Author Archives: Jack McNamee

About Jack McNamee

In the third year of a game design course in Queensland, Australia. Thinking a whole lot about games. Scrabbling desperately against the oncoming future.

Mystery Teens is now a Tabletop RPG

Confession time. I’ve realised I don’t actually like games: only equipment lists, character sheets and maps. I’m forced to endure games to indulge these sick fetishes. To that end,  I’m making a Tabletop RPG about teenagers solving mysteries. It’s late, … Continue reading

Posted in Actually making something, Dungeon Master Adventures, Mystery Teens | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Mystery Teens

I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility that this map has been drawn for a game. This hypothetical game may or may not ever be completed and released. Reports that the following individuals have been seen roaming this map … Continue reading

Posted in Actually making something, OR AM I? | Tagged | 5 Comments

What Thief does right

Subverting the architecture.  I’ll say it again: Subverting the architecture, motherfuckers. It’s the best thing you can do in games, and Thief is the best at it. Here’s what I’m talking about. Missions in Thief usually start near the front … Continue reading

Posted in More games should do these things | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

What Yume Nikki does right

A good game has clarity. It may involve subtleties that only advanced players will grasp with time, but it should always be instantly obvious where you are, what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it. Yume Nikki just burst out … Continue reading

Posted in More games should do these things | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Everything Is Jake!

I’m finally posting the game I promised I would at the start of the holidays. All coiled up with nowhere to slam on this beautiful Friday evening? Well step away from the stun gravy and hold off on your hop juice, … Continue reading

Posted in Actually making something, Everything Is Jake | 1 Comment

MEGADUNGEON

A hand-drawn map of Dark Souls from memory. Thought I’d post this here after I submitted it to Mapstalgia. I tell ya, it does the heart good to play a game with a map like this. I’m considering just straight it off … Continue reading

Posted in Dungeon Master Adventures | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

What Dark Souls does right

It seems like modern game design has an unwritten rule: Don’t make the player worry about anything unimportant. If the jumping puzzles aren’t important, there’ll be invisible walls around every chasm. Normal enemies usually aren’t a challenge, so that you only have to … Continue reading

Posted in More games should do these things | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What Sword & Sworcery does right

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is a beautiful, meditative game that can’t shut up about how beautiful and meditative it is. What it does right, though, is economy. In the first episode you go down into the depths of a … Continue reading

Posted in More games should do these things | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Analogue: A Hate Story

Analogue: A Hate Story is another terribly-named visual novel from renowned internet word-lady Christine Love. Coming as a sequel to her début hit Digital, it’s also another tragic, clever love story that understands how games work. It starts out slow. Sent to investigate … Continue reading

Posted in NPC's I have loved, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Katawa Shoujo eats your heart out

I’m blogging, and something beautiful is happening at 4Chan. Rare. Katawa Shoujo was released ten days ago. It’s a choose-your-own adventure game where your main task is to decide which of five disabled girls you want to have sex with. … Continue reading

Posted in NPC's I have loved | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments