Michael Iantorno PhD Candidate, Game Designer, and Writer

CategoryRandom Thoughts

Comprehensive Exam Reflections

Introduction I have been wanting to write about my comprehensive exam for a few months now, pretty much since I wrapped them up last term. Throughout the first year of my PhD, I had heard whispers that “comps” were one of the most demanding parts of the degree and my exams were, of course, further complicated by the ongoing pandemic. A lot of the infrastructures I had grown to rely on for this...

FRQSC Application Example

Earlier this year, I was the lucky recipient of a FRQSC (Les Fonds de recherche du Québec Société et Culture) doctoral award to fund my research on videogame afterlife, hacking, and intellectual property law. This was both a thrill and a relief for me when it occurred, but rather than simply sitting out this year’s application cycle, I thought I would share my prior application to aid folks...

Two Week Blog Hiatus

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that I’m taking a two-week break from game production and blogging. I’m aiming to get back to things on November 17th.  Why the sudden hiatus? I’ll soon be taking a week-long work trip to Los Angeles to help record an audio documentary about the city. Some of the areas I’m visiting include Santa Monica, The Henson Lot, and...

Off To ConBravo!

 Well, it seems I am off to ConBravo tomorrow. But not in my usual role! Due to some complications, the Ontario Pathfinder Society will not be running games at ConBravo, and therefore I will be attending the convention in a media capacity. I’ll be exploring the various table-top games at the event, as well as a variety of panels and vendor booths. It should be a great time! I’ll be on...

Pathfinder Round-up

Thanks to a post on Reddit, a lot of folks from the Pathfinder RPG community made their way down to The World Is Square over the weekend. Our traffic quintupled on the two days following the post, so I guess it was pretty popular! For those of you decided to stick around, below I have listed some more great Pathfinder articles that RS and I have put together over the past couple of years. You can...

First Impressions – Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

I’m a huge Final Fantasy Tactics fan, so when I heard that Squeenix had made another tactical RPG that looked essentially like the same damn game my interest was piqued. I picked up the PSP version with high hopes of playing another strategic masterpiece, and although I may have set my expectations a bit high I’m still pretty impressed. Below are my first impressions of the game...

Beginner’s Tips for King Arthur’s Gold

King Arthur’s Gold is a superb game, but one that can be extremely daunting for new players. Lucky for you, I’ve assembled a great list of tips for all you rookies out there. I hope they help to guide you in your mighty Arthurian quests and adventures. Don’t Build The Space Needle See how that tower is about 100 blocks high but only block wide? That ain’t good for business...

Michael Iantorno PhD Candidate, Game Designer, and Writer