Month: April 2016

  • Whirling Through Japan

    Whirling Through Japan

    When I started this blog, I determined to avoid the “and then” trap: “first we did X, and then Y, and then Z”. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that format — it makes sense for personal journals, for example, which are meant to be an intimate memento; a story that you write and later reread, flooding your brain with all…

  • Two Sided Tokyo

    Two Sided Tokyo

    The Tokyo taxi driver always wears small white gloves and a pressed navy suit. He always keep his car waxed to a luster and ensures the white doilies on his seats are always clean and wrinkle-free. His doors open and close at the push of a button, so that his customers don’t ever need to worry about that little chore — but if they accidentally…

  • Malaysia (Conclusion)

    Malaysia (Conclusion)

    The Malaysian leg of the trip is almost over — and with it comes the halfway point of our yearlong travels. I want to tell you that our experiences were varied, but that might just be the biggest understatement of the whole journey. The ancient Thaipusam trances, the science-fiction towers of Kuala Lumpur, the bombastic New Year’s celebrations,…

  • Failing to Fail

    Failing to Fail

    “Fail Fast” and similar mantras have evolved from well-meaning advice, to start-up slogans, to hollow catch-phrases (I mean, you can get the quotes on throw pillows now). But the original spirit — that quick iterations and pivots are vital to eventual success — is still very true for games. Even veteran designers concede that no mechanic ever works exactly as they envision. Iteration is a…