Patterns of Play 3: The Imagination of Mimicry

January 2006: the imaginative aspects of videogames should never be neglected

Apr 9 • Chris Bateman

1

Patterns of Play 2: The Rituals of Alea

November 2005: the role of chance in enjoyable videogame play

Apr 2 • Chris Bateman

2

March 2026

Patterns of Play 1: The Joy of Ilinx

July 2005: Speed, vertigo, and reckless destruction offer a rush like nothing else

Mar 26 • Chris Bateman

2

Patterns of Play

2005-2006: Roger Caillois' recurring patterns in how we play games

Mar 19 • Chris Bateman

3

1

February 2026

Can Robots Play Games?

It's an AI agent versus an old school FAQ in the battle to guide a player through Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance!

Feb 26 • Chris Bateman

2

Game Design Masterclass

Join the course presentation on Tuesday 26th February 2026!

Feb 19 • Chris Bateman

4

2

The Life and Times of Dungeons & Dragons (Part 3)

The final part the commercial history of the original RPG, originally posted in February 2010

Feb 5 • Chris Bateman

3

January 2026

The Life and Times of Dungeons & Dragons (Part 2)

Part two of the commercial history of the original RPG, originally posted in February 2010

Jan 29 • Chris Bateman

3

The Life and Times of Dungeons & Dragons (Part 1)

From February 2010, the commercial history of the original RPG, in three parts

Jan 22 • Chris Bateman

6

3

Steve Crow: 8-Bit Pioneer

This conversation with Steve Crow ran on ihobo.com in January 2016, and we are rerunning it again today, ten years later.

Jan 8 • Chris Bateman

2

December 2025

Hardcore vs Casual Rides Again!

Revisiting September 2008's "Redefining Hardcore & Casual", which foreshadowed the rise of the 'cosy game'

Dec 18, 2025 • Chris Bateman

2

1

Game Literacy

Revisiting August 2007's "Game Literacy", a prescient look at changes in the marketplace that would lead to the explosion of so-called 'Social Games…

Dec 4, 2025 • Chris Bateman

2