Playing. These are the weeknotes1 on the games I’ve played2 purely for fun3 in the last few months. There’s very few listed below, which is very disappointing to look back on… I can’t help thinking I’ve missed a couple. But I do have a “new” Xbox360, and I’ve been tidying up some space, so maybe that will change. It kind of needs to change, considering how much time I spend thinking about games and game design. ...
On Wardley Mapping Cyber Security If you’re not sure what Wardley Mapping is, this two minute video is a good and very short summary. It’s basically a way of thinking about technological solutions and how they are likely to evolve in future, to enable you to make decisions about those technologies. In particular it’s designed to be used by groups so they can have better conversations in this area. A few weeks ago I participated in online Wardley Mapping sessions of the Cyber Security industry, hosted by Simon Wardley of DXC Leading Edge. This was interesting and thought provoking for all kinds of reasons, which I’ve listed below. ...
Prologue An intentionally browseable set of weeknotes from my previous week1 of work, with different subjects introduced by bold text. The subject matter might not seem appropriate because I think I’ve finally acknowledged that the dividing line between work and not-work is fairly arbitrary, and based on which account I’m using to talk to someone more than anything else. Because of the amount of business development I have to do, any traditional division like “am I being paid for this?” isn’t a useful way to define what category an activity fits in. ...
The AI Dilemma, some thoughts Because it was mentioned in a discussion group I’m on, I made time to watch “The AI Dilemma”. It can be found here on Youtube. From the YouTube description: Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discuss how existing A.I. capabilities already pose catastrophic risks to a functional society, how A.I. companies are caught in a race to deploy as quickly as possible without adequate safety measures, and what it would mean to upgrade our institutions to a post-A.I. world. This presentation is from a private gathering in San Francisco on March 9th, 2023 with leading technologists and decision-makers with the ability to influence the future of large-language model A.I.s. This presentation was given before the launch of GPT-4. ...
version 0.8 Something I’ve been thinking on for quite a while, but reading this manifesto on the Trick’s Tales blog finally got me to write this up… version 0.1 anyway. And, of course, this is a personal manifesto that influences my commercial work, but isn’t a limit to my commercial work. Game Design Manifesto Fight the difficult problems. For example planning, executing, and resolving simultaneous moves is very difficult, especially in person, but that’s why this is a personal manifesto. I need to try and go where others haven’t, to avoid competing over the same ideas, or through failure illustrate and document what cannot work. When possible all games have online and/or hybrid and/or solo options. IGOUGO1 is easy to adjudicate but it suffers from being unrealistic and with many designs it reduces player engagement while the inactive players wait for the game state to change. Designing “We-Go” methods is more challenging, but has many benefits and is more realistic. Dispensing with “turns” is next, different actions require different levels of commitment to removing other options, a game should reflect that. The speed of decision making is a factor in real world success, games should reflect that. ( I’m hardly the first to think this ). ...
Prologue This is an intentionally browseable set of weeknotes regarding things I “beheld” over the previous “week”1. I hope you find something in here that sparks your interest in a piece of media, or encourages you to avoid something when your time could be better spent elsewhere. I write weeknotes mainly to practice a style of writing that isn’t work deliverables or quick emails - but if this helps you please let me know on whatever medium I mentioned this on. ...
Recently on the Generalist World Slack channel, another member asked me advice about entering a new industry. I thought through some fairly standard “old man” advice - moving professions isn’t one of my areas of expertise, but I’ve seen enough and read enough to get an idea of what can improve your chances of success. So, with the other member’s permission, I’ve posted a modified version of my advice below, so I can cite it in future, and in case you find it useful: ...
Inspired by this toot1 from John Willshire I thought I’d also jump on this idea he references, that has its roots back in 2005. I like the questions, I think I’ve finally got back into reading so I have answers worth sharing, and also I support John’s push for people to start blogging rather than posting on more interactive platforms. The questions from the original post are: How many books do you own? What is the last book you bought? What is the last book you read? What are 5 books that mean a lot to you? My answers are below: ...
A few thoughts on the reality TV show The Traitors, that has just finished on the BBC in the UK. PLEASE NOTE I’ve made absolutely no allowances for possible spoilers below, so if you haven’t watched the series be aware of what you’ll learn by reading through this. That said, even knowing what’s coming, I imagine it would be interesting to watch to see how the game develops between different players. Although the cliff-hangers won’t carry so much weight for you as they did for me. ...
An intentionally browseable set of weeknotes for my previous “week”1. I beheld I’ve decided that “beheld” is the best word for “things I read such as a book, or watched such as a movie, but didn’t play like a game, or didn’t engage with for work”. Suggestions for better terms are expected, but I’ll probably ignore them, “beheld” feels worth writing about. Stewart Lee. I read March of the Lemmings by Stewart Lee ages ago, but only found my notes on it recently. This is definitely for you if you like Lee’s relentless demeanor, political stance, and whipsmart phrasing. I’m reminded of TV series such as Community, or Ted Lasso, when sometimes you have to hit Pause and let a phrase sink in. It could be a bit much all in one go, so a good bedtime read when you just want a fun chapter or two to put the day behind you. ...