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- 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 smiling under one roof is truly the greatest gift of all. So… what’s the second greatest gift of all? Frankie Freako on Blu-Ray! With bonus features! Including full audio commentary!!! If you haven’t seen my pick for best movie of the year in the History of the Cinema… you know, I could describe… 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 free on the Dorian app on both iPhone and Android – despite feeling super sick. Done. Amanda and I shipped the first three episodes of The Phenomenals. Shipping a game, even a tiny one, is an achievement in and of itself. Prior to Clone Drone in the Hyperdome, I spent two years working on two big… 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 to celebrate yesterday’s launch of Clone Drone in the Hyperdome, the VR game I’ve been working on since February. But I had a nagging doubt. Equip Story is about figuring out the most fun and enjoyable way to make art free from capitalist constraints. So why would I write about my day job?… 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 Phenomenals, available for free on the Dorian app on both iPhone and Android. I don’t remember much about the day before asset lock on The Phenomenals, our all-important deadline from the publisher. Mostly, I remember I was shivering. This wasn’t “I should’ve worn a jacket tonight” shivering. It was that “dear lord, what’s wrong with my… 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 timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Celebrate good times, come on! That’s the vibe right now in California, U.S.A.! I texted him back saying maybe what we all needed was a good excuse to bring people together. These next few weeks might be our best chance for carefree partying. As my grandfather would… 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, available for free on the Dorian app on both iPhone and Android. I have a tendency to gloss over my negative feelings when it comes to creative projects. I become so focused on finishing – don’t these horse blinders look stylish? – I don’t take into account when a project makes me angry or sad. There… 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, besides a mix of lethargy, discombobulation, and general panic that I know I’m not alone in feeling. But I want to keep my good reason a surprise for when I write about it in the weeks ahead. When Amanda and I are together, we like to watch bad movies. When Amanda is away… 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, given the election and the vibes of dread. She said sitting around the house by herself wouldn’t help, so she came over. Part of me wanted her to say exactly that. Another part of me wanted her to cancel, so I could spend the afternoon with a blanket over my head. It was… 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 week is the official release of Dungeons & Dragons: Worlds & Realms, a hardcover anthology that’s a fictional journey through the D&D multiverse, accompanied by 50 years of gorgeous D&D fantasy art. I contributed three short stories to the collection set in Mystara, Eberron, and the Feywild. I received two boxes with five… 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 for yourself by playing The Phenomenals for free on the Dorian app, available on both iPhone and Android. I get ambitious when I design games. It’s a gift and a curse. My ambition leads me to make complex interactive art I’m super proud of. But I also like to collaborate with friends. When I try to… Read more: Survive The Panic Dojo