Mid-January Link Assortment

Events

January 16 is the Boston FIG Fest, with the goal of fostering the next generation of game creators. The event is online this year, and registration is pay-what-you-like.

January 19 is the next meeting of the Boston IF Meetup.

January 24, the Oxford/London IF meetup will get together online; I’ll be talking about the design process for Orwell’s Animal Farm – people wanting to learn more about storylet-based IF design may find it interesting.

February 6 is the next meeting of the SF Bay Area IF Meetup.

February 21 is the next meeting of the Seattle/Tacoma Area IF Meetup.

Contest, Jams, & Festivals

The Gaming Like It’s 1925 game jam is now live. Participants can create either digital or analog games, drawing on inspiration from works created in 1925. Submissions are being accepted now through January 31.

The French IF Competition is also up and running, with ten games ready for judging now and for the next (roughly) six weeks.

New Releases

Oxford-based Cowleyfornia Studios is set to release a new game on January 28th. Sarawak is a combination of choice-based IF and point and click puzzles, embedded side by side in a novel-like layout, blending elements of mystery and adventure.

Articles & Links

Game designer Memalign has been hard at work exploring the potential of Listed Action IF, and has created an adaptation of some Counterfeit Monkey puzzles here. It’s a game very much not designed for that kind of presentation, so it’s curious to see what that looks like in a link-driven form.

Northeastern University is currently accepting applications for an Associate Professor/Full Professor of Games at their Boston Campus. Despite the listed deadline, they are still looking at additional candidates, and are seeking candidates “with an international record of excellence in research and/or creative practice in one or more areas including but not limited to: HCI, algorithmic bias, game analytics, creative coding, experiential technologies, extended reality, interdisciplinary design, player psychology, generative design, art games, serious games, and interactive narrative.”