Hi, folks! I finally got a chance today to post the latest Matt Chat. Since I’m now on a private server (courtesy of Shane Stacks), I’ll just post the YouTube video and upload an MP3 of the audio for those on iTunes. I have no way of knowing how many people are watching the iTunes version anyway, so please let me know if this solution doesn’t work for you. My commentary on the interview is below.

mattchat209

I really enjoyed this interview with Mr. Sherman. I’ve always enjoyed meeting, shall we say, “colorful” people who don’t mind ruffling feathers, and Howard certainly fits that bill. What really impresses me is how well he’s been able to market his interactive fiction, a genre that many of us probably assumed was defunct. I also like his willingness to travel to the locales of his games, absorbing the atmosphere and reflecting it back in his text. He strikes me more as an author than a game designer–more reader than gamer–which makes sense given his pursuit of text adventure games.

You can learn all about Howard and his games at malinche.net. While you’re there, be sure to check out his blog and the various developer diary blogs he keeps for each of his game projects.

If you enjoy text adventures, I highly recommend Nick Monfort’s excellent book Twisty Little Passages. It gives a lot of great history as well as criticism of the genre. It’s a must-read for fans of Infocom and anyone else wanting to know more about the later IF scene and culture.