Deckard Pain
I'm drawn to constructed experiences, games, films, restaurants, products. I want to know why some of them work and others don't.
I write about them here, mostly games, sometimes not, and most of what I read ends up here eventually too. Just careful thinking in public.
New posts whenever something's actually worth saying, not on a schedule.
Writing
The Will of the Many
My review of The Will of the Many by James Islington. A fantasy / sci-fi mix with some of the best world building and characters I've read in a while. Light on spoilers.
The Marathon that never got made
Marathon showed up late to a genre people were already tired of. But the genre wasn't what sank it, burying great gunplay under quests, loot, and shield levels was. Here's the version I'd have built instead.
Dungeon Crawler Carl
My review of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman, books 1 through 8. A lighthearted, fun read with well written characters that have actual depth. Little to no spoilers.
The FPS Game That Should Have Taken Over
The Finals is one of the best feeling shooters available right now. It just never quite became the one people reorganized their week around.
When hype turns into a cliff: why modern game launches collapse
Launches peak loud and drop silently. Using The Finals, Battlefield 6, Highguard and ARC Raiders, a look at why the spike is attention and the floor is habit.
One Yaku Short
Mahjong has the sound, the depth, and a century of staying power. So why does almost everyone who sits down at the table never sit down again?
Understanding New Player Experience
Notes from a live free-to-play game: how a survey and a fresh account found where new players quit, and how moving that point from quest 1 to quest 8 changed retention.
