Tag Archives: game

EJ Keats: Pet Show Shuffle


The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation recently released an online game I designed. Working from the book "Pet Show!" we created a colorful sliding tile puzzle. The story features Archie, a young boy looking for his cat to enter the pet show. The game showcases many of the animals in the contest as sliding tiles, and the objective is to move the cat off the board by shuffling the other pets around. Play the game on the EJ Keats Foundation website. The book was released in 1972 and it was fun using Keats artwork to build the game. There's a distinctly retro color cast to the imagery, with rich ochres and deep browns. The mustache and turtleneck of one judge and the afro and mini skirt of the other give the book a nostalgic feel. Play all my games for the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.

Working in a Coal (and Redstone) Mine

Minecraft is a relatively new game for PC and Mac that allows users to build their own world out of virtual cubes that are 1 meter in volume. It differs from traditional first-person shooter games in that the environment the player inhabits is constructed on the fly when the player starts the game. The player "spawns" into a randomly generated world of mountains, lakes, deserts and caves which construct themselves based on programming algorithms. This means each player's experience is unique, and as they explore the environment the landscape builds itself out of thin air. More →

Slide Shapes to Match Geometric Designs in the Game “Cross Fingers”

Touch-screen technology has changed the face of gaming by moving the player interface beyond button mashing into the nuance of sliding, flicking and multi finger gestures. The shape game "Cross Fingers" brings these developments to traditional tangram puzzles by having users slide small pieces of simulated wood on a flat board to match an underlying design. Developer Mobigame has put together an array of over 300 designs to work towards, ranging in complexity from two simple shapes to large constructions involving sliding bricks and chain reactions. The more difficult levels of the game force the user to visualize the consequences of moving interlocking pieces and are a fun challenge to the mind. The name "Cross Fingers" is derived from the touch-screen interaction on the iPod/iPad. In some puzzles the player has to move springs with one hand while shifting blocks with the other, leaving the fingers in a tangle like a tiny set of limbs in a game of Twister. Sample gameplay can be viewed in the video below. This game is great for all ages.

Draw the Path of Sugar, Sugar


"Sugar Sugar" is a quick, mesmerizing game where you draw the path of a slowly trickling line of sugar. As you ascend the levels the screens demand a bit of planning, as an oddly placed line can keep you from completing your task. The game-play is slow and meditative, like turning an hourglass and reminds me of sand-art pieces they sold at Spencer Gifts in the early 80's. The interplay of the sugar with the text with thrill any typophile. More →