Read my newsletter in your inbox. It’s the ideal experience, like playing SNES games on a CRT.
- My Yearly Fun Audit
🦃 Note: No newsletter next week. I’ll be back in your inbox the following Friday. Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble to you and… Read more: My Yearly Fun Audit - The Four Types of Artists
I’m not a big astrology guy. I like being a Leo, because cats are awesome, but I don’t honestly believe the month… Read more: The Four Types of Artists - I Co-Hosted a Jewish Awards Show
Last month, Amanda and I hosted an award ceremony broadcast around the world! My first sentence was carefully crafted to make the… Read more: I Co-Hosted a Jewish Awards Show - I Created a Wrestling Monster!
A few years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to send fan emails to artists whose work I enjoyed. I was… Read more: I Created a Wrestling Monster! - I’m a Puppet Man
Let me introduce you to Brandon. His friends online call him “Darklord” and he’s going to get it legally changed some day.… Read more: I’m a Puppet Man - Making Podcasts is No Game
I didn’t think the third season of my podcast Worst Movies Ever Played would ever come out. Like the protagonist in the… Read more: Making Podcasts is No Game - Best of the Shorts
Today’s newsletter is a grab bag! Think of it like a plastic jack-o’-lantern bucket full of Fun Size candy bars, only the… Read more: Best of the Shorts - Play Motion Picture: The Video Jigsaw Puzzle
🎥 Motion Picture is ready for you to puzzle out! Let me roll out the red carpet for you… Motion Picture [Mac… Read more: Play Motion Picture: The Video Jigsaw Puzzle - My Motion Picture Debut
🎥 Next week I’m going to publish Motion Picture, my new video puzzle game! Would you like to see your name in… Read more: My Motion Picture Debut - The Bug That Killed Me
The game I was building allowed players to stack pieces. But this game wasn’t Jenga, so this challenge was blocking me from… Read more: The Bug That Killed Me - Clicked and Dragged
The game I’m currently working on, Motion Picture, is like a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces play bits of live video, rotated… Read more: Clicked and Dragged - Making a Game for My Friends
Most games are designed for thousands or millions of players. I decided to make my next game for a target player base… Read more: Making a Game for My Friends - NDA Jam 2: Team Leader
I was a creative director at my studio for a week! We had another awesome game jam week at Doborog. Last time,… Read more: NDA Jam 2: Team Leader - Can Running a Kickstarter Be Fun?
I ran two Kickstarters in what feels like a lifetime ago, but I’m still on the Kickstarter creator mailing list. In a… Read more: Can Running a Kickstarter Be Fun? - The 8 Games I Played at Gen Con
I was having a conversation at 16-Bit, a barcade in Indianapolis that attracts many Gen Con attendees. Gen Con is the board… Read more: The 8 Games I Played at Gen Con - Bring Your Own Cards Game
I made a new card game for you to play! This is ALL-CARDS, a competitive storytelling deckbuilder for two players where you… Read more: Bring Your Own Cards Game - Off Pitch
🃏 I’m about to release a new card game! If you want your name on the print and digital editions, back my… Read more: Off Pitch - Project Mismanagement
It’s been a while since I’ve talked about my current slate of side projects. That’s because it’s a mess! I have three… Read more: Project Mismanagement - Turn Work Into A Game
I wish I had more time for gaming. There’s a podcast I like called All Elite Arcade, which is hosted by two… Read more: Turn Work Into A Game - I Waited a Year for This
Last year, I gave my second presentation at Narrascope, a conference for narrative designers and folks who love thinking about interactive narratives.… Read more: I Waited a Year for This - How to Stop Undersharing
Last Sunday, I sent a newsletter on Father’s Day as a tribute to my dad. This week’s newsletter is inspired by a… Read more: How to Stop Undersharing - Game Boy, Game Father
Today is Father’s Day, which got me thinking about how my dad inspired me to become who I am today. When someone… Read more: Game Boy, Game Father - Muppet Funeral
Last week, my wife and I went to Orlando for a Muppet funeral. Or really, more of a Muppet deathbed visit. A… Read more: Muppet Funeral - Old Friend Adventures
A project I worked on a few years ago bubbled up from the sea. Honestly, I thought this project might’ve gotten shipwrecked.… Read more: Old Friend Adventures - I Let a Reader Pay Me
Last week, I did something I never thought I’d do. I put a “Support” page on my website. You can now support… Read more: I Let a Reader Pay Me - How To Design Immersive Theatre
As the patio on Walt’s Bar got more crowded, my interview with live experience designer Andy Crocker got more personal. In the… Read more: How To Design Immersive Theatre - How to Act on a Starcruiser
After I published the ghastly results of my theme park design class, a friend of mine reached out with an exciting opportunity!… Read more: How to Act on a Starcruiser - Welcome to My (Useless) TED Talk
You know those parties where guests give five minute presentations on a topic of their choice? I love them! They’re like a… Read more: Welcome to My (Useless) TED Talk - What If… I Rebooted Adventure Snack?
One of my must-read comics growing up was What If…?, a showcase for the Marvel Universe’s most interesting butterfly effects. For example,… Read more: What If… I Rebooted Adventure Snack? - Unsolved Mystery Game
I went to GDC to meet clients, learn from peers, and slap the butt of a giant cat. One of my favorite… Read more: Unsolved Mystery Game - The Secret Game Developer Bar in Tokyo
Last week, I wrote about how joining the new game developers union gave me a sense of belonging to the game dev… Read more: The Secret Game Developer Bar in Tokyo - I’m a Union Man
I love the feeling of winning, but I’m not very good at celebrating my wins. When I hit a major milestone in… Read more: I’m a Union Man - What Is The Human?
Two weeks ago, I wrote about completing my first game in Unity as part of my studio’s one week game jam. Since… Read more: What Is The Human? - Mystery vs. Mastery
When it comes to making games, I like to think of myself as a mountain climber. Not literally, though! No surly goats,… Read more: Mystery vs. Mastery - NDA Jam
I’m very lucky. I work at an indie game studio, Doborog. A few weeks ago, my boss said I could spend a… Read more: NDA Jam - Wanna Adopt a Ghost?
In these cruel, compassionless times, we need less ghost busting and more ghost understanding. Think about Slimer. The little green guy was… Read more: Wanna Adopt a Ghost? - Super Grateful
Game jams are hard. Surviving a natural disaster is much harder. Last month, Gwen Katz, founder of Nightwell Games, somehow did both.… Read more: Super Grateful - Something to Feel Normal
Last month, I made a game called Cocoanut Hotel with Nightwell Games founder Gwen Katz for the public domain game jam. Also… Read more: Something to Feel Normal - Burn, Panera, Burn
Cocoanut Hotel was no ordinary jam game. We developed the game last month in Los Angeles, during the catastrophic wildfires that blazed… Read more: Burn, Panera, Burn - 🥸 Play the First Marx Bros Video Game
We did it! Hooray for Captain Spaulding us! After a month of hard work, some of it while on relaxication, Gwen Katz… Read more: 🥸 Play the First Marx Bros Video Game - 7 Underrated Public Domain Characters
It’s been a long time since I’ve written a listicle! In the mid-aughts, listicles were how I earned a meager living as… Read more: 7 Underrated Public Domain Characters - The Rules of Relaxication
For the past 14 years, Amanda and I have gone on a trip over New Years. We call them “relaxications,” because they’re… Read more: The Rules of Relaxication - I’m Not Obsessed with Popeye!
Most people start conversations with phrases like, “So, what do you do?” or “Got any weekend plans?” I started more than one… Read more: I’m Not Obsessed with Popeye! - Next Year, I’m Doing Less!
I hope you’re having very happy holidays! My wife Amanda and I are hosting family this week, and seeing everyone laughing and… Read more: Next Year, I’m Doing Less! - Death of The Phenomenals
Cyclops (V.O.): Previously on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. We barely made our deadline to ship the first three chapters – available for… Read more: Death of The Phenomenals - The Year I Got My Drone Cloned
I wasn’t sure if I should be writing this. When I was thinking of ideas for Equip Story newsletters, my instinct was… Read more: The Year I Got My Drone Cloned - Shivering to the Finish Line
Cyclops (V.O.): Previously on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. I lost a lot of time struggling to establish a narrative pipeline for The… Read more: Shivering to the Finish Line - Take The Dubs When They Come
A friend of mine had his wedding the weekend after the election. A few days before, he joked nervously about how the… Read more: Take The Dubs When They Come - The Vortex of Wasted Time
Cyclops (V.O.): Previously on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. Amanda and I grapple with my ambitious and unwieldy story map for The Phenomenals,… Read more: The Vortex of Wasted Time - Bad Games Inspire Me
📰 FYI: For the next few weeks, Equip Story newsletters will be faster reads. There’s a good reason for me writing less,… Read more: Bad Games Inspire Me - I Don’t Feel Creative
My friend Gwen, a very talented game designer, came over to co-work this week. I asked Gwen if she wanted to cancel,… Read more: I Don’t Feel Creative - Playing With Toys
When I get to write for a brand I genuinely love, it feels like rolling a nat 20 at the table. This… Read more: Playing With Toys - Survive The Panic Dojo
Cyclops (V.O): Previously, on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. Amanda and I figure out a way to make background assets for our game. See them… Read more: Survive The Panic Dojo - Deadlines Are Good, Actually?
I’m writing this newsletter at the last possible moment! That’s unlike me. In school, I would finish my class assignments the night… Read more: Deadlines Are Good, Actually? - No Art Skills? No Problem!
Cyclops (V.O): Previously, on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. I talked about how we wrote and structured the first episode of The Phenomenals. You… Read more: No Art Skills? No Problem! - How To Not Compete
You know how people enter a race, but they don’t care if they get last place? They enter for the exercise, or… Read more: How To Not Compete - Mutant-Go-Round
Cyclops (V.O): Previously, on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. We jumped forward in time, because the first three episodes of The Phenomenals launched!… Read more: Mutant-Go-Round - Play the Sexy X-Men Dating Sim
This is a time jump! In the past few newsletters, I’ve been writing about events that actually took place several months ago.… Read more: Play the Sexy X-Men Dating Sim - The Gravity of the Situation
Cyclops (V.O.): Previously, on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. We received a surprise deadline from Dorian, our publisher. If we wanted their resources,… Read more: The Gravity of the Situation - No Crunch Policy
Cyclops (V.O.): Previously, on Sexy X-Men Dating Sim. Dorian killed one of our mutant cuties, though Amanda and I vowed to keep… Read more: No Crunch Policy - The Death of Our Wolverine
Cyclops (V.O.): Previously, on the X-Men dating sim. Amanda and I finished writing a design doc, which includes bios of our four… Read more: The Death of Our Wolverine - Deadpool & One Particular Wolverine
🤚 This newsletter contains a spoiler for Deadpool & Wolverine. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you’ve been warned, bub. BTW:… Read more: Deadpool & One Particular Wolverine - 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… Read more: X-Men: Exhaustion - All Video Game Characters Have Amnesia
👋 I like to answer questions from folks about writing, narrative, and game design. Reply to this email or hit the comment… Read more: All Video Game Characters Have Amnesia - 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… Read more: Sexy Superheroes Are Like Tip Jars - 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… Read more: Gaming’s Best Kept Secret - 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,… Read more: Who Are the Sexiest X-Men? - 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… Read more: I’m Flipping Out! - 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… Read more: Platforms are Casinos for Artists - 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… Read more: My Wife Is an Omega Level Collaborator - 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… Read more: Let’s Fix the Defunct Star Wars Hotel - 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… Read more: The Weird Dating Sim Business - 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… Read more: Do You Need Art School? - 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… Read more: To Me, My X-Men Fandom - 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”… Read more: Embrace the Minus World - 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!… Read more: The Joy of Leaving Substack - A New Beginning and No Ending
Hello, again! 👋 It’s been a few months since I’ve been in your inbox. Love what you’ve done with the place! Those… Read more: A New Beginning and No Ending - 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 and where I’ve fallen short with Adventure Snack…