ROI: Balance is more than numbers
In the modern era, gamers demand their Game Is Balanced. The biggest taboo a popular game can make is when one “tool” or combination turns out to be significantly more potent than others.
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Being online
It’s happened. I’m officially one of those “good ol’ days” people, at the ripe old age of 35. Quicksand I hate how we exist online: a stream of isolated thought-bytes (and thot-bytes) taken out of context and embedded in an algorithmically knitted tapestry from across our acquaintances, crushes, IRL celebrities, tapestry-celebrities and…
Switching to Hugo
So I decided to rewrite my formerly jekyll -powered personal site with hugo . Why? I’ll say upfront that I believe one should use
Personal health
Since 2012, building BitGym has been my full time job and I have spent a lot of time researching health and fitness products, services and, more generally, advice. What I’ve noticed is that a lot of what we’re told about tends to be unsubstantiated pseudo-science as often as not, with lots of contradictory advice and weak explanations.
Place-people
About half the days during my nomadism were spent without speaking on any personal level to another human being face to face. During these days, I came to realize there was still always one reliable source of company and comfort – the city itself.
Zetsubou and I
The following is a little loaded and very personal, so if you do read it I am grateful for your time and letting me dampen your mood a little bit.
Where Are You From
This question is a popular modern gripe among Asian Americans. Really this bothers the descendant of an immigrant of pretty much any ethnicity, in almost any country.
The Right Problems
I think it’s important to teach kids not just the answers to problems posed, but also ways to find them.
Overpowered
When playtesting a game with a variety of mechanics that can interact with each other but are optional, there are very prominent challenges, like balance and learning curve; there are also less apparent challenges. One we discovered is how difficult it is to test what works or doesn’t when not everything gets played in every playtest.
Language Where You Live
In December 2013, I left San Francisco to begin my life as a digital nomad. For the next 2 years, I lived out of airbnb listings, mostly in Asia, while I continued to work remotely for my startup, BitGym .
One-touch Android USB Modem
ℹ️ 2023/12 : Sadly, this article is outdated. I attempted to get this working again but abandoned the project for getting too invasive with the desktop OS as described in the text. Keeping it up as a memoir of what once was
Eyes
In December 2013, I left San Francisco to begin my life as a digital nomad. For the next 2 years, I lived out of airbnb listings, mostly in Asia, while I continued to work remotely for my startup, BitGym .
Life in an Early-Stage Tech Company
It’s a fairly common question near- and new-grads try to answer in the STEM field. Should I work at the small startup/start my own company, or join a big corporation?
Out of Place
In December 2013, I left San Francisco to begin my life as a digital nomad. For the next 2 years, I lived out of airbnb listings, mostly in Asia, while I continued to work remotely for my startup, BitGym .
Real Lessons From Games
Gaming has gotten a lot of attention recently as a medium for teaching real lessons and training. The topic has developed so much that I cannot address everything in a single post.
Hello, Writing
This post is weird because it’s a retroactively written intro to my site after I’ve already drafted and completed a number of essays. But I feel better about writing this intro post this time than every other time I’ve intro’d my blog because I’ve finally developed into a somewhat consistent writer.
Toys → Games
“Toys to Games” is the concept that a great toy makes an excellent foundation for a great game. A note: If you happened to stumble upon this piece but aren’t particularly interested in game design, know that this framework is also useful beyond just game design, as I outline towards the end.
Make it fun to face too
The concept of “Fun to Face Too,” an important paradigm to observe specifically when designing multiplayer games (pretty much every board game), to create the most fun mechanics.