# Ariel Sym Essays, notes, and projects by Ariel Sym. Page: Feed: --- ## [On Story and Design Choices in Modern Games](https://arielsym.blog/bubblegum/on-game-design-2/) _2026-08-01 · ariel@arielsym.com_ I had been writing down game ideas for a while. Lots of text, cool art, interesting mechanics. Excellent. Very useful. The ideas usually worked until they did not. At some point the parts began to feel attached to one another instead of necessary, and I kept wondering how other games avoided that. I needed some idea of what «Story» and «Meaning» in games are in the first place. One must always… ## [On Stylization and Games I Like](https://arielsym.blog/ghost/on-game-design/) _2026-07-30 · ariel@arielsym.com_ There have always been great games. We find plenty of old, obscure titles and appreciate their design today. Not just that—they're fun. Lately, many of us rediscover old things. We revisit them, tweak 'em, steal from them. Celebrate them or view them in a different light. Share 'em. That's another topic. I spent some time wondering about all that, then tried to figure out why I'm more interested… ## [Glass Jaw](https://arielsym.blog/blue/glass-jaw/) _2026-07-15 · ariel@arielsym.com_ Rain falls in seconds that fold into themselves. It is unsayable, yes, and so it sounds shitty. It is not unthinkable. Can you dream it? Can you? It was loud, yes, and you closed the windows. Why? When was the last time we danced? Was my face wide, like valleys of open hands? Did I smile? We don't have to talk. You left, but I left the hallway light on for you. I'm waiting. Waiting for you. Not… ## [Notes of an Undecided Man](https://arielsym.blog/blue/notes-of-an-undecided-man/) _2026-06-17 · ariel@arielsym.com_ No more waking up to social media first thing. Social media. What a phrase. I open my eyes in the morning and don't immediately see everything I missed yesterday. But I also miss the news that some friend-of-a-friend's girlfriend's dog is doing better after all. You wake up and there you are, at the mercy of your own body, the room, the heat, the cold, and a mind that has to find its own sense of…