November 2011
11 posts
The Sixers that aren't Suxors
The above is a reference to Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One,” in which the villainous henchmen all have 6-digit ID numbers that start with 6. I’ve referenced that book a couple times recently; I’m almost through with it! What should I read next?
Of course, I would never dedicate a blog post to game griefers; rather, today I tip my blogger’s hat to Adrian Hon...
6 tags
Games you will never play, ever
Flavorpill and Cracked.com have some of the best lists on the internet. This collection of “10 Fictional Games We’d Really Like to Play” covers many of the best from TV, literature, and comic strips.
Suggested additions: the Oasis from Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One and Pyramid from Battlestar Galactica. But not the card game, that just looked lame.
I would also not play...
14 tags
Plural of glitch
Glitches, right? But what is the noun of assemblage? How about an agon of glitches?
Two unrelated matters with not (yet) connected glitches:
1) “Butterfly milking and pig nibbling,” a great ArsTechnica article sent to me by my father-in-law Jed. I like the creative environment described at the company that created this game. Here is Jed’s accompanying email:
It is entirely...
3 tags
Shoots and ladders
Red rover, red rover… here’s a peculiar crossover: Keita Takahashi, creator of Katamari Damacy, one of the few videogames I have played (and enjoyed) has taken on a new project: designing playgrounds in England.
“What inspired you to move from game design to playground design?
Before I started making videogames, I studied sculpture. I’ve been in the videogame industry...
Smell of success (maybe)
For those of you who haven’t been visiting Gameful.org, you should! It’s a wonderful place to connect with the rest of the gaming community and learn about some groundbreaking, inspiring games, big and small, across all platforms, that are springing up all over.
I especially enjoyed reading about this submission to the summer Gameful Challenge series: a game about smell designed to...
This is not a game
Sadly, it isn’t. It’s just a blog post. (“JUST.”) However, by following this link you will be transported to another world! SPOILER: It’s the world of Cracked.com, a humor site with many great lists that are as informative as they are amusing.
The list I direct your attention to today names 5 of the most notorious, influential (aka “insane”) Alternate...
6 tags
4th Annual Scavenger Hunt
One of the biggest games in LA all year long: don’t miss this event!
The L.A. Scavenger Hunt will be taking place on Saturday, November 19th in order to help gather material goods for the Union Rescue Mission, The L.A. Food Bank, Operation Blankets and Love, The Downtown Women’s Center, My Friend’s Place and the Dream Center. Not only does the hunt serve as a good cause for those in...
5 tags
Crimson Connections
If you want to get started playing the most exclusive game being played only in LA with some of the most creative up-and-comers in the media and arts world, first you’ll have to get accepted to the University of Southern California.
And even then, you’ve barely even begun.
My business partner Greg and I are both Bruins, but I’m going to avoid all the cheap shots and instead...
5 tags
Gorilla Marketing
You may be familiar with the selective attention test; if not, you can try it for yourself now!
If you’re like most people who take the test, you might not have noticed the person in the gorilla suit who walks through the middle of the video. That may be because we tend only to see what we are looking for.
And if what you’re looking for is a Great Urban Race style adventure with a...
Ludicrous fun
The last time I went to Portland I spent the weekend playing pinball and board games, eating tacos, and watching all of “Better Off Ted” on Netflix instant. I had the best time! I love Portland, and this most recent visit just cemented that impression with me.
I haven’t enjoyed discovering a city so much since - until, that is Ludocity! A great aggregator/wiki of...
Mind games
My proudest non-Wise Guys association is with ComedySportz Los Angeles, the longest running show in LA. I’ve been doing short form improv games since I was about 11 years old, and performing with CSzLA for nearly 10 and am probably near (if not past) Malcolm Gladwell’s ten thousand hour rule when it comes to improv (the minimum required to achieve expertise, if not mastery - to the...
