Graham Nelson
Encyclopedia
Graham A. Nelson is a British
mathematician
and poet
and the creator of the Inform design system
for creating interactive fiction
(IF) games. He has also authored several IF games, including the acclaimed Curses
(1993) and Jigsaw
(1995), using the experience of writing Curses in particular to expand the range of verbs that Inform is capable of understanding. He has been described by The New York Times
as "ornately literate."
Nelson is the author of the Inform Designer's Manual, which includes one of the first published works of interactive fiction theory, an essay titled "The Craft of Adventure". He has also written several important essays on interactive fiction in the field. He is one of a very small number of individuals (such as Andrew Plotkin
) who are celebrated both for their creative and their technical contributions to the homebrew IF scene.
Nelson studied at Selwyn College, Cambridge
and Magdalen College, Oxford
, before becoming a fellow in pure mathematics
at St Anne's College, Oxford. He co-edited Oxford Poetry
and in 1997 received an Eric Gregory Award
from the Society of Authors
for his poetry. he was managing editor of Legenda, the imprint of the Modern Humanities Research Association
(MHRA
).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and the creator of the Inform design system
Inform
Over the following decade, version 6 became reasonably stable and a popular language for writing interactive fiction. In 2006, Nelson released Inform 7 , a completely new language based on principles of natural language and a new set of tools based around a book-publishing metaphor.- Z-Machine and...
for creating interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
(IF) games. He has also authored several IF games, including the acclaimed Curses
Curses (computer game)
Curses is an interactive fiction computer game created by Graham Nelson in 1993. It was originally developed on an Acorn Archimedes using Acorn C/C++, before Nelson moved to his Inform programming language, which was simultaneously released. It was the first non-test game developed in the language....
(1993) and Jigsaw
Jigsaw (computer game)
Jigsaw is an interactive fiction game, written by Graham Nelson in 1995. It begins at the turn of the 3rd millennium, with the player discovering a time machine enabling him or her to travel throughout the 20th Century, visiting many of its most historic moments...
(1995), using the experience of writing Curses in particular to expand the range of verbs that Inform is capable of understanding. He has been described by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as "ornately literate."
Nelson is the author of the Inform Designer's Manual, which includes one of the first published works of interactive fiction theory, an essay titled "The Craft of Adventure". He has also written several important essays on interactive fiction in the field. He is one of a very small number of individuals (such as Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin , also known as Zarf, is a central figure in the modern interactive fiction community. Having both written a number of award-winning games and developed a range of new file formats, interpreters, and other utilities for the design, production, and running of IF games, Plotkin is...
) who are celebrated both for their creative and their technical contributions to the homebrew IF scene.
Nelson studied at Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
and Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, before becoming a fellow in pure mathematics
Pure mathematics
Broadly speaking, pure mathematics is mathematics which studies entirely abstract concepts. From the eighteenth century onwards, this was a recognized category of mathematical activity, sometimes characterized as speculative mathematics, and at variance with the trend towards meeting the needs of...
at St Anne's College, Oxford. He co-edited Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry is a literary magazine based in Oxford, England. It is currently edited by Hamid Khanbhai and Thomas A Richards.Founded in 1910 by Basil Blackwell, its editors have included Dorothy L...
and in 1997 received an Eric Gregory Award
Eric Gregory Award
The Eric Gregory Award is given by the Society of Authors to British poets under 30 on submission. The awards are up to a sum value of £24000 annually....
from the Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
for his poetry. he was managing editor of Legenda, the imprint of the Modern Humanities Research Association
Modern Humanities Research Association
The Modern Humanities Research Association is a British-based international organization that aims to encourage and promote advanced study and research of humanities. It is most notable for producing the MHRA Style Guide....
(MHRA
MHRA
MHRA is an initialism that can stand for:*Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association*Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency*Michigan Hot Rod Association*Modern Humanities Research Association** MHRA Style Guide...
).
Written
- CursesCurses (computer game)Curses is an interactive fiction computer game created by Graham Nelson in 1993. It was originally developed on an Acorn Archimedes using Acorn C/C++, before Nelson moved to his Inform programming language, which was simultaneously released. It was the first non-test game developed in the language....
(1993, Z-codeZ-machineThe Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions , and could therefore port all its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a...
) - Deja Vu (1993, Z-code)
- Balances (1994, Z-code)
- JigsawJigsaw (computer game)Jigsaw is an interactive fiction game, written by Graham Nelson in 1995. It begins at the turn of the 3rd millennium, with the player discovering a time machine enabling him or her to travel throughout the 20th Century, visiting many of its most historic moments...
(1995, Z-code) - The Meteor, The Stone, And A Long Glass Of Sherbet (as "Angela M. Horns", 1996, Z-code), for IF Comp 1996 (1st place). Was a finalist for Best Individual Puzzle, Best Puzzles, Best Writing, and Best Game at the XYZZY Awards 1996
- The Tempest (1997, Z-code), for IF Comp 1997 (25th place). Winner of Best Use of Medium at the XYZZY Awards 1997.
- Time and Dwarves (1998, Inform source code). Demo code for Inform programmers.
- The Reliques of Tolti-Aph (2006, Z-code)
Ported
- AdventureColossal Cave AdventureColossal Cave Adventure gave its name to the computer adventure game genre . It was originally designed by Will Crowther, a programmer and caving enthusiast who based the layout on part of the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky...
- Adventureland
- Crobe
- Fyleet
- Quest for the Sangraal
Other works
- (1995) "The Craft of the Adventure" (2nd ed)
- (1997) Singularities, with Polly Clark and Tim Kendall. Oxford: Hubble Press. ISBN 0 953198 90 1. Anthology of poetry
- (2001) Inform Designers Manual (4th ed), with Gareth ReesGareth Rees (software developer)Gareth D. Rees is a British software developer and games writer. He is known for his contribution to the manual for the Inform programming language, and has written several pieces of interactive fiction using Inform...
. Placet Solutions, ISBN 0 971311 90 0