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X-Men: Exhaustion
Cyclops (V.O.): Previously, on X-Men Dating Sim: Amanda and I developed a cast of superhunkos for the player to date. Next, we began developing the story arc of our visual novel. We kicked this off in a design session after work on a Wednesday. Not a great idea, but more on that in a moment.…
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All Video Game Characters Have Amnesia
đź‘‹ I like to answer questions from folks about writing, narrative, and game design. Reply to this email or hit the comment button at the bottom of the article and ask me anything. Well, maybe be not anything. Don’t ask about what happened at the Simmons residence on January 24th at 1:10 am. I know…
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Sexy Superheroes Are Like Tip Jars
Have you ever been to a coffee shop where there are two rival tip jars at the counter? They usually have writing on them, like one that reads, “The Empire Strikes Back,” and the other that reads, “Burn All of Star Wars in a Fire.” People put money into the jar they most vibe with.…
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Gaming’s Best Kept Secret
As a narrative designer, it’s my job to play video games. To be clear, I’m not paid to play games, like a QA tester or the rad teens who worked at the Nintendo tip line in the 1980s. My colleagues just expect that I have played certain games. Usually indie darlings or hit AAA games…
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Who Are the Sexiest X-Men?
In March, Amanda and I were driving to WonderCon in Anaheim, the kid sister of San Diego Comic-Con. WonderCon is like SDCC, but less. Less crowded, less expensive, and less amazing. If you’re in SoCal, it’s easy to make a day out of it, and the out-of-towners can spend a day in Disneyland and call…
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I’m Flipping Out!
Hello from Boston, City of Beans! This’ll be a short update, since I’m currently traveling across the east coast. Last week, I was visiting family in Buffalo. Then I spoke at a game developers conference in Rochester. (More on that below.) Today Amanda and I are visiting my old college campus for the first time…
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Platforms are Casinos for Artists
I won Twitter four years ago. A little bit. This was back when Twitter was merely a hell-site and not X, a post-apocalyptic-wasteland-ruled-by-mutant-marauders site. It was a small win, but after years of barely getting any response on my tweets – and for a while, I was tweeting daily – I casually posted a tweet…
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My Wife Is an Omega Level Collaborator
Cyclops VO: “Previously, on the X-Men-inspired dating sim.” 🔄 Recap: I decided for my first creative project on Equip Story that I’ll be developing a sexy dating sim influenced by my lifelong fandom of Marvel’s much maligned mutants. It’s an off-beat idea that the mobile game publisher Dorian is getting behind. And I’ve also told…
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Let’s Fix the Defunct Star Wars Hotel
Like the Millennium Falcon stuck in the Death Star’s tractor beam, I was pulled into witty and insightful YouTuber Jenny Nicholson’s latest 4-hour YouTube video about a theme park. Last time I watched one of her looooong critiques, it was about the Utah trainwreck Evermore Park, a failed multi-million dollar fantasy LARP. This time, her…
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The Weird Dating Sim Business
I’ve been going to GDC – the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco – for many years now, but this year was different. Usually, I put a lot of effort into reaching out to potential clients and industry allies, but rarely hear from them after the conference is over. This year, it was like an…
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Do You Need Art School?
I have an unusual profession. When I tell people that I’m a narrative designer for video games, people usually have one of these responses: “What does ‘narrative designer’ mean?” Basically, I’m a writer and game designer hybrid person. “Do games even have stories?” Yes. Games have gotten more sophisticated since BurgerTime. “That must be fun!”…
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To Me, My X-Men Fandom
I’m ready to embark on a series of new creative projects. To develop works guided by passion and interest, as opposed to capitalism and career advancement. So, what will be my first game project for Equip Story? First, a different question: Did you watch X-Men ’97? I promise, I’m not stalling. This is very much…
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Embrace the Minus World
A 40-year-old Mario glitch is all I’ve been thinking about lately. That’s because there’s a cartridge in my brain labelled “Artistic Practice” and I want to blow the dust out of it. I have a Google Doc of game ideas, but many of the ideas have languished on that list for years now. They’re trapped…
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The Joy of Leaving Substack
The ice cream image will make sense when you finish reading the newsletter. I swear! I’m feeling overwhelmed… In a good way! Don’t worry, mom. I’m fine! Last week was my first Equip Story newsletter. I sent out the email on Thursday to everyone who has subscribed to my old Adventure Snack newsletter on Substack.…
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A New Beginning and No Ending
Hello, again! đź‘‹ It’s been a few months since I’ve been in your inbox. Love what you’ve done with the place! Those “time sensitive” political donation emails are so you. I think maybe a re-introduction is in order. Equip Story is the newsletter formerly known as Adventure Snack. To be clear, Equip Story is gonna…
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I Published 100 Text Adventure Games in 4 Years
After publishing 100 text adventure games in four and a half years, I believe Adventure Snack is very much a mixed success. Not a “critical hit,” as gamers say when they roll a perfect 20, but certainly not a “failed roll.” A success, but a qualified one. Here I’ll show you, goal-by-goal, where I’ve succeeded…
