Author: John Scott Tynes

Time to pull the pin out of the grenade for my talk at next month’s PAX Dev:

“Why Roger Ebert Was Right” – John Scott Tynes of Microsoft – An examination of how as game designers we have almost entirely failed to integrate games with stories. It’s time to blow it all up and start over!

PAX DEV Speakers, Sessions Detailed | GamePolitics

PAX Prime organizers today revealed the various panels and discussion planned for PAX Dev on Wednesday, August 24 and Thursday, August 25 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. Some of the speakers and panelists taking part in PAX DEV include John Scott Tynes of Microsoft, Mike Selinker of Lone Shark Games,

I’m glad to see EA is living in a reality-based world. 3D TV isn’t taking off, they have no dog in that fight, and they’re walking away. When the audience is there, they’ll come back.

Gamasutra – News – EA Sees 'Poor Returns' On 3D, Focuses On Social Instead

EA has seen poor returns when allocating its resources to displaying its games in 3D, according to CEO John Riccitiello, who says that the company would prefer to use those resources focusing on social features.

Crimson Alliance is a four-player cooperative dungeon crawler coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade on September 7. This was one of my incubation projects. Mitch came up with the concept of Left 4 Dead meets D&D, brainstormed it with me and Ray, and eventually we hired Certain Affinity to make it.

We don’t always come up with great game titles here, but I have to applaud our latest effort: KINECTIMALS: NOW WITH BEARS. This uses the porn-movie philosophy of titles, which is to ensure the title tells you exactly what you’re getting. In this spirit Mitch and I once dreamed up a project here, which got as far as appearing on a slide in a meeting with senior management, called MONSTER TRUCK ZOMBIE GRIND.

You Know What Kinectimals Needs? Bears

Kinect launch title Kinectimals was a fine showcase for Microsoft's motion-sensing technology, but it was all about cat. They should have just called it Kinecticats.

Gamasutra reports that my game Full House Poker is the best selling Xbox LIVE Arcade title of 2011. All in!

Gamasutra – News – In-Depth: Xbox Live Arcade Sales Analysis, First Half Of 2011

Gamasutra contributor Ryan Langley examines the first six months of 2011's Xbox Live arcade sales, pointing out the well-promoted top sellers, poorly reviewed releases that people bought anyway, and and more.

I wish I cared about basketball because the coverage I read of NBA 2K11’s Michael Jordan campaign really impressed me. And now this: NBA 2K12 is featuring Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. They hired a terrific sports artist to paint the covers and they’re just gorgeous. At least I can admire the craftsmanship.

NBA 2K12 Cover Adds Magic and Bird to Michael Jordan

When your last game cover features your sport's greatest player ever, what do you do for an encore? If you're 2K Sports, you get three of the greatest players ever. Michael Jordan will return as the cover star for NBA 2K12, and will be joined by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Two of my tabletop RPG projects are up for awards this year in the 2011 ENnies. My Cthulhu magazine The Unspeakable Oath, recently revived by Shane Ivey at Arc Dream, has been nominated for Best Aid/Accessory. And our latest Delta Green book, Targets of Opportunity, is up for both Best Adventure and Best Writing.

The link above is where you can vote for these and other worthy projects. Come and click!

2011 ENnie Awards Voting Booth

Welcome! Below you will see the nominees for each award that will be presented at the 2011 ceremony on Friday, August 5th at 6:30 pm in the 500 Ballroom at Gen Con Indy.

This is a laugh-out-loud funny writeup of seven truly legendary episodes in online gaming infamy.

The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming

There are some spectacular douche bags out there who have put more work into screwing with strangers than should be humanly possible.

Interesting little adventure game based on H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Outsider”. It was made in just a few days for a game jam and it’s an old-school point-and-click adventure, but I liked it okay. And yet — did there have to be crates?

The Outsider

Unhappy is he to whom the memories of childhood bring only fear and sadness

I realize there are people who think it’s cool to make their consumer electronics look like props from a high school production of Dante’s Inferno. But man, I am not one of those people.

A $90 Gears of War Make-Over For Your Xbox 360

Is your Xbox 360 white? Black? Green? Does it have a "bleed-out" finish? Will it be able to light up when (if?) you're Gears of War 3? Your Xbox 360 probably doesn't have an "infected omen" on its side that lights up in four different ways.