A recent playthrough of Machi Koro: Legacy has me thinking about new ways that the roll and move game mechanic can be used in board games.
Building service agreements.
Bohnanza Duel fills a similar niche for me as Hearthstone. It's an easy, mostly free digital card game I can play while I'm watching TV.
Taking a look at how Dorfromantik, Townscaper, and Islanders simplify the city building genre of video games and make it more approachable for new players.
What the science behind how to change your mind has to say about building communities and personal growth.
My best solitaire game of 2020 that just so happens to have a great story.
Finished! by Friedemann Friese is a surprisingly complex solitaire game that delivers on a fun mental puzzle with lots of room for experimentation.
Fox in the Forest is one of my favorite two-player card games.
Reflecting on the life and my relationship with my grandparents through games.
Guildlings for Apple Arcade follows the adventures of a group of plucky teens as they investigate the strange events in their world and reconnect after a while apart.
Modern Art by Reiner Knizia and published by CMON Games is the best auction game around.
Golf Peaks by Afterburn is one of my favorite mobile puzzle games in the last 5 years.
Comparing and contrasting my exploration of sudoku by playing Chess Sudoku by the Cracking the Cryptic team and Good Sudoku by Zach Gage and Jack Schlesinger.
A concise solitaire game that is reminiscent of genre staples but also feels modern and fresh.
It was one of my favorite games of 2018 and the re-release on Nintendo Switch feels like a great opportunity to take another look.
2020 was a tough year, but I was lucky enough to play some great games.
The best game of 2020.
Collaborative games - unlike competitive games - work toward a common goal; either all the players win together, or all the players lose together. Call them socialism of the gaming world! This collective experience aids in building community, as everyone is contributing their skills on equal footing.
A look at why Monopoly has stood the test of time, even as newer experiences come along.
Good Job!'s mix of humor, easy-going puzzles and fun art direction led to the perfect fit for a time spent in lock down and COVID-uncertainty.
An interesting take on the rail shooter, but one that largely doesn’t work.
A sparse, beautiful game about challenging yourself to bike down a mountain that gives you the room to be introspective and grow without unnecessary structure.
A collection of great games that is not quite a service.
Be a hole. Wreck the place.
A dice puzzle game about making stained glass windows.
A new technology that solves some of online multiplayer's inherent problems.
Card of Darkness by Zach Gage, Pendleton Ward, and Choice Provisions is a mash-up of a solitaire game and an RPG released on Apple Arcade.
Celeste, like other great pop cultural media, elevates common tropes through impeccable execution and the combination of gameplay, music, and story.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch evokes humor and heart by taking an absurd scenario seriously.
Fingle is a tablet game that reaches out of the device to make you uncomfortable.
A game that uses clever design tricks to feel like pool.
Many games, classic and modern are empowerment fantasies, putting the player in the role of a capable hero shouldering a mighty responsibility. I love that! Empowerment is a comforting, familiar fantasy. But what I admire about Part Time UFO is that it isn’t interested in empowerment. Rather, it makes you feel different, and finds joy in the mundane. The world won’t be saved for your involvement, but it will be made better. One odd job at a time.