Playful
A stimulating day of discussion at Playful 09 provided a buffet of brain-food related to the title topic with plenty to tuck in to. I was captivated by Robin Burkinshaw's experiment introducing a homeless family to The Sims 3 with the sparse yet addictive tale of Alice and Kev. But it seemed unnecessary that Matt Locke interviewing Robin should give away the ultimate spoiler by revealing the ending! I've since read through from the beginning and wish that I'd been able to complete the journey for myself.
© 2009 Robin Burkinshaw
It's one of the best stories I've read in months, a triumph in micro-narrative featuring some truly beautiful game photography that in a single frame trounces any amount of machinima I've seen to date. Other highlights were Russell Davies on the urge to pretend and build bubble worlds plus James Bridle's admirably pointless construction of a lo-fi computer with the sole purpose of calculating all possible outcomes in Noughts & Crosses using matchboxes and dried beans.
Partner in public interference Chris O'Shea did a fine job of presenting Hand From Above which continues to gather momentum... 228,000 views on Vimeo and rising!