Kraken Whispers
This interactive text adventure takes place just before the beginning of my novel Kraken Calling. There are no plot spoilers for the novel; you can play the game before you read the book. (Though if you have read the book, you might encounter some familiar faces.)
The novel alternates between 2028 and 2051, but this adventure takes place entirely in the later timeframe — just before the beginning of the novel.
You can play it right now, totally free and in your browser, at aricmcbay.org/kw/
Can you survive for one week as a regular person under Authority rule? (Maybe you can do more than survive, and blow oxygen on embers of resistance.)
Choose among three career options: cleaner, technician, or fixer/salvager.
It seems to take most people an hour or so to play through once. But it really depends on the story branches you choose, and how much time you spend mulling over your options. Personally, I’m a fan of making snap decisions — if you get arrested in the first ten minutes, you can always restart to the beginning of the day.
When you play, you won’t be totally alone! You’ll have help from a sardonic narrator, and perhaps you can find some like-minded allies…
Enjoy!
What great games and powerful social movements have in common
What do great games and powerful social movements have in common? That’s the question I tackled in this piece published by Anticiplay, a research project at Utrecht University exploring how games can help imagine & realize sustainable futures.
The article features examples of games like Disco Elysium and Horizon Zero Dawn, and movements from civil rights and nuclear disarmament.
Take a look at a few highlights below, or read the full piece.
The Light Within
Writer and Narrative Designer of an upcoming game about mental health from indie studio Pomsky Games.