I am using this corner of Tumblr for experimenting with writing in a way that isn't really academic, to think out loud, encourage collaborators to step up early in the process of game-making and other projects, and maybe move the thoughts to a more academic platform at some point.
The Wayback Machine is my friend.
I am also trying to gather up all the places I have contributed or been mentioned online, so that I have a ludography and bibliography that I can refer myself and others to. I have written *a lot*. I wrote 280,000 words for just one of my LRP/LARP campaigns, and have written several LRP game systems, over 50 escape games, and run live games for thousands of people. My approach has always been transmedial, but only in the last decade have I recognised that. There will be raw posts that are just links to random stuff I have done in the past with no context. At some point I may revisit them and explain a little.
I am also going to reproduce here some of my writings that never made it online. I wrote before the internet (just!). Some of that stuff was interesting enough (to me, at least) to put online now, and maybe reflect on, maybe rewrite.
My current interests are in:
Notations that help folk design games fast - if we want game-based learning to be normal in the classroom it has to be as quick to write and setup as a lecture - or as near as we can get it. I want to help non-gaming folk create games for learning. This includes re-using games, game elements and game mechanics. Also, setting up some kind of accessible archive of games.
"Broken games": What happens when you present a broken game, or a game that you tell the players is broken, and ask them to co-create the fix with you? This is so powerful. Even if you just use a commercial game and then ask the students how could we make this "better"?
Game-making, not designing: getting students to make elements of a game, to critique and think critically about a game. Using students as game-makers not game designers. Game-designers make the game template, and then students and teachers can skin it and fill it. I hope to post soon about IIF - my Imaginary Interactive Fiction project.
Keepsake and journalling games.
Adaptation of fiction and non-fiction into story-based games.
When I say "game" you can assume I most often mean a "game for learning".
I do not "do" video game design. My games are generally live and kicking. As a Digital Marketing lecturer my students spend enough time in front of screens.
You can find some of my recent collected work here: www.linktr.ee/lizcable
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I went ahead and made a Discord server in case anyone wants to keep up with the games I’m developing! It’s also just a chill place to hang out, if you want:
https://discord.gg/mKXWUhZZac
I’ll keep posting Flashpoint updates here, but the server also has updates for Cyclical Recurrences, Vesper Quest, and even Faint Dawn: Daybreak Edition!
Good for those who have questions about game-making, and I also thank my fans. (Questions removed, but it is pretty obvious from the answer what the question was.) LONG ANSWER WARNING
If the interviewer does not want these answers posted, I request that they let me know so I can delete this post. Thank you.
I enjoy writing a LOT more than programming, and music is one of my favourite things in general. Although, speaking in terms of BEING a game designer in GENERAL, my definite favourite part would have to be getting feedback from the people who play my games. I enjoy EVERY SINGLE MESSAGE I get from people who wish to share their opinions, and I track all the tags of all the games I make to make sure I don't miss a single livestream, liveblog, text post, piece of fanart, or piece of fanfiction. I love everyone who contributes to the fandoms I've spawned, and treasure every single post. The fandom is what keeps me making games, as while programming is VERY tedious and I am a VERY lazy person who does not like very tedious things, the excitement that I see up to 500 people showing when I announce a new game is worth every single hour I put into my work (which depending on the game can be anywhere from 600 to 4,000). Promotional posts being reblogged with tags such as "ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN WOO WOO" and "SO EXCITE" and even "no you are not allowed" and "DON'T YOU DARE" (the latter two usually appearing AFTER the game is released :-D) are EASILY my favourite part of being a game designer. My dad has suggested doing this for a career eventually, but until I can do that, I am MORE than content with what the fandom gives me: Self-Esteem and Motivation, both of which I did not have prior to dabbling in game-making.
The hardest part about being a game designer in general is keeping yourself hopeful that people will like your games. Someone like me who is very self-conscious and socially anxious will often feel like their games aren't good enough or have a constant fear of producing a flop, even with a long history of successful projects. The truth is that there will always be a ratio of people who like your game and people who don't. The worst flop will have its fans and the greatest masterpiece will have its haters. There's really nothing you can do about it and the best thing you can do is have fun and appreciate the fans you do have. It's hard sometimes to force yourself to believe this when you're actively in the spotlight, however, and I've been known to (stressfully) underestimate the success of my games. Although, even when I'm positive a game of mine would flop, I always get the same result: The ratio I described earlier.
Be prepared to work hard and commit to your project for a very, very long time, but do not let it consume your life. My grades dropped SIGNIFICANTLY when I started out game-making because I let it become more important than school. I'm STILL trying to bring my grades back up. It's not just school, either! I have passed out multiple times during game development because I worked so hard on games that I forgot to eat, drink, and sleep. Don't let this happen, it is VERY unhealthy. I have lost 15 pounds since I started game-making and considering that I was already underweight, this is FAR from a good thing. Pace yourself! Drink lots of water. Keep a water bottle next to the computer if you intend to work for long periods at a time. Take frequent breaks! I can't stress enough how dangerous it is to push yourself like I did. It's not just unpleasant, it can land you in the hospital and (in serious cases) even kill you. It's not just your body that will hate you if you work for days on end without breaks. Remember that this is just a hobby. No one is rushing you. You have no deadline (even if you set one yourself, you can push it back if you feel like you have to). If you're working on a game and thinking to yourself "I really don't want to do this right now", DON'T! Go browse Tumblr. Watch a movie. Take a bubble bath. You'll go crazy otherwise! Even if you love game-making SO MUCH that you don't care about your mental state, remember that if you have fun and put your love for game-making into the game, it will show, and that if you go into game-making stressed and unhappy, that shows too. Don't force yourself to work. If you have fans, they'll forgive you for delaying a game. They care about you and would rather wait an extra week or so for that one game to come out than have you give yourself ulcers (or pass out from exhaustion and dehydration, in my case).
Seeing people cry when the good guy is hurt, cheer when the bad guy is beaten up, and laugh when a joke is told lets me know that my work is appreciated and used successfully for its intended purpose: letting people have fun. The entire point of making games is to produce something that people will have fun with, and when people play my games and have fun, whether it's from legitimately enjoying the game or laughing at how bad it is, I count that as a victory. I can't really speak for other producers, but people enjoying themselves while playing my games IS my appreciation, whether they share it with me or not.
