Notes between editions
The ranking changes a few times a year. The journal is where the desk writes about how we test in between updates — no scores, no games named, just the craft.
Designing for the Two-Minute Window
Most games are built as though the player has decided to sit down. The commute session is the opposite: unplanned, short, and over without warning.
Read the pieceThe Thumb Is Not a Mouse
Every input device has a flaw, and the touchscreen's is unusually literal: the pointer sits between your eye and the display.
Read the pieceTeach With the Hands, Not With a Wall of Text
Picture the screen. Everything dims. A panel slides up explaining a system the player has not encountered yet.
Read the pieceThe Accessibility Options We Check on Every Title
Accessibility used to appear in games writing as an occasional feature story. On our desk it is now a standing item, filled in for every candidate.
Read the pieceHanding Over The Phone: A Short Check You Can Run Yourself
It is a back seat, or a waiting room, or the twenty minutes between one thing and the next. Someone small wants the phone.
Read the piece