40: Something fun should happen
A newsletter that made it into middle age. Plus: the new Canabalt, correlation, game poems and team Badger.
Dear February,
Where did you go?
Welcome to the 40th edition!
Onwards to:
Miscellany
Stage craft and winning presentations by Zoe Scaman. She knows what she’s doing and breaks it down in her inimitable way, with persistence a running theme. I enjoyed her at last year’s Interesting arguing that fairytales are the survival kit we need for our modern clusterf*ck. (Last few tickets for Interesting 2026).
Spurious Correlations is fun. Took me a moment to find one that might have an interesting story in it:
When is your next play date?
22 years ago I made my first computer game at Bournemouth Uni. In Jeriatric Park, the old people have escaped and your job, as a law-abiding velociraptor, is to bite off their heads. Thank you for sharing the vid, Shaun!
Keza MacDonald has written a book about Mario and these nine words are in fact the only game design degree you’ll need: “Whenever you press a button, something fun should happen.” Article about the book about the game (and making brilliant ones).
In 2009, a year after we founded Thought Den, Canabalt came out; a game I referenced in almost every single pitch for 10 years. Adam Saltsman is the genius behind that one-button endless runner, and he’s just released a simple, compelling, gorgeously-scored twist on the format.
Kolyder is “a game of constant risk and reward, one where nearly every moment is a gamble and every death was preventable if only I hadn’t pushed my luck.” [from jank.cool].
Holly G wrote about Game Poems Edition 1 a week or so back. What a nice idea! They’re playable vignettes and I hope they release more editions.
And finally, if you’re in Nottingham on 21 March (the only UK performance) consider this: one game controller, a theatre full of people and some 3D donkeys. Assess.masses
“Nothing done on a computer is safe”
That’s Matt Schumer being gloomy about the future of jobs (and cheery about his soaring AI stocks, one imagines). Less time at the computer sounds like a win.
This other chap is being gloomy about the big shift from authority as the organising principle of information (i.e. facts!), to velocity (first, fast and relentless being all that matters now).
Jolly good, I’ll get right on it.
What’s happening in culture?
From a news standpoint, Maxwell does this better and more frequently.
However, it just so happens that Havering London (a new placemaking organisation) got in touch this week about a creative brief for something playful. £25k, deadline Monday 9 March 2026. Forward on to anyone you think might fit the bill.
At the other end of the spectrum is this Moment Factory piece: Curiosity Cove. Looks nice, probs cost a lot, but also: why go to an air-conditioned, projection-wrapped box to “touch” nature? I’ve not been, so I can’t snark hard, but I always feel the opportunity with these things is to show what you couldn’t otherwise see outdoors.
This fair globe
All that Greenland chat had the internet making things: True size of is a little web tool that shows how much flat maps have messed with the way we see the world.
Screw This Let’s Try Something Else is worth popping in your ear holes. A pod from our friends at Antidote Live (a.k.a. Rubber Republic) getting everyone pumped for positive change-making.
You can watch all of human life in one hour if you’d like (shared by Story Things)
I enjoyed January and February, despite the endless rain.
Lots of puzzles from the i Paper’s daily pull-out. Better than TikTok. Am I old?
Work-wise, very close to wrapping the five Landing Film episodes for season one. Editing is right tough!
What’s happening in your hood?
B.
PS - found out about Camp Wildfire today. An adventure camp cum festival that appears to have four different clans (Badger, please), big activities, crafting, music and a strong merch game.
