Jacob Long

A painting of a man boldly stating a personal conviction in a public forum

Spaghetti is a suboptimal pasta for tomato sauce

My game is good, the algorithm just ignores me
My game is good, the algorithm just ignores me
My game is good, the algorithm just ignores me
My game is good, the algorithm just ignores me...

store.steampowered.com/app/1226670/...

Not only does this hinder collaboration but theme and emotion are almost always more important than “clarity”

Looove that place! If I have to duck into a tiny alleyway to enter an establishment I’m immediately sold

Hello fellow IF fans, game writers, players and story enjoyers! Our annual conference on narrative games, NarraScope, is less than a month away. As the event draws closer, I wanted to turn your attention to the trademark Big Thermometer on narrascope.org, which tracks fundraising for the event. We are currently at $15,005, which is 60% of our $25,000 goal. To be clear: NarraScope is not in danger of going under or being canceled. However, we rely on donations from both sponsors and individuals to make sure that we don't need to dig so deep into IFTF's treasury that it could impact our other programs you love – things like IFComp, IFDB, the Twine committee, and more. This year, contributions from both individuals and institutions have been lower than in the past, for reasons we can likely deduce by looking at the world around us. These contributions are what allow us to offer attendance at a significantly lower price point than many other conferences. The conference team is working as always to continue to fundraise, but we wanted to ask that if you have the stability and ability to do so, to consider sending IFTF a small donation. You can do so at iftechfoundation.org/give/, and if you want, put a note indicating that it is directed at NarraScope and how you would like to be credited, if you so desire. Additionally, if you know any institutions that may be interested in a sponsorship, please email sponsorship@narrascope.org with the details. This year's event looks to be our largest yet, with more programming, attendees and events than any in the past! Your support helps keep NarraScope and IFTF sustainable and ensures that the event goes off without a hitch. Our in-person tickets have totally sold out, but passes to stream talks live are still available through 18 June 2025. As always, we appreciate your support, and I’m excited to see many of you next month in Philadelphia! - Justin Bortnick, President, Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation

A message from IFTF's president about this year's event (don't panic!):

My immediate thought was Profane Soul Blood Hunter. Maybe with a dip in Ranger?

The heist from Andor ep6. That show does set up and payoff so damn well.

OR the flashback scene in Blue Eye Samurai ep5. Was literally standing and screaming

Registration is now open for NarraScope 2025! Until April 11, full NarraScope 2025 memberships are available at a discounted Early Bird rate. Your membership provides access to all NarraScope talks, meals, and opportunities to sign up for workshops. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/narrascope...

Perfect! Right after Richard Dansky’s narrative Roundtable! I’ll be there

It’s a fantastically helpful book! Do I remember seeing something about a book signing at the expo sometime this week?

*Jump Over the Age

Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader (2023) by Owlcat Games
A classic, well considered, cohesive CRPG. Within the first moments of gameplay you are presented with decisions and shown how those decisions have consequences. This is the closest a digital RPG has captured the feeling of an analog TTRPG for me

Citizen Sleeper (2022) by Jump Over the Edge
Music, story, art, addicting “one more turn” gameplay, Citizen Sleeper is such a cohesive, fun time. I love how rounded each NPC is, giving the player the impression each one is in the same situation as you: balancing their survival against their humanity

Helldivers 2 (2024) by Arrowhead Studios
This game is pure fun. Its gameplay seems perfectly designed to generate organic cinematic moments and crazy stories to recount to your friends. In addition, its galactic war map gives you a sense of scale and makes you feel like “you’re doing your part.”

Prey (2017) by Arkane Austin
This game has lots of System Shock 2 vibes, with a great sense of freedom and autonomy which the story takes full advantage of. The nature of the twist ending canonizes the player’s personality, MY personality, as an integral part of the game's narrative.

SIGNALIS (2022) by rose-engine
This game had a huge emotional impact on me. Weeks after the credits rolled, I was still thinking about it. Its effective use of classical music, striking visuals and minimalist writing distills a visceral melancholic sense of failure despite genuine effort.

It may be nearly a month into 2025 already but here’s a quick list of my top 5 favorite games that I played in 2024 (many of which did not come out in 2024 😅)…

Reaper has a trial version you can download and use for free. Technically, it’s a 60 day trial but you still have full access after it’s up. So, only cost of experimenting with it is time really.

I plan on trying it out for SFX and VO work to replace Audition after my Adobe purge

This is why Hades is the goddam best

Wait is this a game about a male angler fish? Consider me hooked

100%. Among my favorite movies are Ghost in the Shell and Pacific Rim. Sometimes I want Hegel’s dialectic applied to technology and consciousness, other times I want big robot punching big monster.

Fine additions to my collection

Hello all!

I was never on the other app so still learning how this works.

My name is Jacob, a narrative designer and game writer!

jacoblong299.wixsite.com/jacobs-portf...

2077 does such a good job endearing it’s flawed characters to you. So many fantastic moments. My personal fav is when Panam toasts to Jackie around the campfire. Literally stared at my screen stunned after that one