The Public Play Issue

ARCADES. FESTIVALS. CROWDS. SPECTATORS. COMPETITION. STRANGERS. PERFORMANCE. PARTIES. Welcome to the “Public Play” issue.

Editor’s Letter: Public Play

A smuggled arcade behind a hair salon in Bridgetown

The Joy of Public Pwning

Fatal1ty pwns me in front of a hundred str4ng3rs

Seeing Red

The tragic prescience of Nintendo’s Virtual Boy

How to Play: Ninja

A rulesheet for the campus folk game of frozen poses

40 Seconds of Fame

The rise and rise of a light-gun aficionado

Permanent Collection

Do videogames deserve a place on library shelves?

Start Snitchin'

“It would be nothing without the brooms,” an enthusiastic college student explains to a group of people standing on the edge of a field where fourteen other students are running, brooms-in-thighs.

Masterful Play

In this adaptation of her mini-talk from the 2009 Game Developers Conference, Tracy Fullerton introduces the concept of “masterful play” and illustrates what it means to players, and their audiences.

How to Play: Humans Vs. Zombies

Bandanas, foam darts and a campus that stays infected for days

Ready, Set

On the street with The Go Game

Tunnel Vision

What happened to James Dallas Egbert, III?

Parks and Re-Creation

San Francisco’s first playground prepares for the future

A Conversation with Jesse Schell

In the aftermath of his controversial DICE presentation, Jesse Schell explores his past as a gamemaker, his bets on the future, and the magical quality of gaming.

Principles & Applications of Barrel Smashing

Steve Wiebe thinks he has Donkey Kong down to a teachable science.

How to Play: OMMRPG

Two teams, eight mirrors and a laser that may never touch the goal

Alternating Reality

The curious work of Jim Babb

The Other Arcades

Consoles, piracy, and friendship reign in Manila’s budget arcades.

Dancing King

A man, a jig, and a machine