Tag Archives: essays

Where’d You Go, Zoë Mode?

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Jason L Blair

The mid-to-late 2000s were a special time for gaming. If you weren’t there, this may seem quaint. If you were there, this may seem delusional. But, for me, as someone who was still new in the gaming industry and who … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, video games | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Key Beats of Interactivity

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Jason L Blair

Back in the Summer of 2021, I taught two courses on Critical Game Analysis for Bradley University. My friend David got me connected there. I took over the classes he originally intended on teaching but couldn’t due to the workload … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, video games | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Danger of Forever Games

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Jason L Blair

From video gaming’s earliest days, designers have been imagining a dizzying array of worlds, play styles, and ways to entertain. From Pong to Zork to Adventure to Mega Man to Halo and far beyond, gaming has been a platform for … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, video games | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Old Man with a Dream

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Jason L Blair

In many ways, the past few years have been wonderful to me. Far beyond my dreams, in fact. A newfound love, an ever-strengthening bond with my kids, new friends and family, and new opportunities all provided light to me after … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, operation: awesome | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Roots Pushing Through

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Jason L Blair

I think I’m starting to understand the concept of putting down roots. Staying in a place for a while. Staying at a job, a company for a long time. It’s…weird for me. I never felt a connection to my hometown. … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, operation: awesome | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Operation Awesome: Revelations on Story

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Jason L Blair

This is gonna be mostly old hat to most writers, I reckon, but every author goes through their own journey and such so this is new and revelatory to me, at the very least. I’ve been doing a lot of … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hey, Wanna Hear Something Crazy?

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Jason L Blair

I don’t remember the exact date that I went crazy, but I remember the weeks preceding it. In mid-June 2004, I got sick. I didn’t know what it was at first. I worked during the day at a local internet … Continue reading →

Posted in essays | Tagged | 7 Comments

New Year’s Revelation

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Jason L Blair

Obvious revelation that reared its head into my brain a bit ago so I thought I’d share. Doing nothing leads to doing more nothing. Most folks know that. But the inverse is also true. When you do something, especially if … Continue reading →

Posted in essays | Tagged | Leave a comment

I Want to Do More. I Want to Do Better.

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Jason L Blair

I spent last week at the largest gathering of video game developers in the world: the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California. It was amazing. It was five intense days of lectures, networking, and learning. I met a wide … Continue reading →

Posted in video games | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Dream Job

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Jason L Blair

Last Friday, March 30th, I accepted an offer for the job of my dreams. This past Tuesday, April 3rd, I declined the position. Forgive me for not naming names, but this isn’t the studio’s story. This is mine. But, really, … Continue reading →

Posted in essays | Tagged , | 12 Comments