I had the best time talking to @jon.inkle.co and @sagarberoshi.bsky.social about poems, video games, environmental storytelling and more. And after listening to this episode, be sure to check out the other conversations in this brilliant series!

inkle@inkle.co · last mo.

New Kaleidoscope! A magical episode where poet and professor @axjacobs.bsky.social discusses the uses of poetry and spoken performance in game writing to deepen the world of the game, and to draw the player in. Listen here - www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...

New Kaleidoscope! A magical episode where poet and professor @axjacobs.bsky.social discusses the uses of poetry and spoken performance in game writing to deepen the world of the game, and to draw the player in. Listen here - www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...

Reached the Baby Steps credits today and saw that there was quite a bit that I didn’t explore. I came across some of my favorite landmarks by accident (falling/slipping). The game doesn’t offer you a map. And yes this is a metaphor for growing up.

A side project I've been working on—a curated link page of important essays on video game narrative—is now live. You can read about it on my blog: azhdarchid.com/the-game-nar... Or you can go straight to the dedicated website: www.gamenarrativereader.org

The Game Narrative Reader, Zeroth Edition

Announcing a curated, thematic link page of important essays and articles about video game narrative.

azhdarchid.com

📈🚀📈🚀📈🚀📈🚀 Hey come check out some experimental clicker / idle / incremental games! 👇📈👇📈👇📈👇📈👇 For their final projects in my 'economics for game designers' class at @nyugamecenter.bsky.social, students made some awesome incremental games, so I wanted to do a thread sharing their work! 🧵⤵️ 1/~15

Inspired by Tomb Raider, Peggy Ahwesh, and Returnal, I wrote a poem about dying in videogames, over and over again.

Difference Engine@differenceenginesg.bsky.social · 5mo ago

FAST TRAVEL by Adriana X. Jacobs @axjacobs.bsky.social The flame renews you and you’re back in your armour fighting for your life. You die. You reset. What is this feeling that you’ve felt before? ✨ “Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology” is available for preorder worldwide (link in bio).

FAST TRAVEL by Adriana X. Jacobs @axjacobs.bsky.social The flame renews you and you’re back in your armour fighting for your life. You die. You reset. What is this feeling that you’ve felt before? ✨ “Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology” is available for preorder worldwide (link in bio).

My friend Adriana wrote about her story game based on Dante’s Inferno. “In Vya, I modeled Pom after the poet Alice Notley, whose Descent of Alette (1996) is one of the great contributions to the literature of katabasis.” [adrianaxjacobs.com]

The Final Stretch — Adriana X. Jacobs

This is a post about my last two weeks as a graduate student in game design, the spring showcase, and my game Vya.

adrianaxjacobs.com

Over a year ago, I spoke with @rasheedabueideh.bsky.social about Dreams on a Pillow for a piece that was killed before it could be published. I am honored that he was willing to take the time to speak with me again in spite of that and tell me about his beautiful homeland: kotaku.com/upcoming-ste...

This Upcoming Stealth Game Wants To Show You A Beautiful Palestine

“We wanted to talk about Palestine, which is a land full of people

kotaku.com

I’m definitely quoting Naomi in my future Vya publicity materials. Reposting as evidence!

Naomi Clark (@metasynthie) 暗悪直美@halfrobot.com · 5mo ago

Featuring, among others: a digital platformer you play on physical objects! Kawaii ransomware! Midlife crisis Dante's Inferno mom game! And of course, OBRA DINN FOR HOOKUPS (according to me, apparently)

I graduated this past week from NYU's MFA in Game Design. Going back to school mid-career was challenging, but I never second-guessed that decision. This program changed my life. Here’s a post about our spring showcase and watching people play my game Vya. www.adrianaxjacobs.com/blog/the-fin...

The Final Stretch — Adriana X. Jacobs

This is a post about my last two weeks as a graduate student in game design, the spring showcase, and my game Vya.

adrianaxjacobs.com

Yes, 💯. I have an essay in my head about this and will write it soon. But after I submit my Returnal-inspired thesis game about a woman descending through midlife hell. You can read about it here: www.adrianaxjacobs.com/blog/introdu...

Introducing Vya — Adriana X. Jacobs

Introducing my MFA thesis game.

adrianaxjacobs.com

Ash Parrish, Kotaku's LeBron James@adashtra.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Is Returnal a mom game because I think its a mom game

Returnal is not only a mom game but I have it on good authority that it's going on to inspire more mom games. Sincerely, mom who works as a mom game enabler

Ash Parrish, Kotaku's LeBron James@adashtra.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Is Returnal a mom game because I think its a mom game

i think a good question to ask is: why aren't there any "mom games" but "dad game" is a defined genre

Enjoying not being rejected by @tacobellquarterly.org for as long as that status lasts. Live más!

Recently, my esteemed ex-colleague Bennett gave an NYU Game Center Lecture Series talk on his work — most recently Baby Steps. @axjacobs.bsky.social has this excellent critique tho: WHOSE truths about how we move thru the world are we treating as universal?! 🔥 www.adrianaxjacobs.com/blog/player-...

Skateboarding is cool, but I have mild vertigo. Instead, I put a 20-yr academic career on pause and went back to school to study game design. Also, I still haven’t been rejected by @tacobellquarterly.org.

Taco Bell Quarterly@tacobellquarterly.org · 7mo ago

My midlife crisis could have involved something cool like skateboarding but nooooooo I have no depth perception and I enjoy writing long form essays for fun

Launch day! I had such fun writing my piece on why “poems make games better” but really only scratched the surface of the topic. What follows in this thread is both a preview and an addition to an example I raise briefly in my essay: 🧵

inkle@inkle.co · 7mo ago

📖 THE GAME NARRATIVE KALEIDOSCOPE ❄️ is out NOW! www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope 100+ essays on writing & narrative design, with articles from the writers of Baldur's Gate 3, Control, Call of Duty, Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Sam and Max... ALSO the Kaleidoscope Podcast with 2 full eps!

Book excerpt: The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope

Book excerpt: The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope

Narrative designer Jon Ingold shares the foreword to The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope: 100+ Essays on the Craft of Game Writing.

gamedeveloper.com

🎉🎉🎉

inkle@inkle.co · 7mo ago

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope launches this Wednesday! Over 100+ essays on the craft of game writing and narrative design; affordable priced. … AND we’ll also launch with the first two episodes of the podcast series, where we talk to the article writers about their craft.

"Boss" is a common term for the ultimate enemy battle in video games. It's common enough that many other languages just adopted that word. But not Icelandic. It's Endakall or "Final dude"

The NYU Game Center's hiring! A senior, tenure-track professor post for an experienced game designer, artist or industry pro with a notable body of creative work. Experience finishing games and mentoring/teaching more important than any kind of academic credential! gamecenter.nyu.edu/were-hiring-...

We're Hiring! Join the NYU Game Center Faculty as an Associate Professor! - NYU | Game Center

Description Associate or Full tenure professor position for the NYU Game Center New York University, Tisch School of the Arts Position Overview The NYU Game Center is seeking applicants to join its fa...

gamecenter.nyu.edu

I think poetry makes games better and explain why in this forthcoming volume of essays edited by @jon.inkle.co. I can’t wait to read the other contributions!

inkle@inkle.co · 8mo ago

❄️ Update: The GAME NARRATIVE KALEIDOSCOPE ❄️ will be published soon - we just sent a proof to the authors. 400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises. If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!

New year, new website. www.adrianaxjacobs.com

Adriana X. Jacobs

adrianaxjacobs.com

I had the opportunity to be a late-stage playtester—a first for me!—and can confirm that this game is STUNNING. So good to see you again, Mara Whitefish!

Meredith Gran@meredithgran.com · 9mo ago

It's time. Perfect Tides: Station to Station is out on PC and Mac. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESUK...

Important status update: “not rejected by TBQ-yet” ❤️🌮

Taco Bell Quarterly@tacobellquarterly.org · 10mo ago

End of year TBQ8 update: Great news! You're not rejected! I just haven't done anything! The last quarter of this year I've been on deadline with my book, recovered from a major surgery and then I decided to quit drinking too! With all that finally behind me, TBQ comes back in 2026. Happy new year!

No Quarter is back! On Saturday November 22nd No Quarter will be returning for its 2025 edition! No Quarter is an annual playable exhibition where four newly commissioned works from outstanding artists working across games are debuted. Tickets here noquarter2025.eventbrite.com

Shared some thoughts on poetic repetition (esp anaphora) and narrative design in contemporary roguelikes at gs1, a conference showcasing the scholarly work of the @nyugamecenter.bsky.social MFAs.

Naomi Clark (@metasynthie) 暗悪直美@halfrobot.com · last yr.

How do “poetic roguelikes” such as Returnal and Hades resemble poetry? Similar to e.g. Dickinson, they have a kind of anaphora, with recurring motifs, language, sensory elements. Deleuze’s Difference and Repetition highly useful to understand cyclical gameplay; imagination draws out difference

How do “poetic roguelikes” such as Returnal and Hades resemble poetry? Similar to e.g. Dickinson, they have a kind of anaphora, with recurring motifs, language, sensory elements. Deleuze’s Difference and Repetition highly useful to understand cyclical gameplay; imagination draws out difference

☺️

carrion bloom books@carrionbloombooks.bsky.social · 3y ago

Adriana's (@axjacobs.bsky.social) translator's note is an all-timer of its genre, and Merav's writing is just stunning.