games Archives

Gameful design 2012

RT @fraying: This. Yes.

Posted on June 18, 2012 at 02:36 PM in games, tweets, web design & documentation | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's good to have an eloquent ally 2012

"you're afraid of that woman's voice & you don't think you can beat her intellectually without using a cheat code"

More background and commentary from Daniel Nye Griffiths at Forbes.

"I don’t know who these hateful people are, but they are not the gamers I know. They are not the men I know."

Let's keep focused on having the "what you did" argument with those who leave hateful comments, not the "what you are" argument.

Posted on June 15, 2012 at 04:46 PM in games, linky goodness, politics & philosophy, tweets | Permalink | Comments (0)

"We have to get over this, as an industry." 2012

RT @jessajune: Can't We Discuss This Like Adults? / Fantastic rational criticism of the recent game trailer furor.

Posted on June 6, 2012 at 10:47 AM in games, politics & philosophy, tweets | Permalink | Comments (0)

nuanced and disturbing 2012

RT @neb: watch_dogs gameplay looks amazing. congrats Ubi team!

Cyberpunk is far from dead.

Posted on June 4, 2012 at 08:01 PM in games, tweets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Warning: zombie-like singleminded urges may result 2012

You have got to check out the game Rebuild. It's like Harvest Moon meets Shaun of the Dead. http://www.rebuildgame.com/games/rebuild/ Super cool.

Posted on May 29, 2012 at 11:01 PM in games, linky goodness, tweets | Permalink | Comments (0)

still great 2012

Another great day of D&D and delicious food with my awesome pals @thelancearthur, @george08, @somethingmodern, & @someben. Happy Dinah!

Posted on May 28, 2012 at 10:08 PM in Dinah - preferences, friends & family, games, tweets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mastery is Well-Informed Improvisation 2012

RT @rands: Two Universes – Portal as great design

Posted on May 9, 2012 at 02:31 PM in games, linky goodness, tools, web design & documentation | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fun at Booksmith's BookSwap evening 2012

Well, yes, I brought a repro of a 19th century cocktail book.

Booksmith's events are super fun.

Posted on May 4, 2012 at 09:11 PM in Books, games, San Francisco | Permalink | Comments (0)

playtime 2012

Posted on April 26, 2012 at 04:54 PM in games | Permalink | Comments (0)

An obviously legitimate purchase 2012

Apple, making a foolish impulse buy is when to force update of my security questions, not on clearly rational ones like Majesty for iPad.

Posted on April 20, 2012 at 07:01 PM in games, tweets | Permalink | Comments (0)

fun puzzle 2007

There's some game I can't think of the name of at the moment where you try to get people to guess the word you're thinking of by giving words that are paired with it. Might be something I picked up from Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me on NPR.

Anyhow, these clues are fun

head

corn

Boston

clam

when the answer is "chowder".

Posted on March 17, 2007 at 03:27 PM in games | Permalink | Comments (3)

Posted on October 14, 2006 at 01:22 PM in games | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted on March 5, 2006 at 02:16 PM in games | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not According To Plan 2004

It's a beautiful day and perfect for the activity I'd intended to do - a motorcycle ride with a friend, a little shopping, and then in the evening, a potluck and party. And such a party too, with a theme of Drag, it's bound to be a good time. Hard to go wrong with a room full of giggling boys in dresses and girls with false moustaches.

Alas, it is not to be. Wednesday evening I came down with a head cold and it's been plaguing me since. Achy muscles and head, sneezing, coughing, just general snorkiness all through. So I'm resting, drinking the first of many cups of hot herbal tea, and gazing wistfully at the lovely weather outside.

To distract myself I thought "what better than a big time-consuming game?" and I have a couple for the PC which I haven't played for years, having made the switch to Mac. I thought "well, they're old games, not 3-D shooters or anything, surely they wouldn't be that taxing to the system..." and so laid down my $220+ for VirtualPC. Alas, though they run, they don't run well. Pharoah is terribly slow to respond to mouse-clicks and Grim Fandango has stuttering sound, which is a damned shame because the sound is the best part of the game. I think I probably would need a faster CPU to handle this (I have a 700 MHz PowerPC G4), though maybe more than my 512MB of memory would help too. Can the Mac be made into a decent gaming machine?

Posted on May 29, 2004 at 01:32 PM in games, health, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (8)

Distraction 2003

Okay, so I could say "Oh, I had to work on the weekend last weekend" or "I'm so distracted by the excitement of my first column appearing in the San Francisco Bay Guardian" or "I'm being a good grrrl and taking a walk every night" and that's all true, but really, what distracts me from posting?

1. Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane (two DVDs of the fantastic BBC production with Edward Petherbridge & Harriet Walter)
2. Tropico, the Mucho Macho Edition (a game on the Mac which is of my favorite genre which I like to call "project manager games")
3. Party Monster: The Shockumentary (which is very interesting to see after seeing the fictionalized version with Mac Culkin and Seth Green (yum))

For archive purposes, here is that column from October 22, 2003:

Being There

Beaches to books

MY GUESS IS that even without the recent election or international events, you've probably got some things on your mind. Need some time to get out of the house and think while you stretch your legs? Want to do it somewhere other than a stinky gym? I recommend a day trip walking in our beautiful city.

Begin at Ocean Beach. Walk out to the waterline and look out to sea until you feel the rhythm of your thinking change. Imagine that you've never been to this place before. You've just come upon the beach here. Turn around and look. Look at people. Look at the place. Smell the air. Turn left and start walking.

Walk north along the beach toward the Cliff House. When you run out of beach (or if you don't like sand), walk on the sidewalk on the ocean side of the street. Enjoy the variety of people. Note that it is considered gauche to stare too openly at the surfers changing in and out of their wet suits; I advocate the discreet but appreciative glance.

Follow the road up past the Cliff House and Louis' until you reach the parking lot, also known as Merrie Way. Enter the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, leaving cars and buildings behind you. Follow the coastal trail among the trees, past lovely views of the cliffs of Marin and the Golden Gate Bridge, until you come to a sign reading, "El Camino del Mar Trail." There will be a set of steps to your right. Climb them and turn left on the trail at the top.

When you come out on the small service road, stifle your disappointment at the sight of cars and walk up to the large building at the other end of the road; this is the Palace of the Legion of Honor (34th Ave. and Clement, S.F. 415-863-3330). If you're in the mood and it's not a Monday, go in and see art (current special exhibits: Degas sculptures and 19th-century photographs of India). Otherwise, after you take in the great view of the city, continue down the road (to the right as you leave the museum) through the golf course. Marvel at this bizarre use of land and time. When you reach the small restaurant at the entry to Lincoln Park, go around the north side of it and follow the narrow road until you see the big steps at the end of California Street. These are an ideal place to sit, rest, and survey the way ahead of you.

Stroll along this gentle downhill stretch of California Street, enjoying the clean, quiet neighborhood in which almost every era of San Francisco architecture is represented. The superb Angelina's deli at 22nd Avenue (6000 California, S.F. 415-221-7801) is a great place to stop for a snack or for picnic supplies.

Walk a few more blocks down California until you pass an unusual church with a blue minaret on the right (near 19th Avenue) and then go a block south and continue eastward along Clement Street. This district perfectly illustrates both the reality and the myth of the California melting pot. In barely a mile and a half, you'll encounter no less than 17 different cultures represented in the restaurants and shops of Clement Street. It's a wonderfully diverse mix, but watch the groups of people working and shopping here and you may begin to question whether there's much melting going on.

Still, mingling is a fine thing, too, and one can hardly complain when faced with the dizzying array of good food choices. Recommended spots for further snacking: Good Luck Dim Sum (736 Clement, S.F. 415-386-3388) and, a few blocks farther east, Le Soleil (133 Clement, S.F. 415-668-4848), where the spring rolls are lovely and bold hikers can restore themselves with salty plum sodas. Those who prefer the sweet to the savory treat should visit Toy Boat Dessert Cafe (401 Clement, S.F. 415-751-7505), which boasts a fabulous collection of nostalgia-inducing toys, or I Love Chocolate, a tiny café just around the corner from the end of Clement Street (397 Arguello, S.F. 415-750-9460), which will happily cater to your sugary needs.

One of the great pleasures of walking is the lack of parking hassle, and Clement Street is definitely better reached without a car. Take all the time you didn't spend driving in circles waiting for a space to open up and use it to wander in my favorite San Francisco bookstore, Green Apple Books (506 Clement, S.F. 415-387-2272). If you can't find something to please you in the main store or the annex, you're clearly still not relaxed enough. Return to Ocean Beach and start over.

MetaGrrrl is the nom de plume of Dinah Sanders, who is well along in her project to walk every block of every street of San Francisco. Chart her progress at www.metagrrrl.com.

Posted on October 23, 2003 at 10:35 PM in games, movies & tv, San Francisco, the big room with the blue ceiling | Permalink | Comments (4)

7/30 San Jose CA tourney & live auction! 1995

From Usenet in rec.games.trading-cards.misc:

"Quetzlcon
Sunday July 30th
Parkside Hall, San Jose Civic Auditorium
at the corner of Park & Market, near San Carlos St.,
in downtown San Jose.
Doors open at 9am. $10 pre-reg, $15 at door.
Magic, Rage, Illuminati, Jyhad, On the Edge, & Ultimate Combat!
Live card auction including complete set of Arabian Nights auctioned off card by card!
***
Ice Age: The Thaw Sealed Deck, Ante-sweetened tournament referee: Anton Dovydaitis. Bring your own factory-sealed deck. 45 minutes trading, trading permitted between rounds. Single elimination, but non-winners continue to play for sweetened ante. Begins at 10am.


Mad Melee Mayhem: mini-tourneys of a variety of games. (Yes, if you are a non-winner in The Thaw, you will be able to check your deck and play in the Mad Melee Mayhem and then return to the non-winners area for The Thaw).

Rage
20-32 renown, no more than 4 of any card, only 1 past life & 1 Gaia's Vengence per deck. 4 person games. Winner receives promo kit including huge werewolf.

Ultimate Combat
Sealed deck (provided). Round Robin for first 3 rounds, single elimination thereafter, with a playoff for third place. Winner receives actual UC black belt, signed prototype cards and more!

Illuminati ($5 extra, you'll get lots of cards!)
Sealed decks (2). Trading only during game. Rule of Possession (you control at the end of the game, it's yours). Winner receives prototype cards, signed cards, & limited edition cards.

Also Jyhad and On The Edge, standard rules.


Live Auction beginning at about 6pm.
A complete set of Arabian Nights auctioned off card by card, very low starting bids! Complete sets, sealed boxes, promo items, boxed games, more! Come join the fun!

Quetzlcon ends at 9:30pm. 12 big hours of fun!
Call Inkspot at 408-297-7768 or email us at gamespot@aol.com to preregister with Visa or Mastercard.
Pre-reg ends Friday at 8pm.
If you have items you wish to auction, email Dinah at gamespot@aol.com.
***
INKSPOT BOOKS & GAMES
325 South First Street
San Jose CA 95113
408-297-SPOT(7768)
email: gamespot@aol.com

Open Tuesday thru Saturday
Noon until 8pm

Inkspot sells Magic and other collectible card games, role-playing games, other games, books, magazines, and related weird sidelines.
We trade collectible trading cards by appointment and give 90% of our trade price in credit usable on single cards from any of the games we carry. Our prices are basically Scrye median price.  Trade price is about 1/3 above Scrye median price. Trade credit does not expire and you can leave a wishlist of cards you want.

Inkspot Games at gamespot@aol.com or in the meatsuit world Inkspot is at 325 South First Street in San Jose, CA 95113 and is open Tuesday thru Saturday, noon until 8pm."

Posted on July 27, 1995 at 12:00 PM in games, Inkspot, work | Permalink | Comments (0)

QuetzlCon, July 16-23-30, San Jose, CA 1995

From Usenet in rec.games.trading-cards.misc:

"INKSPOT Books and Games and Anton Dovydaitis PRESENTS:
                             QUETZLCON:
           Three Sundays of Magnificent Magic and Mayhem
            10 AM to 10 PM, July 16, July 23 and July 30
    San Jose Civic Auditorium, Parkside Hall, Conference Room #1
 Market and San Carlos, across from the San Jose Convention Center
                                
JULY 16: "Mono-Deck" Magic Tournament, 128 Players, $10/adv, $15/door
         Type I DC, except ALL cards other than basic lands are
RESTRICTED!
         No DUPLICATES of any card, except basic lands!
         Top Prizes include ALPHA BLACK LOTUS!

JULY 23: ICE AGE: The Thaw, Sealed Deck, 128 Players, $15/adv, $20/door
         Anton's Usual Sealed Deck Tournament with ANTE SWEETENERS!
         Players start with ICE AGE cards, but antes sweeteners come
         from ALL OTHER EXPANSION SETS!  Non-winners continue to play!

JULY 30: MAD MELEE MAYHEM: Ultimate Combat, Illuminati, etc., $10/$15.
         UC prizes include prototype decks, tatami playing mats.
         ILLUMINATI SEALED DECK with THE RULE OF POSSESION ($5 extra).

CO-SPONSORED BY KHALSA-BRAIN GAMES AND GAME*AHOLICS!

YES, you CAN pre-register by e-mail using VISA or M/C to
'game...@aol.com,' or call INKSPOT, 408/297-SPOT, or write INKSPOT, 325 South First Street, San Jose, CA  95113.  Pre-registration ends the Friday before each event.

Tournament questions, write 'an...@infoserv.com' or call 408/271-0415.

DETAILS:

"MONO-DECK TOURNAMENT" follows Type I Duelist Convocation rules EXCEPT that all cards other than basic lands are limited to ONE per deck.
NO DUPLICATES!  128 players, must win two out of the first three round to advance, single elimination there after.  Eight rounds total.
Top prizes include ALPHA BLACK LOTUS, and LOTS of other prizes.

"ICE AGE: THE THAW" follows Anton's usual sealed deck ante sweetener
format.
Each player starts with a single Ice Age starter deck (provided).
Initial trading round of 45 minutes, trading allowed between rounds.
All duels are played for antes, all antes are "sweetened" by the addition
of at least two additional cards from ALL EXPANSIONS SETS: Alpha, Beta,
Arabian, Antiquities, Dark, Fallen, Unlimited, Revised and 4th Edition.
Single elimination, but non-winners are encouraged to remain in the sealed deck environment and continue to play for sweetened antes.  Ante sweeteners will increase for winners and non-winners as the day progresses, so that more non-ICE AGE cards will be in play (hence THE THAW).  No big prizes, but THOUSANDS of cards to be given away.  FUN FOR EVERYONE!

"MAD MELEE MAYHEM" comprises a number of games, including an ULTIMATE
COMBAT tournament with prototype decks as prizes.  I will be running a
SEALED DECK ILLUMINATI TOURNAMENT with THE RULE OF POSSESSION: all cards which you control at the end of the game ARE YOURS!  Trading ONLY allowed during PLAY!  Has betrayal ever been sweeter?  Other planned games include JYHAD, RAGE, and ON THE EDGE, and a CARD TRADING BAZAAR.  Yes, PRIZES!

PRE-REGISTRATION FORM:

YES, I'D LIKE TO PRE-REGISTER FOR THE FOLLOWING QUETZLCON EVENTS:
  o  "Mono-Deck Tournament"  $10        o  "ICE AGE: The Thaw"  $15
  o  "Mad Melee Mayhem"      $10        o  ALL THREE DAYS       $30
  o  ILLUMINATI         add  $ 5        o  Rage         o  Jyhad
  o  Ultimate Combat                    o  On The Edge

Name:    ____________________________________   E-mail completed form to
Address: ____________________________________   'gamespot@aol.com'
         ____________________________________   or FAX to 408/271-0416
         ____________________________________   or mail with check/mo to:
Telephone/E-mail: ___________________________   INKSPOT, 325 South First
St.
VISA/MC  ____________________________________   San Jose, CA  95113

EXPLANATION OF MONO-DECK TOURNAMENT AT QUETZLCON, JULY 16TH, SAN JOSE, CA.

I have never been satisfied with any constructed deck tournament, as
despite the protests of The Wizards of the Coast, I strongly feel that
having access to as four of any card you want is a telling advantage.
However, I was intrigued when I heard that in Canada and Europe it is
common to play decks with no duplicates, except basic lands.
There are clearly enough different cards to make this practical.

The Mono-Deck Tournament is in the same format as a Duelists Convocation Type I Tournament, except that all cards other than basic lands are RESTRICTED.  That is, with the exception of basic lands, no duplicates of any card are allowed in the deck or sideboard.  I feel this will lead to a greater variety of play, and will reward those who can adapt to unanticipated circumstances, rather than those who rely on a few mean tricks.  Of course, banned cards are still banned.

The other deviation from the DC format is my "two-thirds" elimination.
Again, despite the Convocation's claims to the contrary, I do not believe
that people are satisfied entering a tournament only to be eliminated
in the first or even second round.  Therefore, I allow any player who
wins two out of the first three rounds to advance.  This has almost the
same effect as double elimination, but allows players to continue for
three rounds instead of two.


DESCRIPTION OF ICE AGE: THE THAW SEALED DECK ANTE SWEETENER TOURNAMENT AT QUETZLCON, JULY 23RD, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA:

I have had great success running sealed deck tournaments in which
trading is encouraged, all duels are played for "sweetened antes",
and non-winners can continue to play.  I feel that this is the
fairest, funnest tournament format, and my success at these,
drawing players from hundreds of miles away, seems to confirm this.

Unlike contructed deck, sealed deck tournaments are a test of all
three major Magic skills: trading, deck construction, and card play.
Everyone has access to the same number of cards, and so players are
not dominated by richer or more elder players.  Everyone can continue
to play for prizes (the ante sweeteners) even after they lose a round,
so non-winners (the majority at any tournament) can continue to have
fun.  Non-winners self-pair, so players can choose appropriate opponents.

PROCEDURE:

Each player is initially provided with a sealed Ice Age starter deck.
Upon the start signal, players open their decks, and have 45 minutes
to trade.  COLLABORATIVE TRADING IS NOT ALLOWED.  Collaborative trading is where one sacrifices one's chance of winning to help another player to win.  Giving your best cards to your buddy is collaborative trading. Trading one color for another color is NOT collaborative, it is rational. Trading play value for collector value is allowed, but is short sighted, since the best cards are in the ante sweeteners, and you have to win duels to get them.  After the trading period, players have 15 minutes to construct their deck.  Since cards are limited to your card pool (your
initial deck, any trades, and any antes won), there are NO DECK LIMITS!
If you can sweet talk your way into eight Aurochs, then you are a silver-
tongued devil and deserve to play them.  All decks must be 40 cards when they begin a round.  You can trade and alter your deck between rounds, but cannot alter your deck between duels in a round.  No cards are banned.

A round consists of a set of three duels.  Each duel is played for ante.
The referee or his assistants will add AT LEAST TWO cards to each ante.
All players are initially winners.  As soon as you lose a round, you
become a non-winner (this IS California, after all).  Winners are
paired against winners, with progressively larger ante sweeteners,
until only one winner remains.  Non-winners self-pair against other
non-winners for sweetened antes, which get larger as the day progresses. Non-winners may play any available opponent, except they cannot play the same opponent more than three duels.

THE FOLLOWING IS CONSIDERED CHEATING AND IS DISALLOWED:
    1)  Collaborative trading: sacrificial trading in order to help
        someone else win.  Play for yourself, or stay home.
    2)  Bringing cards from outside sources.  Your deck must be
        constructed from your card pool: your intial starter deck,
        any trades, and any cards won in antes.
    3)  Unauthorized Resignations.  I do not want players to resign
        just to get to the next ante sweetener.  All resignations
        must be approved by the referee.  Resignations are allowed
        in games that take too long.
    4)  Anything else that a reasonable person would consider cheating.

My goal with these these tournaments is to maximize the total amount of fun had by all the players attending the tournament, not just the winners, and the strong response I've had indicates that I am doing something right.

YES, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PRE-REGISTER VIA E-MAIL, FAX, PHONE OR
SNAIL-MAIL.
Contact 'gamespot@aol.com' for registration information, or see my
previously posted message.


Inkspot Games at gamespot@aol.com or in the meatsuit world Inkspot is at 325 South First Street in San Jose, CA 95113 and is open Tuesday thru Saturday, noon until 8pm."

[Same announcement posted the next day in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules and rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy (and again in the latter on 6/22).]

Posted on June 2, 1995 at 12:00 PM in games, Inkspot, work | Permalink | Comments (0)

! "How you like it" survey from Inkspot 1995

From Usenet in rec.games.trading-cards.marketplace:

"I, Dinah, owner of Inkspot Books & Games, want to know how you, dear reader, like to buy complete sets and hot cards.
Do you hate auctions? Or are they your favorite way to buy?
Is a flat price list best? Or do you prefer auction with a buyout price?
What is the easiest way for you to find listings of what you want to buy?
When you send a wishlist, how quickly do you need a response before the list is way out of date?
Email back to gamespot@aol.com and I will try to structure future sales in a way that makes your life easier...

Inkspot Games at gamespot@aol.com
Check marketplace alphabetically for Inkspot!
Inkspot is at 325 South First Street in San Jose, CA 95113
and is open Tuesday thru Saturday, noon until 8pm."

Posted on April 30, 1995 at 12:00 PM in games, Inkspot, work | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kindness to vampires 1994

From Usenet rec.games.deckmaster:

"Well, not too complain, but I bought exactly TWO starter decks, and out of 16 Vampires in each deck, TWELVE WERE EXACT DUPLICATES. Also, the one rare in each was a duplicate.

Fortunately, my dealer, Dinah at InkSpot Books in San Jose is such a sweetheart: she traded me my dupilcate vampires for unique ones.

Thanks Dinah!

- Anton Dovydaitis"

Posted on August 21, 1994 at 12:00 PM in games, work | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tracking down Legends 1994

From Usenet in rec.games.deckmaster:

"Inkspot books is selling or trading for single Legends cards.
She is in downtown San Jose on first street across from the Camra One
theater.  She had some good LG there about 6:00pm when I went in.

--
Later,

Ronald D. Jones"

Posted on June 16, 1994 at 12:00 PM in games, Inkspot, work | Permalink | Comments (0)

Freewriting for 11/9 done 11/13 1982

Posted on November 13, 1982 at 12:00 PM in games, school | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brush with a vague sort of fame 1979

Went to M.V.T. [Multiversal Trading Company] and found out that the proprieter [sic] is David Hargrave himself. He autographed "Welcome to Skull Tower" for me.

G'night.

Posted on February 16, 1979 at 10:42 PM in games | Permalink | Comments (0)