The Artful Gamer

I’m walking down a long hallway in The Citadel, and I’m waved over by reporter Emily Wong. She wants some information on a local crime lord, and I’ve got some data on the guy that would give her a scoop. I hesitate at first, unsure of her motivations, but I eventually give in and I’m [...]

Welcome to the new, hopefully improved, probably more interesting, definitely more frequently updated, and (maybe) more enjoyable Artful Gamer. As you can see, a lot has changed. The Early Years Back when I wrote my first post on March 13th, 2007, I had a very different kind of site in mind: “art games” were emerging as [...]

Dear Mom, Bad news. I’m writing to you from a little mansion somewhere in southern Tamir, and I’m stuck. There’s a trapdoor in the ceiling of this room, and I can’t get at it. I tried moving the furniture, but it won’t let me. I tried jumping for it, but my skirt isn’t really geared [...]

As you’ve probably noticed, things slowed down with the Artful Gamer over the last couple of years. What was I doing in that time? Well, I was working on a doctorate, among several other projects, and that was finally completed just a couple of months ago. Now I have some time to work on some real writing. [...]

The RPG Maker crowd is a world unto its own. I’ve steered clear of the fan projects that emerge from it over the years, because, let’s face it, the depth of gameplay and story that I need in games often isn’t there. But, based on a recommendation from the nice folks at Meridian Dance (site now [...]

When I read Jorge Albor’s recent post “True and False Memories” over at Experience Points, I was genuinely touched by the experience he earnestly articulated. He describes the intense feeling of familiarity and comfort that we have when we play certain games; I can think of no better term to describe that feeling than what [...]