Refresh / Ideas on Gamebooks and Ergodic Fiction

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Predictions for 2023

Being wrong is fun. Thought it might be fun to be wrong in public for a dash, sharing some of my personal predictions across art to tech for the current present and possible future that is 2023. Paper Consoles There is magic happening throughout both Europe and the US, with

The Mystery Behind the First Gamebook Ever Made

I learned something amazing. And the more I looked, the more I found an odd and fascinating mystery within. New Ideas When we think of gamebooks we largely imagine fantasy or children's adventure titles. These books tend to be written in the second person with limited character engagement,

Exploring: Shelby the Mouse

Shelby is a tiny mouse in a big, dangerous world. Created by the Italian author and artist Francesco Mattioli [http://fratellimattioli.it/francesco/index.html], the series may look like kids fare at first pass, but after experiencing all four Shelby titles, I'm in awe of what he&

Trials of Terminology

I can tell if a job is doomed by a single question: how many names has this project had? As a creative consultant, I will often ask this question multiple times, to numerous internal and external stakeholders. I will often receive wildly different answers if a project is in danger.

19 Ways Gamebooks Fail Their Readers

I’ve spent bunches of time thinking about interactive fiction. In this article, I explore 19 reasons why interactive narrative often disappoints. 1. Random luck determines the outcome of a choice. is frustrating, boring to find the “proper” path, and bad fiction! 2. Choices encourage positive moral decisions only… This