Week 788

What’s this? I’m blogging about my work on a weekly basis – a simple way to track and archive whatever it is I spend my time on.

Last week was the last push with regards to the work for my current consultancy client, which I can now reveal to be RIVM. The institution is planning to develop an applied game, and over the last several months I helped it explore similar games and possible game ideas, and sought out studios that could potentially develop the project. All to make sure RIVM will be better prepared for the trajectory ahead.

On Monday I helped RIVM choose from the various studios who’d sent in a proposal, three of which were invited to present their offer on Friday. After that, a winner was picked. I’m officially done with the project now; really curious to see where the developer will take it.

Monday night, I played Limits & Demonstrations and The Entertainment, two Kentucky Route Zero side projects, with Geert Nellen. We also talked about the upcoming PlayStation Vita puzzle game he and his studio are making.

On Tuesday, I wrote a short review of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on Wii U, which appeared in nrc.next on Thursday, along with a piece on Jason Rohrer’s The Castle Doctrine by Stefan Keerssemeeckers (which I edited).

On Thursday, I put my Joris Dormans interview from last month’s issue of the Dutch version of New Scientist online: De wetenschap achter games.

I spent much of last week preparing for my trip to Helsinki, Finland, where I am as I type this. Among other things, I bought a new, much smaller backpack (to accommodate for my MacBook Air). I also designed and ordered business cards for the next trip, in March, to Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

I wrote a developer profile on Quantic Dream and a new ‘wishful thinking’ column for the Dutch version of Official PlayStation Magazine.

And I played Thief.