying for a film gig and knowing your way around a set, even…
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Space Station Self-Destruct Simulator
My studio Doborog had another game jam! This time, I designed a puzzle game called Space Station Self-Destruct Simulator. The final exam for your Space Station Engineering class requires you to build an evacuation procedure for the residents of a virtual station. Put safety protocols in the right order to save as many lives as…
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My Return to Shareware
I’ve been thinking a lot about the games that inspired me to make games. At the risk of being a video game hipster, you probably haven’t heard of them. There’s a big gap in my first-hand knowledge of console games. I came of age in the Third Generation of consoles with the Nintendo Entertainment System.…
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What Do We Owe Our Projects?
In the book Big Magic, author Elizabeth Gilbert describes creative ideas as living creatures. Like ghosts, she says creative ideas enter and inhabit a person. That feeling is what we call “inspiration.” If the artist doesn’t act on the idea and bring it to life, the ghost leaves the person and travels to another host.…
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Adventure Snack’s New Home
All 100 interactive fiction games from my Adventure Snack newsletter have a beautiful new home! The all-new Adventure Snack website collects every game in an easy-to-browse and search site. A big thank you to Mario Vellandi for lending your awesome web design skills to this project. (Mario was an OG Adventure Snack player. He reached…
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A Scavenger Hunt!
Years ago, I was first transitioning into game development full time, I had lunch with my friend and collaborator Spencer. Spencer runs an indie studio, YYT Games. Naturally, the conversation turned to game ideas. I can’t help myself. I like to bounce ideas off people, which is why my nickname is Bounce House*. I have…
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Nancy Drew: Socialist Detective
In February, I co-developed a Nancy Drew game with Gwen Katz for the annual public domain game jam. In 2026, the first four Nancy Drew books went into the public domain. I’ll write more about developing the game next week. Today, I want to talk about Nancy Drew, the character and the books. The first…
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Is Running a Kickstarter Fun?
I’ve been trying to fine tune my creative process for maximum fun and enjoyment. In fact, this newsletter is about how to make game development as fun as playing games. It’s right there in the tagline! I’ve found a big part in making art more fun is to put process over product. What good is…
👋 Hey, I’m narrative designer Geoffrey Golden!
Equip Story is a weekly newsletter about how making games can be as fun as playing games.
For the Love of the Game
Equip Story is my newsletter of self-discovery through game development. I’m Geoffrey, a narrative designer, game maker, and interactive fiction writer from Los Angeles with over 15 years experience. I’ve had commercial success working for studios like Disney, Gearbox, and Ubisoft, but I’ve always treated commercial success as the most important goal for my art. Now I’m looking for something more. →
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