Vignettes

SHAPE UP!: Possibility Space

Ian Bryce JonesLeave a comment

Ian here—

Here is the first real episode of my new Shape Up! series of video essays about form, structure, and pacing in games. My central case study is Skeleton Business’ 2019 game Vignettes, although before I get there I spend a whole lot of time placing it in the context of what Joel Goodwin has termed “secret box games” or “himitsu-bako games.” This has been a topic I’ve written quite a few blog posts on. For years, I wanted to coalesce some of those disparate ideas and game appreciations into a video essay, but I never found the proper way to do that until I inaugurated this series.

Script below the jump.

Continue reading →

Interesting Games of 2019: The Year So Far

Ian Bryce Jones1 Comment

occupation_screenshot_02

The scope of new releases I have been playing has narrowed, as of late. I’ve been focusing in on a few choice genres and subject matters, as I round up my final list of case studies for my book project (as well as any upcoming video essay series connected with it). Practically, this means I’m spending a lot more mediocre games I hope I’ll have something interesting to say about, and a lot fewer games I’ve genuinely heard good things about, had fun with, and would in turn recommend. (It’s downright incomprehensible to me now that the first time I did one of these round-ups, in July 2017, I had actually played both Breath of the Wild and Persona 5 already, and was ready to write some words about them.)

So this post will be a bit more slight than some past mid-year wrap-ups have been. Below the fold, I offer thoughts on six little highlights released since January.

Continue reading →