Reviews 1 — Wax Wings

Press, podcasts, and publications

I think that it is important when we’re building these simulations, whether it’s a citizen jury or a endogenous, calculable system, like the Senegal project, or policy development. There needs to be something there that challenges the planning and says, ‘Okay, but now this. Is it dynamic enough to respond to this situation?’

— “Simplifying simulation, with Sidney Icarus”, Amble Podcast, Episode 10 (2022)
It's telling that when people talk about medicalised drama [in games] like The Ward or MASH'D, they tend toward a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Where diagnosis is the topic. But games can be about family, about care, and that's more than a Monster of the Week mystery diagnosis.

— “The intersection of role playing and medicine”, Metatopia (2020)
Your play experience and reward structure have to be pointed toward that goal. In dog training there's an end-of-session signal. If you have decided to stop rewarding a dog because training is over, it repeats the trained behaviour and gets confused and frustrated. "Why aren't I getting rewarded for this now?" It's the same in games: mechanise your players toward the learning objectives, then debrief, or they'll get frustrated that the game isn't responding.

— “Designing one-shot role playing games”, Big Bad Con, (2022)

It's telling that when people talk about medicalised drama [in games] like The Ward or MASH'D, they tend toward a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Where diagnosis is the topic. But games can be about family, about care, and that's more than a Monster of the Week mystery diagnosis.