Jon Ingold
Encyclopedia
Jon Ingold is most known as the author of interactive fiction
works, but he has also written a number of plays, short stories and novels. He has been nominated for many XYZZY Awards and has won several.
and then studied mathematics
at St John's College, Cambridge
from 1999 to 2002. After graduation he became a mathematics teacher at Highgate School
, London
.
issues #227 and #228.
(in which it's not at all clear who - or what - the player-character is).
His game Dead Cities (2007) won Best in Show in the Lovecraft Commonplace Book Exhibition, and will be displayed along four other games at the Museum of Science-Fiction and Utopia, Switzerland.
Other works are more fun: the Mulldoon sequence (two games) is puzzle-based. The first game, The Mulldoon Legacy (1999), is reputedly the longest text-game ever written; the follow-up, The Mulldoon Murders (2002) is much shorter and darker in tone. Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish out of Me (2002, 2nd place in the Interactive Fiction Competition
, and nominated for four XYZZY Awards) is a black comic science fiction story.
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...
works, but he has also written a number of plays, short stories and novels. He has been nominated for many XYZZY Awards and has won several.
Life and education
Jon Ingold was educated at Parrs Wood High School and Sixth Form CentreParrs Wood Sixth Form Centre
Parrs Wood Sixth Form Centre is a sixth-form college which is part of the Parrs Wood Technology College school campus and is located in Didsbury, Manchester. Parrs Wood Sixth Form opened in 2000 after the rebuild of the entire school because of the damage the old school had...
and then studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
from 1999 to 2002. After graduation he became a mathematics teacher at Highgate School
Highgate School
-Notable members of staff and governing body:* John Ireton, brother of Henry Ireton, Cromwellian General* 1st Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice, owner of Kenwood, noted for judgment finding contracts for slavery unenforceable in English law* T. S...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Fiction
Jon Ingold has published short fiction in Interzone magazineInterzone (magazine)
Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
issues #227 and #228.
Interactive fiction works
Jon Ingold's interactive fiction is notable for its interrogation of the relationship between the player-character and the player, and most of his games explore this notion in one way or another. The best examples are Fail-Safe (in which the player is talking to the player-character over a radio, hampered by constant interference), Insight (in which the player-character knows a lot more about his world than the player) and All RoadsAll Roads
All Roads is a 2001 interactive fiction game by Jon Ingold that placed first at the 2001 Interactive Fiction Competition. It also won the XYZZY Awards for Best Game, Best Setting and Best Story and was nominated for Best Individual Puzzle and Best Writing....
(in which it's not at all clear who - or what - the player-character is).
His game Dead Cities (2007) won Best in Show in the Lovecraft Commonplace Book Exhibition, and will be displayed along four other games at the Museum of Science-Fiction and Utopia, Switzerland.
Other works are more fun: the Mulldoon sequence (two games) is puzzle-based. The first game, The Mulldoon Legacy (1999), is reputedly the longest text-game ever written; the follow-up, The Mulldoon Murders (2002) is much shorter and darker in tone. Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish out of Me (2002, 2nd place in the Interactive Fiction Competition
Interactive Fiction Competition
The Interactive Fiction Competition is one of the best known of several annual competitions for works of interactive fiction. It has been held since 1995. It is intended for fairly short games, as judges are only allowed to spend two hours playing a game before deciding how many points to award it...
, and nominated for four XYZZY Awards) is a black comic science fiction story.
- Break-In (1999; Z-code). Finalist at XYZZY Awards 1999 for Best Individual Puzzle.
- The Mulldoon Legacy (1999; Z-code). Winner at XYZZY Awards 1999 for Best Puzzles; also, a finalist for Best Individual Puzzle, Best NPCs, Best Setting, Best Story, and Best Game.
- Fail-Safe (2000; Z-code). Finalist at XYZZY Awards 2000 for Best Individual NPC.
- My Angel (2000; Z-code). IF Comp 2000: 6th place. Winner at XYZZY Awards 2000 for Best Story; also a finalist for Best Writing and Best Individual NPC.
- Large Machine (2001; Z-code).
- All RoadsAll RoadsAll Roads is a 2001 interactive fiction game by Jon Ingold that placed first at the 2001 Interactive Fiction Competition. It also won the XYZZY Awards for Best Game, Best Setting and Best Story and was nominated for Best Individual Puzzle and Best Writing....
(2001; Z-code). IF Comp 2001: 1st place. Winner at XYZZY Awards 2001 for Best Setting, Best Story, and Best Game; also a finalist for Best Individual Puzzle and Best Writing. - The Mulldoon Murders (2002; Z-code).
- Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out of Me! (with Mike Sousa; 2002; TADS 2). IF Comp 2002: 2nd place. Finalist at XYZZY Awards 2002 for Best Individual Puzzle, Best Story, Best Writing, and Best Game.
- Insight (2003; Z-code).
- Dead Cities (19-Jun-2007; Glulx). HP Lovecraft: The Commonplace Book Project 2007: Awarded Best in Show. XYZZY Awards 2007: Finalist for Best Story.
- Make It Good (13-Apr-2009; Z-code 8), nominated for 5 XYZZY Awards including Best Game.
- Klockwerk: The Shadow in the Cathedral (with Ian Finley; Glulx), published by Textfyre.inc. Nominated for 5 XYZZY Awards including Best Game.
Technical credits
- Creator of Adventure Book, which is an authoring system for Choose Your Own AdventureChoose Your Own AdventureChoose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...
games.
Reviews and articles
- Interactive Fiction Art Show reviews: 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2007.
- Review of The Mage Wars: Statue from IntroComp 2003.
External links
- Jon Ingold at the Baf's Guide to the Interactive Fiction Archive
- Jon Ingold at Doollee.com's list of modern UK playwrights
- Jon Ingold's website
- Interzone magazine