the problem with cards against humanity
Cards Against Humanity is a social card game that was released in 2011, and became very popular as a staple party game. This is how the game developers describe it on their website: Basically, the person who asks the question…
black lives matter: diversity resources for gamers and game developers
In light of recent events and the Black Lives Matter movement, I am writing this blog post to help fight against the racism and police brutality against African-Americans that have come to the forefront in the past couple of weeks.…
kind words game review: a rare haven of companionship
Online games have long been notorious for toxicity amongst players. A 2019 study said that 74% of US gamers have experienced harassment in online multiplayer games, with offensive names and trolling or griefing topping the list of incidents1. As an…
new plague inc. cure mode where you stop pandemics in response to covid-19
If there’s one game that has made headlines in the current COVID-19 crisis, it’s Plague Inc. The 2012 mobile game saw a tenfold surge in players as early as January, with more than a 100k downloads in 30 days1. As…
why i’m playing zelda: breath of the wild during the covid-19 pandemic
I’ve wanted to write about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for a long time, because of the profound impact it had on my life and the lightbulbs it lit up in my game design brain. In fact,…
creating moments at chabot space and science center
Nestled in the Oakland hills, the Chabot Space and Science Center has educated the community as a non-profit institution for more than a century. It originally opened as an observatory in 1883, moved to its current location in 1915 and…
stagecoach greens review: mini golf designed for interesting choices
Last week, I headed over to Stagecoach Greens in San Francisco with my teammates for an afternoon of mini golf under the scorching California sun. There’s a lot to like about the venue, such as the outdoor bar, the picnic…
maker faire bay area: tips, tricks, review
A couple of weekends ago, I attended my first ever Maker Faire in the Bay Area. Although I had previously exhibited a VR game called An Ant’s Life at the Pittsburgh Maker Faire, this was the first time I was…
loot boxes should not be banned, and video games are not evil
Loot boxes have recently become a hot topic of the gaming world. In 2018, Belgium ruled that loot boxes were in violation of their gambling laws and banned them, citing concerns with a young audience1. This made waves across big…
