Play Journal: December 2019

This is most likely the last regular Play Journal entry for a while. I gave it a shot, kept it going through 2019, and I’m happy about that. For now, I think it’s a bit too involved and I end up spending too much time on it (this being written in February/March 2020 should be evidence enough). It asks a lot for something that feels like it doesn’t pay off in any way except simply noting any games down in a special section of a daily planner would. That being said, for whatever reason, here’s some stuff I wrote about things I played in December 2019, when we were all still young and innocent.

Let’s see what the Play Journal looks like in 2020. I shouldn’t and will try not to sweat any of the minutiae. Death is coming.

 

Play Journal: November 2019

November November,
not hard to remember,
because of the stupid Anons
I can think of no reason
for shit. ‘Tis the season
to summarize what happened but once.

That’s the intro for November. So sorry. 

 

Play Journal: October 2019

October was the month of story games, in a few different forms. At school, my students got a taste of text adventures and roleplaying games, while I introduced people to The Yawhg and played through Tacoma on my own. I’m looking forward to Automat Arkad in Gothenburg in the middle of November, but that’s for next time. Also, this post is late. I’m not apologizing. 

Play Journal: September 2019

Every time I sit down to jot down some wörds about what I’ve been up to, I tell myself that I didn’t play anything interesting this month. Every time I think that, I turn out to be wrong. September was a month in the year 2019 and I happened to it just as much as it happened to me. There was jousting, there was a birthday (mine), there was role-play, there was rain and cold and sun and soccer. I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but boy am I ready for October.

My colleague and me marvelling at the secret boardgame stash under Vallekilde Højskole.

Play Journal: August 2019

School’s back in session and I’m finally getting to live the dream as the weird teacher who leads a class into a park to play some good ol’ New Games. This means that teaching play design/game design takes up a lot of my time and energy (more than what my 50% contract suggests). I hope I can return to this list in a year to see what playful activities should be added to the first few weeks at the game design program. Until then..

Play Journal: July 2019

If July didn’t get me, I doubt August will. In the middle of heat waves and thunder storms, I still managed to get some games in. The job setting up and facilitating games for kids had me playing more boardgames than in a long time, so I broke that off into a whole section of its own in this entry. I also had the chance to get into some good local multiplayer hangouts. All of this goes in my gratitude book, wherever the hell I put that.

August is back-to-school time so I expect to scare my new students with a bunch of physical games. Wish me luck on that, nerds.

 

Play Journal: June 2019

July invites me to taste its riches and behold its glory, but I can’t resist risking the Orphic glance back at June with all its ups and downs. My game design class graduated and we celebrated accordingly (local multiplayer party). My oldest kid turned 8 and we celebrated accordingly (local multiplayer party). Late in the month, I started at a summer gig facilitating games activities for young people in Malmö at Spelens Hus. It involves a lot of plugging in of controllers, and troubleshooting, and locking and unlocking doors, and being patient and friendly but not always playful, I’m afraid. Somewhere in between all this, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite launched. My calendar says there were 30 days of no holds barred June but they must have forgotten the nights or something because it feels like more right now.

 

Play Journal: May 2019

June is here and it’s time to stop/collaborate/listen, at least if I’m to believe some marketing guy giving a talk at Nordic Game Conference breaking it down for all the kids. I look back at May with a sense of amazement. I had low periods; days where I did nothing but listen to podcasts and play idle games on my phone. Nevertheless, I managed to find a bucketful of playful stuff to throw myself into. In the interest of not boring myself, I’ve kept a few of these entries to a minimum. If you’re reading this, I hope you June 2019 will be somewhat satisfactory or at least easily forgotten about should it be a disappointment.
 

 

Play Journal: April 2019

Happy Mayday, everyone! I hope you’re stealing time and supplies from work or that you’re out marching or getting people food and clothes. April was a slow month in terms of playful activities. I did other stuff like traveling and seeing a bone church in a foreign land. Without further etc and so one, here’s my play journal entry for April 2019.

Play Journal: March 2019

I don’t have an April Fools’ thing to come at you with because life is enough of a joke for me to laugh until I’m dead, so let’s… just… GOOOOOO! So much stuff happened in March. I feel like a sober alcoholic listing all the things I’m grateful for, but whatever. It is what it is and what it is is beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful, Malmö Play Club is for real, for real back and I’m hosting a play session at Garaget in Malmö on April 14. Check the Facebook event or just show up at 4 pm, Sunday, April 14. Let’s play.