Seamus Joseph Allen – The Mechanics of Magic

Introducing Serious Games: PeaceMaker

September 30, 2024

This week, I played PeaceMaker by Impact Games. It covers the Israel-Palestine conflict, with the players taking on the role of either the Palestinian…

Sketchnote: MADO

September 28, 2024

You can download my sketchnote here.

Games, Design, and Play: Exercises

September 26, 2024

1. Identify the basic elements in a game of your choice (actions, goals, rules, objects, playspace, players). Dicey Dungeon Actions: Roll dice, use equipe…

A landscape photo overlooking a valley from a mountaintop in the early morning. A bright orange sunrise crests the horizon.

Final Reflection — Seamus Allen

June 9, 2024

This course has massively expanded my breadth as a designer. Coming in, I had made a few games, and picked up quite a bit…

A sketchnote using the interface of a slot machine as its structure

Sketchnote — Addiction by Design

June 5, 2024

I had fun getting a little creative with the structure here, displaying the different tactics discussed as symbols on a slot machine’s reels. Each…

Critical Play — One Night, Hot Springs

May 29, 2024

‘One night, hot springs’ (ONHS) is an indie game by npckc. It follows the story of a young transgender woman named Haru as she…

Sketchnote — Puzzles in Games

May 24, 2024

You can download my sketchnote here.

Critical Play — Vampire Survivors

May 22, 2024

For my critical play, I selected Vampire Survivors. While not a gambling game per se, its creator, Luca Galante, spent years programming slot machines…

Sketchnote — Architecture in Games

May 17, 2024

You can download my sketchnote here.

Critical Play — Cascadia

May 13, 2024

Cascadia is a game of overlapping puzzles—literally and figuratively. It leverages this overlap to create an incredibly satisfying puzzle experience. In Cascadia, players take…