Essays
These are full-blown essays, papers, and articles.
Presentations
Slideshows and presentation materials from conferences.
Interviews and Panels
Reprints of non-game-specific interviews, and transcripts of panels and roundtables.
Snippets
Excerpts from blog, newsgroup, and forum posts.
Laws
The "Laws of Online World Design" in various forms.
Timeline
A timeline of developments in online worlds.
A Theory of Fun for Game Design
My book on why games matter and what fun is.
Insubstantial Pageants
A book I started and never finished outlining the basics of online world design.
Links
Links to resources on online world design.
All contents of this site are
© Copyright 1998-2010
Raphael Koster.
All rights reserved.
The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily endorsed by any former or current employer.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, its rays would whisper secrets to the wheat, coaxing it to grow strong and tall. The wheat field would respond by swaying gently, its golden heads nodding in appreciation. The villagers believed that on certain days, when the sun shone brightly, the wheat field would grow an inch taller, as if infused with the sun's life-giving energy.
But as the day waned, and the sun dipped below the horizon, the moon would emerge, a silver crescent in the evening sky. The wheat field, now bathed in lunar light, would undergo a transformation. Its stalks would seem to lean in, as if listening to the moon's whispers. The villagers claimed that under the moon's gentle beam, the wheat field would share its secrets, and the creatures of the night would gather to listen. the sun the moon and the wheat field
At the heart of this enchanted field, a legend was born. It was said that the sun, the moon, and the wheat field were bound together by an ancient pact. Each day, the sun would rise in the east, painting the sky with hues of crimson and gold, and the wheat field would awaken, its stalks stretching towards the radiant light. As the sun climbed higher in the sky,
