Issue 8.5: The Digital Zine

SIX WRITERS, SIX DESIGNERS: WALKING SIMULATORS, KAWAII, FOURTH DIMENSIONS, THE WYOMING WILDERNESS, BIG DUMB SWITCHES AND PRANKS. PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID MCDOWELL.

Announcing Issue 8.5, our new digital-only zine

Six of our best writers talked with six of our favorite designers.

The story is in the details: A chat with Fullbright’s Nina Freeman and Karla Zimonja

We sat down with them in their Portland office and talked about the benefits of working with a small team, trusting the player, and that pesky “woman in games” question.

Jenny Jiao Hsia

There’s a lot going on beneath Jenny Jiao Hsia’s bubbly, cute aesthetic. This isn’t to belabor her delightful work, which tackles heavy themes with a kawaii touch. Her latest projects are Beglitched, a “cyberpink” hacking game, and Consume Me, an intimate look at the destructive, compulsive cycles of extreme dieting.

Marc ten Bosch

Marc ten Bosch is the creator of Miegakure, a game that grants players the ability to traverse a four-dimensional world. Ten Bosch builds four-dimensional virtual spaces using complex math that prompts players to consider the hidden potential of the real world while acknowledging their own human limitations.

How Jane Ng turned the real world into Firewatch

Illustrious environment artist Jane Ng is a veteran of the videogame industry. Ng recently sat down with us to discuss her career, her love of all things not-art-and-games, and why being an artist with an engineering background doesn’t entail what one might expect.

Brendon Chung and his love for big dumb plastic switches

Brendon Chung’s latest game, Quadrilateral Cowboy, is at first brush similar to his previous efforts, full of block-headed characters, briefcases, and a touch of espionage. But play it a little and it includes a lot more than these signifiers.

Confessions of an online prankster: A good laugh with Ben Esposito

Esposito is a member of the Arcane Kids, a band of virtual pranksters. As he tries to release his own passion project, Donut County, he struggles to make sure the underlying message doesn’t come off as a joke.