Graham Nelson
Graham Nelson
Graham A. Nelsonis a British mathematician and poet and the creator of the Inform design system for creating interactive fictiongames. He has also authored several IF games, including the acclaimed Cursesand Jigsaw, using the experience of writing Curses in particular to expand the range of verbs that Inform is capable of understanding. He has been described by The New York Times as "ornately literate."...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMathematician
gone use shapes
The time has mainly gone on getting Inform into a decent shape for public use. I suppose the plot of 'Curses' makes a sequel conceivable when compared with, say, the plot of 'Hamlet' but none is planned.
writing adventure home
Then in my early teens, when the home computer bubble was blowing, I had one of the first, an Acorn Atom, and used to write primitive adventures on that.
player careers decision
What I would pay much more attention to are the few points where the player can inadvertently make a career decision. Most players end up back-tracking, though some actually enjoy this.
broken-heart care fortnight
For a fortnight nobody at all emailed me, or posted a follow-up. Doesn't anyone care, I thought? It turned out my newsreader was broken, and hadn't posted at all.
english-mathematician gathering slow
Once the announcements were actually heard, there was a slow but gathering response. by the end of the first year, an avalanche.
beginning critics english-mathematician enjoyed frequently generation watching
It's frequently over-praised now, and I've enjoyed watching a generation of 'angry young men' critics beginning to say, well what's so good?
city design english-mathematician fortnight garden mind rough unreal
With 'Curses,' I had a rough design in mind already, and in about a fortnight had the attics, the Unreal City and the garden fleshed out.
art believe rope
I don't really believe in 'directions' in art; the rope twists as you follow it, that's all.
best english-mathematician games longer next reached written
If pushed, though, I'd say that the next stage will be reached when it it's no longer true that about 75% of the best games were written in 1980's on the way to that.
games issues car
If you're setting a game during the Cuban Missile Crisis, look through a library. find out what people were wearing, what other issues were in the news, how houses were furnished, what cars were being driven. Especially include things which now seem foreign.
past shoes growing
I'm rather pleased with the new manuals. I see Inform now as a gauche young adult, having got past the stage of growing out of his shoes every few months.