july highlights
The 2015 International Roguelike Developer Conferences are all done! John Harris wrote an overview of the US IRDC, and Darren Grey did likewise of the UK IRDC. Videos of the US IRDC are also available, and episodes of Roguelike Radio were recorded for both the US and UK IRDCs.
Miranda Campbell's essay, Culture Isn't Free, asks how society (presumably in the US) can better financially support creative employment. It poses an interesting contrast to Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith's more personal take on the matter.
Jeff Vogel also discusses making a living as a game developer in the wake of Steam refunds in Indie Games, Refunds, Terror, and Taking "No" for an Answer. Vogel's assertion that both developers and players should treat each other ethically—which includes providing refunds—seems like such an obvious statement that it's a shame it needs more support, but Vogel does so with customary grace.
Alex Wawro reports on Chris Crawford's continued work on interactive storytelling, including Crawford's Patreon.
While I'm still playing Alchemist Atelier Marie, I also went back to replay Kongregate's Kongai. The gameplay is still good! But, as its designer David Sirlin writes, Kongai players were expected to gain cards through weekly challenges on Kongregate…which no longer occur. The now-small player base also makes it time-consuming to find matches. It's a disappointing time to play, and hopefully Kongregate will decide to give it more attention in the future.