Ever since joining the video game industry, I’ve wanted to attend two events: E3 and the Game Developers Conference. This year, not only am I attending the latter but I’m speaking on a panel there! I’m crazy excited to hang out with some peers, including long-time friend and supersmart guy Ed Lima, and talk shop in front of an audience of industry folks. I think about story in games a lot, especially the areas in which it fails, and I look forward to discussing that at length. The panel, Dialogue: When, Who, and Why, focuses on the the cheapest and easiest way to convey story—and we as an industry can do a lot better. But I won’t stand on my soapbox now; I’ll wait until next month.

You can read about the panel, and my fellow panelists, here. GDC 2013 runs March 27-29th in San Francisco, CA. If you’re able to make it out, swing by the panel or look me up at the convention!

Most of the time since my last update has been spent giving birth to Streets of Bedlam (which is out in PDF this Wednesday!) but some of it was spent pursuing a new job.

You may remember that I had to walk away from the last opportunity that came my way, and I am very happy to report this opportunity has no such hang-ups or hurdles.

Starting in two weeks, I’ll be working at Volition working on their incredible Saints Row franchise.

I am a huge fan of their latest release, Saints Row the Third, and am excited about what they have in store.

So in addition to getting Streets of Bedlam ready for release, I’ve been prepping a house for sale, packing up all my belongings, and getting ready to relocate to Illinois, all so my family and I can start a brand-new chapter of our lives.

I will Madison very much. It’s a great city with a fresh, optimistic spirit that will be hard to match. I don’t know if a long-term return to the area is in my future but I’d like to at least visit again.

I will miss the friends I’ve made in the area, especially Brett, Laronda, Matt, Monica, Other Matt, Bill, John, my new friends in the Alliterates, and extra-especially the very first friends I made in the area, Barb and Caz.

Life scatters us but friendship keeps us connected always. Here’s to seeing you all at conventions and gatherings in the future.

Well, this post turned out far less light-hearted than I intended but goodbyes have a way of doing that.

I don’t do the big move for a few more weeks but I doubt I’ll be able to post much in the mean time. Until then, be good. Here’s to the future.

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, this is a love story.

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I recently sat down with Jenn from the Jennisodes to discuss my latest project, Streets of Bedlam, as well as future plans for the Little Fears Nightmare Edition line and a short rant on stories in video games. Jenn is a wonderful host and runs a fantastic podcast. Be sure to check out the latest episode for me, and then dig into her backlist for some amazing guests and insights into all sorts of gaming-related topics.

Huge thanks to Jenn for having me on, and I’d love to drop in again sometime.

I first wrote about Operation: Awesome back in June 2010 but I put the plan laid out in that post into practice much earlier. A lot of 2010 was focused on redefining myself, pushing myself, and changing my entire creative process. I realized how toxic it had become, how little was actually getting done, and I knew I had to do things differently in order to survive in the creative field.

Operation: Awesome was put to test in summer 2010 when I was brought in to work on High Voltage Software‘s Conduit 2. They put a lot of power in my hands and I did not want to disappoint. I worked hard on that game and had a lot of fun doing it. When it came out earlier this year, I was thrilled. I had a video game on the shelf that I could point to and go, “See that? I wrote that.” What an amazing feeling.

That gig was a big test of Operation: Awesome but it was just the beginning. I was still shuffling off a lot of bad habits and baggage. I decided to do some small projects to establish a better writing habit. I launched the Campfire Tales line for Little Fears Nightmare Edition. I originally intended for that series to run twelve straight episodes but had to stall it at three. I can say the reason was at least somewhat noble: I was busy working on the first full-sized supplement for LFNE, Book 2: Among the Missing. I was also doing some freelance work in that time, including fiction for an upcoming tabletop game line, some development work on a (sadly) cancelled project, and contributed to Chuck Wendig and Lance Weiler’s Sundance Film Festival transmedia project Pandemic 1.0/Hope is Missing. I launched Book 2: Among the Missing in March 2011. A ten-year retrospective of the original corebook from 2001 saw release as Happy Birthday, Little Fears over the summer. Also over the summer, I signed a contract with Human Head Studios to work on Prey 2. I was brought on as the Narrative Designer and Writer for the project. In that time, not only did I wrangle the story for Prey 2 but I lent some insight and ideas to a variety of projects.

On top of that, I had some fiction published, did some layout work for friends, and added to some really fun projects such as Clint and Cassie Krause’s Don’t Walk in Winter Wood. I even returned to the Campfire Tales line for three more episodes, putting out Season Two this past fall. No way I would have had the discipline to fit all this into my schedule prior to Operation: Awesome. While I certainly wasn’t a saint in my time management, I did far better than I ever did previously.

A lot of things started to fall into place this past year and I knew it was mine to fumble. I worked hard to make sure I didn’t do that. When my contract at Human Head ended, I began work on getting a new project up, running, and ready for public approval. I took the momentum of joy and satisfaction from working at Human Head and funneled it into new projects aimed at new goals. After launching the Kickstarter for a new Savage Worlds setting called Streets of Bedlam in November, my plan was rewarded almost immediately as generous backers fulfilled the initial goal in under three days. I am still in awe of that.

I’ve changed a lot as a creative and a person since starting Operation: Awesome and it really all came down to taking my ambitions seriously, investing in my dreams, doing the work, and no longer accepting excuses. One of the side effects of that, besides actually releasing product, was I started to expect more and better from others as well. I was fortunate enough this past year to find myself in a room with a half-dozen highly-creative people who were firing on all cylinders, demanding better from everyone else, and the sensation was exhilarating.

I still have a lot to do. I don’t think there is an endgame for Operation: Awesome, only a fail state. And I have no intention of failing.

2011 had a lot of ups and downs but it ended on some very high notes for me. I learned a ton, did some good work, got an award nomination from IGN, and have a lot more projects on my done list. I had some high ambitions for the year and, while I didn’t hit them all, I hit enough to mark the chalk in the win column.

Coming into 2012, I have even higher ambitions with much more at stake. As of this writing, over 150 people have put their money where my mouth is and backed Streets of Bedlam. My dance card for the first three months is almost fully booked with that one project. I’m leaving some wiggle room for a couple sweet pick-up gigs and plotting for the April project but Streets of Bedlam is my main focus for that time. I’m really excited for it.

I plan to spend April and May of next year writing a novel. I haven’t finished a novel since I completed my attempt at a Young Adult book for Little Fears back in 2007. I want published novels under my belt, both lit and genre. I plan to focus on Middle Grade but want to do some adult and YA as well. That may be the biggest test of Operation: Awesome yet. I look forward to it.

I have many other plans beyond as well. And I might even pick up some high-profile gigs, fates willing.

With Operation: Awesome, I took an honest assessment of myself and mapped out a battle plan to start changing who I was into who I wanted to be. For the above reason and beyond, I’m glad I did. Here’s looking forward to 2012 and even more awesome.

I spent a lot of my summer last year down Chicago-way working with the good folks at High Voltage Software on their Wii-exclusive first-person shooter, CONDUIT 2. I had a lot of fun on the project and with the team helping make a really cool game.

I found out today that (insanely-)popular entertainment site IGN.com has announced their Best of 2011 shortlists and have honored CONDUIT 2 with three nominations in the Wii category: Best Graphics, Best Multiplayer Game, and BEST STORY! Wow! I am humbled and honored by the nod and wish the folks at High Voltage the best. They’re up against some pretty heavy competition in all categories but, as cliche as this may sound, the honor really is in the nomination.

So thanks to IGN for the nomination and to High Voltage for the opportunity to work on such a great game!

I’ve been pretty silent on here. Initially, I was busy putting the final touches on Among the Missing for Little Fears Nightmare Edition and then jumping right into the tenth anniversary edition of the original Little Fears (which will be out soon). On top of all that, I had an absolutely fantastic opportunity come my way that has me really excited and reunites me with a great team on an amazing project (and I’m not just spouting hyperbole).

I’m very happy to announce I’ve rejoined Human Head Studios as the Writing Production Coordinator for the upcoming open-world first-person shooter PREY 2. I’m in charge of wrangling the narrative and working with the team to deliver a consistent, engaging experience. I worked at Human Head previously, and I was there for the last eighteen months of their developing the first PREY. Already knowing the studio and fiction, as well as being part of the revision team on the first title’s script, made sliding into this role very smooth.

The job is an absolute blast. I can’t wait for you all to see what this game has in store.

You can check out the PREY 2 portion of the Human Head Studios website here. I posted some official images and the launch trailer below (language and violence warning on the video).

(Linked from GiantBomb.com.)

As you may remember, I spent a good portion of my summer last year working with the fine folks at High Voltage Software on their upcoming Wii-exclusive shooter Conduit 2. After seeing a few delays (very common in the video game biz), I am happy to tell you that Conduit 2 hits store shelves today. If you have a GameStop local to you, you can pick up the Limited Edition of the game (which includes a 44-page art booklet as well as an exclusive suit of multiplayer armor and a fancy version of the game’s All-Seeing Eye) for the same price as the regular edition other stores have.

I can’t wait to tear open a copy and get playing. I really enjoyed the game while it was in pre-alpha development and can only imagine how good it must be now.

A couple weeks ago, author and gamer Jonathan Reynolds interviewed me for Geekcentricity. Topics ranged from my geek cred (I have little) to the inspiration behind Little Fears, to my video game work, to what items I consider indispensable when it comes to exploring dungeons.

You can read the interview right here. Thanks to Jonathan and the folks at Geekcentricity for the chat!

I’ve been a fan of point-and-click adventure games since I was a teen. Like a lot of my hobbies, I came to it through my brother who introduced me to games like Prisoner of Ice, Bad Mojo, and Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father. Once I had my own PC, my first game purchase was Sanitarium and I soon moved on to Grim Fandango and Blade Runner, two classics of the genre. I took a break from gaming in the early 2000s but I came back big time in 2005. Quickly upon my return, I rediscovered my love of point-and-click adventure titles. I fell hard for Syberia I & II, Still Life, Puzzle Agent, Trace Memory, Hotel Dusk, and many others. Right now, my computer’s desktop is littered with shortcuts to adventure titles from the new games on retail shelves and Steam to the not-so-new from my personal archive or Good Old Games.

My love of the genre is well-documented, as many online and face-to-face conversations attest. And that love is about to be even more documented as I have recently joined the world’s most popular site dedicated to my favorite genre, AdventureGamers.com, as a Staff Writer. My first article, a preview of the hotly-anticipated A New Beginning is up already, and I’ll be contributing as much as the site’s editor-in-chief Jack Allin and my schedule will allow.

If you dig adventure games, you should already be checking out AdventureGamers.com. My presence there, on the main page and in the forums, is just a bonus, right?

Right?