I done gone and wrote a game!

So first of all, apologies for the large hiatus in my writing. I've had a fair amount going on with exams and uni work, plus trying to maintain a decent family and home life and so my blog stuff kind of got shoved to one side a little bit, but now I'm back and hopefully will be getting more regular with blog posts. Anyway, about a month ago I entered the 'Dulljam' games making jam, (whereby various people are given a certain amount of time to create a game based on a theme). We had to create a game based on the idea of dullness and the mundane. A sort of contrast and response to the adrenaline fueled power fantasy's many games aim for. At the time I was mid-way through essay season and needed something as a bit of a diversion so I jumped on Dulljam and wrote a game for it using Twine, (a text-adventure games engine), inbetween writing for my essays. You can find info about Dulljam, other entries and all sorts of amazing and far better gaming articles and commentary than mine at the excellent Midnight Resistance website.

I had a great time writing it and it proved a great distraction at the time. It got published on Midnight Resistance the other day so I thought I'd share with you my entry; 'Essay Writing Simulator: 2014 Edition'. As you can probably tell, it was heavily influenced by the mundane essays I was writing at the time. It sets you on an adventure to write an essay, the night before your deadline. Pressure is mounting, will you rush, will you panic or will you pull something spectacular out of the bag!? Despite being about a really dull time, it is a comedy game and will, (try), to get some laughs. I've had some great feedback so far. People have enjoyed it so I'm hoping you will too! If not I will hunt you down and murder you. The game features multiple endings and branching pathways depending on how you play like an actual real life game, so replaying is encouraged. It took a lot of time and effort to get to grips with coding this so, (this is the last effort I promise), I would very much appreciate it if you give it a go. Also, I've had a look at the other games featured over at Midnight Resistance and they are all pretty excellent and you'll probably enjoy them more than mine, meaning you can make anything enjoyable if you vaguely simulate it in a videogame. I would certainly recommend checking the others out too.

So that just about wraps everything up for this blog entry. Stay tuned for more throughout the coming weeks and months. I promise you, like a guilty lover, that I will stop by more often and pay more attention to you. I will be a better blog. All those other blogs are just using you, no other blog loves you like this one does. Also, If you have any comments or feedback for the game, either let me know in the comments down below, let me know on Facebook if we're friends, or reach me at @ZakToms on Twitter)