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Category Archives: Games

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Mosaic (GGJ 16)

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • February 1, 2016 Game Jams & Speed IF, Games

The theme of Global Game Jam 2016 was “ritual”. I wanted to create a game where playing the game had the feeling of ritual in and of itself – something beautiful for its own sake.

Mosaic is a small, meditative, text-free game created for the 2016 Global Game … Keep reading →

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“Practice Mode”

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • October 2, 2015 Choice-Based, Games

After four years away, my friend Allen Holt returned to his webcomic Overthinking.It with a sequence about anxiety and the unhelpful things we tell ourselves. The first in the sequence is  Beast #1.

The Beasts looked painfully familiar to me, and I wanted to recognize that fellow-feeling in … Keep reading →

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Help! It’s A Hero!

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • August 23, 2015 Game Jams & Speed IF, Games

Hero logo 1

Save the hero!

Wait. No. Second try.

Save the monster FROM the hero!

Navigate the dungeon (read: wide-open space) to find hidden monster parts (read: in … Keep reading →

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“Rainbows and Dance Parties!”

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • June 27, 2015 Games, Parser IF

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right under the Fourteen Amendment.

I dropped all my other plans for the day and wrote this game, which I’d describe as the casual, text-based offspring of a Pride parade and Plague, … Keep reading →

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18 Rooms to Home

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • May 21, 2015 18 Rooms, Interactive Fiction, Parser IF

18 Rooms to Home is an experimental work of interactive fiction. It’s a day in the life of Yesenia Reed, whose life is far from ordinary, no matter what she might prefer.

This story takes place over the course of 18 updates, which are presented in reverse chronological order. With … Keep reading →

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A Love Song for Alpha Centauri

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • March 27, 2015 Game Jams & Speed IF, Games

I spent several hours hammering out a design analysis of Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri versus Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth. Then Porpentine announced Twiny Jam, and I threw the article out and made this instead.

My first draft included nods to the Alien Crossfire expansion, but I cut them … Keep reading →

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Does Canned Rice Dream of a Napkin Heap? (with Caelyn Sandel, Dani Church, and Jamie Sandel)

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • February 22, 2015 Games, Graphical

Two aliens, a robot, and a canine cosmonaut walk into a spaceport bar, and to convince them to pay for your drinks, you have to entertain them with a tall tale of galactic intrigue. Your audience will ask clarifying questions as you tell the story, and at the end, they’ll … Keep reading →

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Candlesmoke (with Caelyn Sandel)

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • November 26, 2014 Game Jams & Speed IF, Games

A short game about a police officer, things in the basement, and the nature of power. Written in 3 hours for Ectocomp 2014, the annual Halloween SpeedIF competition, where it received 1st place.

Candlesmoke
Release date: October 31, 2014 (version 1)
Post-competition release: November 26, 2014 (version 2)
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“What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • October 3, 2014 Choice-Based, Game Jams & Speed IF, Interactive Fiction
White text reading "what are little girls made of?" over a wooden roller coaster against a red background.

“What Are Little Girls Made Of?” was written in three hours for Ectocomp 2012, the annual Halloween SpeedIF competition, where it received 2nd place. It’s a short, dark, and disturbing game that latches onto a couple childhood fears and never lets go.

When I first released this game, it … Keep reading →

“This is a Real Thing That Happened”

  By Carolyn VanEseltine • September 15, 2014 Interactive Fiction, Parser IF

For RuinJam 2014 (“a game jam celebrating the nonexistent demise of video games”), I created a short game called “This is a Real Thing That Happened.”

More than any game I’ve ever created, I have to let this one speak for itself. It’s 5 minutes long and requires no … Keep reading →

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Need to reach me? Email carolyn at sibylmoon.com.
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