Z-Machine Matter

UC Santa Cruz is holding the latest installment of the Inventing the Future of Games (IFOG) conference Friday May 10th at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.  Speakers include Warren Spector (Deus Ex), Emily Short (Versu, Inform7, Galatea, Alabaster), Clint Hocking (Valve, Splinter Cell, Far Cry 2) among others.  

Topics on the agenda include next generation storytelling tools, transmedia storyworlds and current best practices. This looks to be a very practical event for those who are interested in the evolution of gaming as a medium.  And if you haven't been to the Computer History Museum, this is an ideal venue.  More details at the links below. 

Jordan Mechner, the game designer behind The Last Express, Prince of Persia and Karateka, has released his design diaries on The Making of Prince of Persia, available on Kindle for $7.99.  

Mechner is also famous creating Karateka and Prince of Persia games on the Apple ][ computer back in the 1980s.  Prince of Persia spawned multiple sequels and remakes over the years as well as a blockbuster Hollywood movie, for which Mechner was a producer and the original screenwriter.  

Here's a behind the scenes video that shows some of the original video footage Mechner shot.

• Jordan Mechner: Official site, Bio, eBook, Wikipedia
• Amazon: The Making of Prince of Persia
• Interviews: GamaSutra, Game Informer