Yesterday, The Guardian published this really beautiful story by Sarah Griffin on how her using the Electric Zine Maker recaptured her creativity during lockdown. The article is just beautiful. To myself, it’s tremendously encouraging that I made something that helped people… It’s also so much more than that. It’s kind of like a very touching account of zine culture, and captures why zine culture is so special. “Last year, I sent almost 2,000 envelopes full of zines to people who wanted to read them. Something else happened, too: people I didn’t know sent zines back to me. Their children made...
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The inspired brilliance of Katelabs, a foray into glitch tools, and what zine culture has taught me about games & software dev…
Here is an inspired find that’s… just… an amazing encapsulation of everything good about freeware tools. Trust me. You need this one! It’s a level editor of sorts, reminiscent of old school tools like Nickelodeon Director’s Lab, mixed with what feels like a very personal approach to what it means to create on a computer from the developer that made it. Katelabs “In KATELABS, Kate Barrett (Ready Player F**K, Flamingo Quest) brings you her most advanced tech yet… But with a twist! YOU get to be let loose with it! It’s a deep level editor with lots of features including...
Continue reading...Games are giant weird story machines! (video games, their stories, and building stories for systems)
Entomorph: Plague of the Darkfall was a 90’s action-adventure role-playing game that… I still struggle to describe today. It’s a wildly “all over the map” type of experience somehow pulled through by the very nightmarish storyline. I played it when it first came out so now… I paraphrase the following heavily and try to recall this from memory: I remember the game starting on a beach-side village, the place being swarmed by undead and giant insects. You have to go do something to save the village from this invasion, something dark that’s falling over the world… You eventually do, pretty...
Continue reading...New Tetrageddon.com is here! (Cybermonkey has died, a broken desktop haunted by skeletons of the past, and more…)
At the beginning of this year I relaunched a brand new Tetrageddon Games (the web version… not to be confused with ARMAGAD, the desktop version). I did this because I waited till basically the absolute last minute to see if Flash emulators would be up to par to be able to run the games. The majority of these games are Actionscript 3 based. The ones that are Actionscript 2 based don’t run well on emulators yet… long story short, emulators aren’t really exactly ready yet. So I went with the alternative plan of releasing all games as desktop apps, and...
Continue reading...“I want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and I’m not kidding”
This post is about stuff that’s been on my mind lately. I had some game recommendations that I wanted to write about, and then I suppose it grew into more… – image credit and title inspiration go to @moshboy Recently I’ve started playing more AAA open world games because it’s been helping me cope with self-isolation. Stuff like GTA 5 and the new Spider Man game (the Miles Morales one). I don’t really have much to say about these games, and would rather not give them more attention than they need because they are AAA and enough people talk about...
Continue reading...Opening Electric Zine Maker on macOS guide (I downloaded the Electric Zine Maker but it won’t open on my Mac. It keeps getting blocked…)
I’m publishing this page so I have an official guide to send to macOS users that have this problem. Thank you for downloading my work! Here is why this happens, and what you can do to open it… This is a Gatekeeper issue. Newer versions of macOS, starting with Catalina, introduced measures to block non-notarized apps from developers. Notarizing an app means that I have to pay Apple a yearly fee of $100 to be able to sign my work with them. I have to keep paying this fee, else the certificate expires. Long answer short, I cannot afford this...
Continue reading...Code share: a javascript image gallery, javascript & php countdown timer, and a very basic javascript & php email form…
It’s been a while since I shared code of things I’m working on here. Since one of the projects is not yet announced (a secret!), but the code for it is useful, I thought it’s about time that I do one of these again… My last little code project was to FINALLY make a vanilla-javascript based image gallery (just plain javascript, no jquery or anything). I’ve been putting this off for years, and the last one I had was just a hacked together thing. I got around to making one that’s extremely simple, no massive features, and easy to customize!...
Continue reading...More from the wonderful world of tools by small devs, shareware, and freeware (art tools, music tools, and toys to create with)
This is a followup to my first post where I talked about the wonderful world of tools and art toys that exists outside the mainstream. Some months ago I asked if there was interest in another one of these, and yes. There was interest! The level of interest that exists for freeware and shareware tools (in general, tools made by small creators) is really exciting to me. We see genuine enthusiasm for quirky artistic tools… things that you could basically call a creative “toy”. These things are like a breath of fresh air. To me, they remind me why it’s...
Continue reading...About desktop pets & virtual companions: discussing the inhabitants that fill the void of our digital spaces
Here is a hugely passionate area of creative interest to me: desktop pets, screenmates, screen buddies, desktop buddies, desktop mascots, screen crawlers, virtual pets, virtual companions, screen wanderers, digital pets… (those are all the things they are called, ur welcome!) I love designing them and think they are intrinsically fascinating. I make maybe one a year, and this next project I’m working on will involve one as well. There’s something special about filling the virtual void with warm, silly, supposedly pointless simulated companionship. It’s like having a fireplace lit in the corner of the room. It’s weirdly comforting. Image of...
Continue reading...Comments on today’s announcement (Flash)
After today’s news, and because I will probably be getting junk directed at me, I’m writing this to explain what this means for my work, and what I will be doing… First of all, if you want to read more about what this means for AIR (the runtime teams have given their commitment to keep supporting it) then visit these links: https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2362234 https://forum.starling-framework.org/topic/air-roadmap-update I have been moving all my stuff to AIR for quite a while now. Tetrageddon has fully transitioned to a desktop app. The games will be playable in the browser for as long as browsers support the...
Continue reading...“Everything is going to be OK” early access
My new not-a-game game experimental art experience “Everything is going to be OK” was showcasing at IndieCade E3 this week! This was an amazing privilege, and the other indies in the showcase also had amazing games. The overall feedback was encouraging. So many people commented that they had never seen anything like it. This was probably the most common comment. I would love to talk about this more, but I have a pressing announcement & favor to ask… The game is out on early access here: http://gamejolt.com/games/ok/263066 If you would like to support me, my work, or the development of...
Continue reading...Game design notes: “Everything is going to be OK” (talking about personal things/experiences is easy, making a game about them is not)
As I develop I take lots of notes. I figure I’m due another blog post, so I’m sharing some thoughts I’ve had while making “Everything is going to be OK”… also that’s the official title now. It was a placeholder, and now it’s stuck, and everyone knows it by that so… I’m ok with that. The game is called “Everything is going to be OK”, ok?? (p.s. excuse the grammar, i’m very tired and there’s lots to do) Notes… Talking about personal things is easy, making a game about them is not. It feels almost invasive, but at the same...
Continue reading...Everything Is Going To Be OK (Progress Update #6 & Artist’s Statement)
I’m creeping up to 15 mini-games done. There is good variety! I’m so happy. Some interesting developments on direction… Once I reach 20 I’m going to hide the 20 (or so) other mini-games inside these games. So you are presented with these “pages” and then discover that the “pages” have lots of depth to them. Kind of like matryoshka dolls (you know, those Russian dolls). You can get lost in these vignettes, and they’ll layer over eachother. I feel like this will give it a lot of depth. It will also be less predictable. You click on something, and more...
Continue reading...thoughts today
I feel like I need to say something. If not to share opinion, then just to get this off my chest… This post is for my own sake. Maybe just for the sake of someday having something to look back at, and be happy that it’s over. I don’t know. Maybe one day I will be able to laugh at this too. I don’t know what to say. The outcome has been shocking and devastating. As a woman I feel like someone just took every sexual assault, every office harassment, every obstacle I’ve ever faced because of my gender… every...
Continue reading...A summary of my Fantastic Arcade week
This week I had the amazing opportunity to attend Fantastic Arcade. Two of my games where there this time. It continues to stay my favorite game event. For one, there is more booze there than your liver knows what to do with, and the people are so beautiful. I loved being able to meet the people behind some of my favorite games… like dog opera (oik os), Proteus, or Off-Peak… even the Kingdom of Loathing folks! As you can expect, I had plenty of “omg play it cool” moments. :) It’s pretty overwhelming, but I guess I feel like that...
Continue reading...Launching Soon! (and a rant about stuff)
Update: Because GameJolt is going to launch their marketplace soon (I’m told about 2-3 weeks) I’m going to wait for them so I can launch there too. GameJolt has been tremendous for my games (encouraging, supportive, and all the warm-n-fuzzy stuff like that) so being able to launch with them gives me happy feels. …So yeah, I’m waiting for them + that gives me time to add some more stuff. Also, cool comment on this post. Thank u for sharing that. Not too long ago (pre-GDC to be exact), I put out a call on Twitter for beta testers. One...
Continue reading...GameJolt Interview & Stuff…
Ok, so… some really cool news! Some time ago indiegamehunt approached me and asked if I was cool with doing an email interview. Today it went up on GameJolt. Animated .gifs and all. Here: An Interview with Nathalie Lawhead This is so cool! (also because I’m a fan of gamejolt, so you can imagine I am tittering with youthful enthusiasm.) Also, CloneJam: Nathalie Lawhead (#clonejamnathalie) is starting in 7 hours (as of writing this). I am going to participate in this because I think this will take vanity to a whole new level and I like that. Also, just imagine...
Continue reading...The (New) Tetrageddon Games “Art Direction” Commentary: Everything Looks Better Low-Fi!
I rarely ever do “art posts” where I explain the thought process behind the look of the game, so I thought it’s about time that I do something. A lot of planning goes into it, and I’m certain others will find the general philosophy interesting. This is about the new “desktop” version of Tetrageddon Games I’m making. It’s coming to Steam. Small video about the project: So… The new experience has a lot of new art, and animated transitions. Think of it as a very large, “interactive animation” with games here and there. The art is largely vector art. This...
Continue reading...Holding Out & Thoughts About That Internet Niche ;)
It’s no secret if you know me. I have made the web my life. When I first started “web development/design” there was no name for it, UX was a non existent concept, and this wasn’t being taught at colleges. I remember my teachers ALL (no exception) telling me to stay away from the internet because it’s a niche, I’m wasting my future, or because it’s going to destroy my creativity (there where many variations of this). My interest was interactive art online. Judging by the amount of people that told me I was throwing my future away with “this internet...
Continue reading...My Commentary on the Current Web Debacle (why Flash is more relevant today than ever before)
I will start by quoting a couple of articles, and then share my views. Java and Flash both vulnerable—again—to new 0-day attacks “There’s no indication that either of the newly discovered Flash vulnerabilities are being actively exploited…” I point out that Java has also been exploited, and this is active: Cyberespionage group Pawn Storm uses exploit for unpatched Java flaw “A sophisticated group of hackers known for targeting military, government and media organisations is currently using an exploit for a vulnerability in Java that hasn’t been patched by Oracle.” This has NOT been patched, Flash (on the other hand) has...
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