LogoDaedalus Returns From GenCon

LogoDaedalus is back, after an educational weekend of teaching seminars at GenCon, one of the largest -- if not the largest -- gaming conventions in the United States. The topics of the seminars were gaming, writing, libraries, and literacy, and I have new insights to share about writing and editing for games, and how to promote reading through gaming.

Far from destroying or distracting from reading in kids' lives, games of all varieties can encourage it -- the most serious players are also often the most avid readers. GenCon hosts and promotes board games, card games, miniatures, role-playing games, and video games, and all of them can improve literacy and encourage reading and a love of good storytelling, from story-focused RPGs like Ultima III, to the descriptions on Magic: The Gathering cards. And as someone who learned to type by playing text-adventure computer games like Zork, gaming and writing share a closely-related place in my heart.

For a list of recommended websites for gaming research, click here: Where To Find Games

Build Your Brain Through Gaming

Games don't have to rot the mind. Learning rules, observing patterns, thinking your way around obstacles, and practicing computation, memorization, language and social skills are all demonstrated benefits of playing games, from Settlers of Catan to Assassin's Creed. Furthermore, these cerebral power-ups are accessible to anyone, from young kids just beginning to read, to seniors keeping their faculties sharp, to the learning-disabled or challenged.  Or to introverted nerds who wouldn't otherwise socialize, or to military history buffs who find a fun way to pass on their knowledge to their kids, or to writers who need inspiration for a difficult film noir. Games contain knowledge and require skill, and they can make you smarter.

Pay Attention to the Story

An imaginative person can create intricate plots about the downfall of empires out of a game of solitaire, but great stories make great games and great memories. Make the stakes high, the opponents spectacular, and the choices agonizing. Just as video game soundtracks are now producing incredible symphonic, polyphonic compositions, so some of the best stories currently being told are coming through games, whether on a console, a tabletop, or a deck of cards. 

If you're creating a game, read books with similar settings and look for how you can use the setting, characters' perspectives, and the gameplay mechanics to create an intriguing narrative. If you're playing a game, watch for hints and foreshadowing -- and especially if you play traditional RPGs like D&D, don't just hack-and-slash your way through the campaign. It makes the DM sad.

Proofread Your Games

Edit, edit, edit. Manuals, packaging, in-game text, and the game's materials -- proofread it all. It would embarrassing to find out after the fact that you published a game called "Doom of the Drangon" (instead of "Dragon"), or described your characters' "Attaca Pionts" (attack points?), or referred to Aragorn as "Aragon" -- all typos I witnessed this weekend.

Especially if you're distributing to an international market, consult a proofreader who is an expert in the language of the country you're selling to. Amusingly bad translation mistakes like "Conglaturation!!! A Hero Is You!" or "All your base are belong to us" are notorious enough to have dance remixes on YouTube (although they did make Zero Wing much more memorable).  What's more, translation errors can make gameplay incredibly frustrating. One of my favourite video games had a boss battle during which a character shouted the warning, "Attack while its tail is up!"  It was supposed to say, "Don't attack while its tail is up."  I attacked, got creamed by the monster's laser counterattack, and barely avoided having all my fighters killed.

P.S. The highlight of this year's GenCon was watching Deadpool dancing with Mario and Luigi in front of the Klingon Opera.