simondlr #16 - Infinite Game Storytelling

A lot of creative habits kickstarted itself for me when I was between the ages of 13-16. I learned to program, and I also started to tell stories. The former has a more well-known trajectory. I learned to code to make games, then websites, then blockchains.

Before that, however, I wanted to tell stories. The first time I touched a piece of code was when I tried to make Flash do interesting scene transitions. I got swept up in Newgrounds back in the day, and I wanted to tell stories. I sucked at it, but I loved doing it. Like many things, I started with no clear goal on where I would end up, and that was part of the fun. It was all just about creating a feeling.

I’ve luckily gotten better at finishing things. But: should stories have endings?

In my latest post, I tackle some of those ideas:

James P. Carse describe finite and infinite games as:
"A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, and infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
In the same vein: finite stories are written for the purpose of it beginning & ending. Infinite stories is written for the purpose of continuing the story.

https://blog.simondlr.com/posts/infinite-game-storytelling

Speaking of…

I finished the second rewrite of my first novel: “Hope Runners of Gridlock”. Took 3 months to rewrite. The latter part of the curve was reshuffling the chapters a bit into 10 episodes.

Before it goes to editors, I’m looking for beta readers to give feedback. If you are interested in spending your time reading an advanced, raw, unedited version of the story, please reply to this newsletter.

I’m excited to share it!

Links!

Personal Tokens Brainstorm

I participated in a brainstorm about Personal Tokens organised by the IDEO team. It was fun to do this, and it worked quite well. Exciting format and I hope they keep experimenting with it.

Zora

Zora is a marketplace to buy, sell & limited edition goods. Been following this since Saint Fame. It uses a bonding curve to price the limited edition good. It’s early, but definitely something to follow!

Gaming IP

Matthew Ball is one of my favourite writers, doing in-depth research at the cross-section of media and tech. A recent article describes why gaming IP (such as the new Sonic movie) is moving into different media.

Copyrighting Every Melody

There was recent news about musicians algorithmically generating every melody and releasing into the creative commons. It’s a fascinating experiment, but brings into question again what constitutes original work. I made a short tweetstorm that went more in-depth on this topic.

The Mandalorian Production

I was absolutely astonished to see how they filmed ‘The Mandalorian’. They use essentially a giant screen + unreal engine + smart camera rigs. There are scenes in this video where I have trouble distinguishing what’s real and what’s fake. Incredible, and I hope to see it brining down production costs extensively.

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With the world in a pandemic things are tough at the moment, and will likely get worse still before it gets better. So, before you go catch a sunset and take stock, remember to wash your hands!

Thanks for reading.

Simon