the prologue

JOB - dev blog #1

3/7/26

Let's start before the beginning.

JOB, as a concept, had been buzzing around in my head since I took Economics for Game Designers taught by the incomparable Alexander King. There, we learned to don our "systems glasses" to see the world as it is-- a vast series of complex and interconnected systems. A better advocate for the importance of this lens might be Donella Meadows, here's a short quote from her excellent book Thinking in Systems:

Once we see the relationship between structure and behavior, we can begin to understand how systems work, what makes them produce poor results, and how to shift them into better behavior patterns. As our world continues to change rapidly and become more complex, systems thinking will help us manage, adapt, and see the wide range of choices we have before us. It is a way of thinking that gives us the freedom to identify root causes of problems and see new opportunities.

In the wake of a class that left my head spinning (in a good way) with a newborn incremental game (see you are a writer) nestled in the crook of my arm, I began to reimagine my destiny as a game designer. I, having had more experience in storytelling (in Film/TV and Interactive Fiction), had always imagined myself as a narrative designer. Perhaps I found more joy in systems design than narrative design? Perhaps I even felt that the most interesting aspect of games was their ability to bring a system to life-- to allow for players to interact with it.

Over the following summer (2025), I, like many going through transformative personal growth, foolishly listened to a heaping helping of podcasts, one of which is called Script Lock. I think it was Jake Elliot (from the episode with Tim Schafer, Jake Elliot, and Cara Ellison) who said this thing that has stuck with me... but anyways, some-narrative-designer-who-may-or-may-not-be-Jake-Elliot gave the offhand advice that narrative designers should read Donella Meadows' Thinking in Systems and I thought, "WAIT, YES! THAT'S TRUE! THESE TWO THINGS THAT IN MY MIND HAD NOT BEEN CONNECTED ARE ACTUALLY VERY MUCH CONNECTED!"

Look at Tom Francis of Suspicious Developments and Tactical Breach Wizards, Heat Signature , and Gunpoint, all games with deep systems that support and develop the narrative. Look at the games from Strange Scaffold, like Clickolding, I Am Your Beast, or Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator, games that dive headfirst into strong loops and mechanics that standalone tell stories. Ah, I've fallen into the trap of just listing games that I like and I've gotten off track. A quick aside though, I think it is no coincidence that these two stellar developers literally cite sustainability as an important aspect of development that they have paid special mind to. Food for thought.

Here's the thing: I just think that interactive systems are an undeniably crucial part of games. To conclude, I'll revisit a time worn ludonarrative question: "Does every game have to have a story/narrative?" And I would respond, "Well, every game has a system. And every system tells a story. So, yes."

The next big obstacle in my journey was thesis. The journey from the start of thesis to the beginning of JOB-- my current thesis project --was long and winding... But that's a story for next time.