Writer • Creator • Producer
After the excellent time we had last year, the AGO had me back for a second Videogame Appreciation Night in September 2025. I ve been remiss in posting Dean Tomlinson s excellent photos and documentation, so below is my little kick-off speech, followed by the games I selected and why. With all the tariff talk and people [ ]
For Christmas, my sister-in-law Renée gave me an astrocartography reading. She asserted that while I was stimulated by cities, my nervous system suffered: instead, the stars said that I would thrive in a damp, forested area close to a body of water. I mulled it over. I am drawn to forests and water, it’s true. [ ]
It started with this photo. The leaders of the world’s biggest tech companies, standing together at Trump’s inauguration. Waiting patiently and performatively for their chance to kiss the ring. It feels like looking at a black and white picture of Germany in the ‘30s. But I’m grateful for it: that picture woke me up. The [ ]
I’ve come to appreciate summer wear late in life. For years I was one of those folks who wore the same outfit day after day, regardless of season: black jeans, black socks, black shoes, button down shirt. It had something to do with believing that I was not the kind of person who cared about [ ]
So happy to announce the release of my new sci-fi rom-com graphic novel, Zeroed Out! What if shapeshifting aliens came to Earth, but instead of taking over they just fix all our problems? Matias might be living in a utopia, but being dumped still sucks. So he distracts himself with his work, taking the weekend [ ]
Last year, my daughter gave me a fun blank notebook with SCHEMES on the cover. I vowed to her that I would fill it with schemes. I now have close to fifty. Every week, I explore a new scheme on two sides of a single page. Things like: It takes about 20 minutes, and it s [ ]
Last month I curated a selection of nine games at the AGO, one of the largest art museums in North America. After the audience had a chance to play them, I went around to each game and explained the cultural value I felt it offered. Seven of the nine games had creators attending them, so [ ]
When I describe what I do in co-organizing Toronto Games Week, people often say that it sounds stressful and like a lot of work as opposed to writing or creating stuff, which people think sounds like fun. But they’re both fun in certain ways, stressful in others. When my organizing schemes are going well, [ ]
So it turns out that “I don’t want to teach” is just another example of The Joy of Being Wrong, a series of self-limiting beliefs that I’m crossing off one by one. Turns out that with the right conditions I like it quite a bit and I will probably do more of it when opportunities [ ]
Is there a thing you know you should do, but don’t? With me, for years, it was paper prototyping. Paper prototyping is the process of sketching out a game design, literally, with pencil and paper, and then playtesting the design ideas you have before you ever sit down in front of a computer. Instead of [ ]