27 October, 2006
“Brevity is the soul of wit,” as they say.
Recently, Wired posted an article about “Very Short Stories” . The challenge: write a story in six words. For most people, this is surprisingly possible. You can convey a lot of information in just six words.
Brevity has a lot of other virtues, too, especially when it comes to game design. A 750 page design document sounds impressive, but how many people do you really think are going to read all that? Having a poet’s soul and being able to write compactly is a skill that will serve any developer well. There’s a reason Raph posts “The Sunday Poem” on his site.
Slashdot also posted a story about this. There were some good posts there. So, the task this weekend is to write a story. Bonus points for making it game-related. Super bonus points for making it game-design related!
Some of my thoughts in the full article.
I posted a contribution on Slashdot (rated at +4, Funny):
This task is easier with Germancompoundnouns.
Sorry, just got back from a beginner’s German class. ;)
A few others from my hand:
The IRS AI was not amused.
Cats finally stirred, conquered the world.
Dead just before immortality drug approval.
Then the pirate finished the ritual.
Task: addiction article… after tonight’s raid.
“Good game,” kid snickered after PvP.
The game took over the networks.
So, what’s your very short story?
Class system: only need three words.
Comment by Scott — 27 October, 2006 @ 8:28 PM
Harassment rules make drama queens griefers.
Comment by Alayla — 28 October, 2006 @ 3:55 AM
Kublai‘s dome lasted longer than Blair’s.
Comment by Cael — 28 October, 2006 @ 5:46 AM
The master haikuist plotted his revenge
Comment by Neumann347 — 28 October, 2006 @ 8:45 AM
Hee. I was delighted the story was as well excepted as it was. The story I put in the dept. line was ‘Dragon’s eye opened. The Hafling wept.’
Comment by Michael — 28 October, 2006 @ 11:01 AM
MMO, three words or one
Comment by Colm Mac — 28 October, 2006 @ 1:56 PM
Vermin cower when the bell rings.
False grandmother. Big axe. Headless wolf.
Gnomes leap and orcs die quickly.
Comment by Wizzel Cogcarrier Wizzleton IV — 28 October, 2006 @ 4:33 PM
More-of-the-same sells best.
Comment by Rusty Parks — 29 October, 2006 @ 3:26 AM
He mentioned WoW, the date ended.
Comment by Grimwell — 29 October, 2006 @ 9:20 AM
My dog ate my homework assignment.
Comment by Jason — 30 October, 2006 @ 4:18 AM
Skills or classes? No right answer.
Comment by Nonentity — 30 October, 2006 @ 5:58 PM