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Mechner Journals #1
The Making of Karateka
In 1982 -- the era of Apple II and Commodore 64 -- 17-year-old college freshman and aspiring game designer Jordan Mechner began keeping a private journal. This first volume is a candid account of the personal, creative and technical struggles that led to his breakthrough success with Karateka, which topped bestseller charts in 1985, and planted the seeds of his next game, Prince of Persia.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
42 people are currently reading
608 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Mechner
31 books80 followersJordan Mechner is an author, graphic novelist, video game designer, and screenwriter. He created Prince of Persia as a solo game developer in the 1980s, joined forces with Ubisoft to relaunch the series in 2003 with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and adapted it as a 2010 live-action film for Disney. Jordan's books include his game development journals The Making of Karateka and The Making of Prince of Persia, the graphic novels Templar (a New York Times bestseller) and Monte-Cristo. His games include Karateka and The Last Express. In 2017, he received the Pioneer Award from the International Game Developers Association. @jmechner on Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon and Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 12, 2014
My first computer game ever was Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia. He's next collection of journals is about that game development. I guess now I need to read that also :)
That's just crazy how ppl coded during those times - "I need a new printout, to go over the code step by step."
Pirating by copying disks.
The excitement of working on games and seeing movies like the premiere of Return of the Jedi.
Distributed development across different cities with sending floppy disks back and forth.
That's just crazy how ppl coded during those times - "I need a new printout, to go over the code step by step."
Pirating by copying disks.
The excitement of working on games and seeing movies like the premiere of Return of the Jedi.
Distributed development across different cities with sending floppy disks back and forth.
August 28, 2018
I don't know why I like reading people's diaries. Probably because reading these memoirs of great people from the times when they were nobodies like me and you gives me a confirmation that anyone can succeed. Or is it because I think people are more truthful in such writings than say,in the real world?
The memoir has been neatly composed and traces the time Jordan spent developing Karateka -- quick skim, not much worth reading here unless you're interested in the creative process.
The memoir has been neatly composed and traces the time Jordan spent developing Karateka -- quick skim, not much worth reading here unless you're interested in the creative process.
November 1, 2019
To be honest this was underwhelming, a disappointing read after being excited to read the journal of the genius behind my first real eye-opening experience on a computer. There is no doubt Jordan Mechner is a genius ; what he was accomplishing at 18 is just mind-blowing, and he certainly was mature beyond his years, but a fascinating journal this is decidedly not. Fears about the future, whether he will be rich (a common theme), the constant delaying of coding, its repetitive and quite boring, and quite simply not what I had expected. If the book was packed with illustrations, now that would have made quite some difference, to properly express the creative process. But just to read a straightforward, uninteresting journal about a kid's dreams is.... well, I give this book 3 stars and I think I am being a little generous here.
September 7, 2023
What a delightful little read. College-aged Jordan’s an extremely relatable person, and it’s just great seeing him begin to “make it big.”
February 9, 2014
The making of Karateka is the memoir of Jordan Mechner (better known as the guy who made Prince of Persia). Chronicling the period 1982-1985, this book starts when Jordan is about to start the design of Karateka and ends with the aftermath of its publication. (There's no doubt he will finish it, especially for 1980s gamers, so no spoilers in this description.)
Overall, I liked this book very much. It's not the best of writing, it's at times as superficial as a journal written only for yourself can be, and perhaps you may not like Jordan's personality (rather dark, very materialistic, and self-centered), but the journal sounds true, the depiction of life as a young student is funny, and overall the book makes me remember my own days creating games (not one as successful as Jordan's). The best part? The guy is 18, and bits and pieces of his logs sound like it; he's also a good game designer, even at this tender age.
I liked how Jordan picks apart his mood swings (expected from a Psych major, but even that is not so certain after a point):
I often quit now mid-game. Is it the effect of an achievement-oriented attitude (it’s not worth it if I can’t break my high score)? Is it the effect of playing similar games with the same themes, over and over again? Or is it me?
Mechner, Jordan (2012-11-27). The Making of Karateka (p.42-43). Kindle Edition.
There's also much about the psychology of creating and selling games, such as:
I wish I could work on the game like I did at the beginning — innocently, happily, without this stomach-churning anxiety and rush to get it finished, make it good, get it out, get rich off it.
Mechner, Jordan (2012-11-27). The Making of Karateka (p. 104). . Kindle Edition.
I enjoyed the numerous bits about game design, such as:
Most games just have a static view – PacMan, Asteroids, Space Invaders – that they keep for the whole game. But cinematic techniques have been used as far back as Lunar Lander – that game had not only tracking to follow your LEM, but also a cut to a close-up when you start to land. There have been subjective-POV games like Night Driver, Star Fire, Tail Gunner, Battlezone. But nobody’s really played up the cutting. Karateka is the first game to do cross-cutting.
Mechner, Jordan (2012-11-27). The Making of Karateka (p. 144). . Kindle Edition.
I've already mentioned what I dislike about this book.
Overall, I liked this book very much. It's not the best of writing, it's at times as superficial as a journal written only for yourself can be, and perhaps you may not like Jordan's personality (rather dark, very materialistic, and self-centered), but the journal sounds true, the depiction of life as a young student is funny, and overall the book makes me remember my own days creating games (not one as successful as Jordan's). The best part? The guy is 18, and bits and pieces of his logs sound like it; he's also a good game designer, even at this tender age.
I liked how Jordan picks apart his mood swings (expected from a Psych major, but even that is not so certain after a point):
I often quit now mid-game. Is it the effect of an achievement-oriented attitude (it’s not worth it if I can’t break my high score)? Is it the effect of playing similar games with the same themes, over and over again? Or is it me?
Mechner, Jordan (2012-11-27). The Making of Karateka (p.42-43). Kindle Edition.
There's also much about the psychology of creating and selling games, such as:
I wish I could work on the game like I did at the beginning — innocently, happily, without this stomach-churning anxiety and rush to get it finished, make it good, get it out, get rich off it.
Mechner, Jordan (2012-11-27). The Making of Karateka (p. 104). . Kindle Edition.
I enjoyed the numerous bits about game design, such as:
Most games just have a static view – PacMan, Asteroids, Space Invaders – that they keep for the whole game. But cinematic techniques have been used as far back as Lunar Lander – that game had not only tracking to follow your LEM, but also a cut to a close-up when you start to land. There have been subjective-POV games like Night Driver, Star Fire, Tail Gunner, Battlezone. But nobody’s really played up the cutting. Karateka is the first game to do cross-cutting.
Mechner, Jordan (2012-11-27). The Making of Karateka (p. 144). . Kindle Edition.
I've already mentioned what I dislike about this book.
August 24, 2013
Definitely a good read, not as technical as I had hoped but good enough. Some of the best quotes in the book:
"So what if I failed to read books and collect facts? I can do that any time."
"A landscape would distract the player and make it seem like there's more to the game than there is, without really enhancing it."
"Was it Butler who said 'A hen is an egg's way of making another egg'? It occurred to me a few weeks ago that a zoologist from another planet, observing me, might well conclude -- since I'm continually opening and closing doors and windows and turning heaters up and down in an effort to maintain a constant temperature in the room -- that my other functions (eating, sleeping, reading, playing games, etc.) serve only to keep me functioning as a thermostat"
"Getting up and early is good. It's painful, but once I've recovered from the shock, the day is longer and I feel better."
"If I had more memory, I'd make him fat."
"Go to 64K? No. There are no 64K games."
"He offered me a summer job at $2K/month (I assume he means $2,000 not $2,048)."
"I'm living my life like someone trying to run without ever taking both feet off the ground at the same time. Always trying to come up with the best answer, the thing to do, without ever just letting go and saying 'What the fuck!' and making something up and running with it and seeing where it takes me."
"Do yourself a favor, J. Next time it occurs to you to do something scary, something that makes you quake in your boots -- just fucking do it."
"So what if I failed to read books and collect facts? I can do that any time."
"A landscape would distract the player and make it seem like there's more to the game than there is, without really enhancing it."
"Was it Butler who said 'A hen is an egg's way of making another egg'? It occurred to me a few weeks ago that a zoologist from another planet, observing me, might well conclude -- since I'm continually opening and closing doors and windows and turning heaters up and down in an effort to maintain a constant temperature in the room -- that my other functions (eating, sleeping, reading, playing games, etc.) serve only to keep me functioning as a thermostat"
"Getting up and early is good. It's painful, but once I've recovered from the shock, the day is longer and I feel better."
"If I had more memory, I'd make him fat."
"Go to 64K? No. There are no 64K games."
"He offered me a summer job at $2K/month (I assume he means $2,000 not $2,048)."
"I'm living my life like someone trying to run without ever taking both feet off the ground at the same time. Always trying to come up with the best answer, the thing to do, without ever just letting go and saying 'What the fuck!' and making something up and running with it and seeing where it takes me."
"Do yourself a favor, J. Next time it occurs to you to do something scary, something that makes you quake in your boots -- just fucking do it."
September 3, 2018
So, you are a 19 years old college student living in the mid-80s. You combine the college schedule with a lot of movie going, part time jobs. In your spare time and in the summers in your hometown of Chappaqua, NY, you program video games in your Apple II. When the game is finished, you send a copy by mail to a software publishing company and the video game turns out to be a creative wonder and becomes a big seller the following years.
It sounds like a John Hughes movie. I love to read about something that's so improbable that the only thing that makes it plausible is that it actually happened.
This is a transcript of the diary of Jordan Mechner during the creation of the Karateka game. A great read. Even if it doesn't make much of a story, it's a great insight into the time frame, and the creative process itself.
I like how some obvious 80s aspects of life are represented. This are pre internet days, so you had to actually mail a 5 1/4 floppy disk. I mean, put it in an envelope and actually putting it in a mailbox.
The creative process is what makes writing more appealing. The diary has no real technical content in a computer geek scope, but tells the creative process and the way the kid manage to solve the problems around the game.
It sounds like a John Hughes movie. I love to read about something that's so improbable that the only thing that makes it plausible is that it actually happened.
This is a transcript of the diary of Jordan Mechner during the creation of the Karateka game. A great read. Even if it doesn't make much of a story, it's a great insight into the time frame, and the creative process itself.
I like how some obvious 80s aspects of life are represented. This are pre internet days, so you had to actually mail a 5 1/4 floppy disk. I mean, put it in an envelope and actually putting it in a mailbox.
The creative process is what makes writing more appealing. The diary has no real technical content in a computer geek scope, but tells the creative process and the way the kid manage to solve the problems around the game.
May 24, 2016
The book is literally a collection of journal entries detailing young Jordan Mechner's days as a university student at Yale at the same time working on what would be his first published game. I found it both inspiring (though some might consider me the wrong age to be inspired by it) and amusing as a look into the life of a young man in the early 80s. As a set of journal entries, the writing isn't particularly spectacular, but it is an easy enough read, especially for someone with an interest in game development. You are not likely to learn anything for practical use for game development, unless of course you were planning to develop games for old-school Apple II or Commodore 64 platforms with limited amounts of memory to work with. I found it interesting mostly because the stories harken back to a bygone-era of game development, when the norm was the single developer working on all aspects of the game by himself all the while being a full-time student, and eventually getting published and making it to the top of the sales charts. I'm looking forward to reading the second book where he covers the creation of his second hit Prince of Persia
January 1, 2014
This was an amazing read for me. Not because of the writing, but because of the subject. I was a middle school kid at the time Karateka came out on my Commodore 64, and was instantly mesmerized by the game and its effect it had on people. The story was good, but it was the first game that actually had a cinematic feel for the play. You felt like you were part of a movie. Now this was a kid version of me, but I was in awe.
I started writing games as a result of playing this one. I never achieved his level of success, but did have quite a few published while I was in high school. I even went on to work at a game company later after my military service.
This is a collection of his personal journal during the time he built Karateka. It is raw and unedited. I went through all those same ups and downs as a kid (sort of still do as an adult!). It was refreshing to me to see something that I took to be an utter perfection was actually a labor of love for someone who struggled with it's creation. Refreshing read.
I started writing games as a result of playing this one. I never achieved his level of success, but did have quite a few published while I was in high school. I even went on to work at a game company later after my military service.
This is a collection of his personal journal during the time he built Karateka. It is raw and unedited. I went through all those same ups and downs as a kid (sort of still do as an adult!). It was refreshing to me to see something that I took to be an utter perfection was actually a labor of love for someone who struggled with it's creation. Refreshing read.
June 20, 2013
I wanted to read this book to get an insight in to the game developers culture or mind psychology. The book disappoints on the first front. But it definitely is a showcase on the game author-designers psychology. I loved this book and feel that this book is less intense than the "Making of Prince of Persia". I guess this might be due to the fact that Prince of Persia was Jordan's second game after Karateka. And he was facing a drought of ideas before making prince. Also given the fact that he was trying whether to pick up screenplay writing as a career or sticking with making games. On the other hand he designed-created karateka in his yale years. So he has a 1-dimensional approach and hence the book is less intense.
But definately a good read.
But definately a good read.
April 18, 2020
Understanding how driven Jordan Mechner was at 20 and the labour of love developing Karateka became is somewhat interesting, especially as this was written at the time and not in hindsight. I have never played the game, but I don't think that matters too much when reading this.
I guess my low score is because at the end of the day, this is just a diary of the period of time he was writing the game. Where he ate, friends he visited, films he watched just dilutes the content. Overall it is just not interesting enough.
I guess my low score is because at the end of the day, this is just a diary of the period of time he was writing the game. Where he ate, friends he visited, films he watched just dilutes the content. Overall it is just not interesting enough.
July 25, 2021
Interesting insight to the process of the creator of the game. Amazing he finished college while taking so much time away to work on the various projects on his plate.
April 10, 2022
This is actually very entertaining and still crazily up-to-date
May 18, 2025
I met Jordan on April 19, 1993 at the 8th Annual Computer Game Developers' Conference in San Jose. I had turned 18 a few months earlier and was working on a sci-fi role-playing video game called Trögus with my friend Noel. Four months later, I decided to drop out of college to help Jordan create the CD-ROM adventure game eventually called The Last Express.
In Jordan's journal from August 21, 1993, he writes: "Mark Moran, the 18-year-old programmer I met at CGDC, came to visit. He reminds me so much of me at that age, it’s scary. I started telling Robert about Mark, and he stopped me halfway through. “Wait a minute,” he said. “You’re narrating my life story.” Mark’s got no credentials, has never held a programming job. But neither had I before Karateka, or Robert before Gumball. I think he and his partner Noel might be just the smart & hungry young programmers I’m looking for."
I always loved hearing their stories about the early days of Broderbund and creating Apple II and Commander-64 classics in the mid 1980s, many of the games I loved as a kid which made me decide to get into programming games in the first place.
Years ago I read Jordan's Making of Prince of Persia journals, which end right before we met, and I've loved reading his Last Express journals on his website each week for the past two years. I'm not sure why it took me this long to read the Karateka ones, but I'm so glad I finally got to see how it all began for him.
I love the technical anecdotes about trying to fit his game and graphics into 64K of RAM (and ten years later, Noel and I were still coming up with unconventional tricks to make The Last Express fit into just 8MB of RAM!) Even more, I love reading about Jordan's dreams of wealth and fame, his desire for a girl friend, and the social anxieties we all share as humans but so few of us take the time to articulate. Torn between a love of film and games, I especially love the dilemma of figuring out what he wants to do with his life, and who he wants to be.
In Jordan's journal from August 21, 1993, he writes: "Mark Moran, the 18-year-old programmer I met at CGDC, came to visit. He reminds me so much of me at that age, it’s scary. I started telling Robert about Mark, and he stopped me halfway through. “Wait a minute,” he said. “You’re narrating my life story.” Mark’s got no credentials, has never held a programming job. But neither had I before Karateka, or Robert before Gumball. I think he and his partner Noel might be just the smart & hungry young programmers I’m looking for."
I always loved hearing their stories about the early days of Broderbund and creating Apple II and Commander-64 classics in the mid 1980s, many of the games I loved as a kid which made me decide to get into programming games in the first place.
Years ago I read Jordan's Making of Prince of Persia journals, which end right before we met, and I've loved reading his Last Express journals on his website each week for the past two years. I'm not sure why it took me this long to read the Karateka ones, but I'm so glad I finally got to see how it all began for him.
I love the technical anecdotes about trying to fit his game and graphics into 64K of RAM (and ten years later, Noel and I were still coming up with unconventional tricks to make The Last Express fit into just 8MB of RAM!) Even more, I love reading about Jordan's dreams of wealth and fame, his desire for a girl friend, and the social anxieties we all share as humans but so few of us take the time to articulate. Torn between a love of film and games, I especially love the dilemma of figuring out what he wants to do with his life, and who he wants to be.
October 26, 2021
I admire Mechner's work. He is the superb artist and videogame designer who created legendary pieces of art: Prince of Persia and Karateka. You can define him as a one-man dev army: coder, illustrator, composer. He even wrote the text you read on the package of his games! (because he didn’t like the style of the agency hired for that job).
I've already read his diaries on Prince of Persia days and loved them because I played this game a lot and found it fascinating reading about its genesis: the creation of each level, characters, revolutionary animations and other elements. Having never played Karateka (it wasn't popular in my country I guess) I didn't relate so much with this one, but still found it interesting. It is the path of an artist that includes self-discovery, pitfalls, learnings, crossroads, insane time limits for delivering his work. It also works as a portrait of the 80’s videogames scene in which developers were sort of freelancers or employees without much status. In today's world a teenager like Mechner would be a god and paid immensely high (although maybe his style of jack-of-all-trades might interfere in working with others).
You can read the highs and lows of a teenager (he was 17, 18!), the work ethics that made him stay a whole weekend at the office and work 13 hours in a row, for example. At moments he seems too proud of himself but hey! I would too if I got his talents, his resilience, his ability to ship.
I recommend this book to any artist, writer, designer or coder who wants to get inspiration from the diaries of one of the great minds of the videogame industry.
I've already read his diaries on Prince of Persia days and loved them because I played this game a lot and found it fascinating reading about its genesis: the creation of each level, characters, revolutionary animations and other elements. Having never played Karateka (it wasn't popular in my country I guess) I didn't relate so much with this one, but still found it interesting. It is the path of an artist that includes self-discovery, pitfalls, learnings, crossroads, insane time limits for delivering his work. It also works as a portrait of the 80’s videogames scene in which developers were sort of freelancers or employees without much status. In today's world a teenager like Mechner would be a god and paid immensely high (although maybe his style of jack-of-all-trades might interfere in working with others).
You can read the highs and lows of a teenager (he was 17, 18!), the work ethics that made him stay a whole weekend at the office and work 13 hours in a row, for example. At moments he seems too proud of himself but hey! I would too if I got his talents, his resilience, his ability to ship.
I recommend this book to any artist, writer, designer or coder who wants to get inspiration from the diaries of one of the great minds of the videogame industry.
December 1, 2022
This is the edited-to-remove-some-(personal, I assume)-things-but-otherwise-untouched diary of Jordan Mechner when he was a college student in the early '80s, banging away at assembly coding 8-bit Apple II games between college classes and being torn by his other great interest, movies and scriptwriting. As such, Mechner was only writing for himself - this is indeed not great writing. But it is is fun seeing how his breakthrough hit Karateka (and other simultaneously game projects) came to be through various fits and starts and technical hurdles, as well as the swirl of other interests rampaging in his head.
Especially interesting: how his love of cinematic imagery informed how he approached the visual design and visual storytelling in Karateka; the laborious digital rotoscoping of hand-filmed-by-himself human movement for the characters in the game; getting to briefly meet some other Apple II game developer luminaries once he joined the software company Broderbund; and when he speaks to those developers, seeing maybe the first cycle in computer game history of creators lamenting that the freedom of creative game development is degrading into the trap of by-committee corporate products.... in 1984!
Especially interesting: how his love of cinematic imagery informed how he approached the visual design and visual storytelling in Karateka; the laborious digital rotoscoping of hand-filmed-by-himself human movement for the characters in the game; getting to briefly meet some other Apple II game developer luminaries once he joined the software company Broderbund; and when he speaks to those developers, seeing maybe the first cycle in computer game history of creators lamenting that the freedom of creative game development is degrading into the trap of by-committee corporate products.... in 1984!
March 17, 2024
Ive had this book for a long time. Kept bringing it on plane trips and not reading it. For whatever reason, this trip I did read it. Finished the book in three sittings. Its a very easy read.
Not sure this book has general appeal but to a person of my age, it was a delight. I remember playing all these Apple II games, including Choplifter and Karateka. I too skipped a lot of classes in college. I also lived in San Francisco (although it was a decade later).
What a trip down memory lane.
Not sure this book has general appeal but to a person of my age, it was a delight. I remember playing all these Apple II games, including Choplifter and Karateka. I too skipped a lot of classes in college. I also lived in San Francisco (although it was a decade later).
What a trip down memory lane.
June 30, 2017
קטעים מתוך היומן של ג'ורדן מצ'נר, היוצר של "קרטקה" ו"הנסיך הפרסי", על התהליך שהוביל ליצירת המשחק "קרטקה" והעבודה עליו. נותן מבט היסטורי מעניין על המשחק ועל תעשיית משחקי המחשב בתחילת שנות השמונים, כשבחור בן 18 היה מסוגל לעשות פחות או יותר לבדו משחק מחשב שהופך אותו למיליונר. הספר היה יכול להיעזר בעריכה יותר קפדנית (יש שם יותר מדי קטעי יומן שבעיקר מציגים אותו כטינאייג'ר גנרי), אבל הכתיבה עדיין זורמת.
July 25, 2017
An entertaining read with amusing details on how the game came to be. Making a game - or any creative effort for that matter - is difficult and one of the hardest aspects is staying focused as the author writes. The book is written in diary format, so it's easy to read a little bit at a time or all at once if you get carried away (like I did). On the negative side, the book doesn't go into game design or technical aspects in great depth. Regardless, definitely worth a read.
October 23, 2023
A great pair with the "Making of Karateka" video game/interactive documentary. Reading this is a breeze, especially if you are a fan of the game and familiar with Mechner's trajectory. It's fun reading through young Jordan's notes and seeing the story behind the game and his life at the time—warts and all. Laughed a lot it his entry about how the game industry's Golden Age is long gone... in 1984 :)
March 26, 2024
It’s very easy to read. This is my first journal book that I’ve read and I should say, I’m very interested how someone decided to create a game and what happened in this journey. I strongly suggest to read this book
August 23, 2017
Inspiring book about game development in 80s.
December 26, 2020
Love this dudes stuff. His diaries are cool
May 29, 2021
Diaries of Jordan Mechner. Not the best prose in the world, but somewhat ok read.
November 18, 2022
mám hrozne rád the making of prince of persia. dokonale vystihuje úzkosť spojenú s tvorbou. táto menej, ale tak v poho doplnok veď šak.
May 27, 2023
Lots of fun. Something about reading a story where the author themselves doesn't know how things will end up is super engaging. Mix in some nostalgic 80s references, and you got yourself a winner.
June 27, 2025
Surprised how much of a paper turner this is.
November 11, 2024
Puts you right back there in the early 80s when home computing was just getting its legs. Mechner reveals himself as talented and tenacious, but also occasionally prone to — as most of us are — imposter syndrome. And this from the guy who brought us not only Karateka, but Prince of Persia (which he chronicled in another great journal btw) which were groundbreaking contributions to computing and video game history.
June 5, 2013
Very interesting and down to earth look at the human side of the making of one of the very famous video game 'classics'.
Definitely worth a read by any gamer, game developer or tech history enthusiast
As game development recently becomes more and more an indie process and less and less dominated by big-budget AAA productions, this book provides a very good insight into what goes into the making of an indie game.
With the focus on the human side and very little emphasis on the technicalities, this makes the book an excellent read for budding or established game developers or their friends / family to get a feel for what it took (and is mostly still relevant) and means to get into the game industry
Definitely worth a read by any gamer, game developer or tech history enthusiast
As game development recently becomes more and more an indie process and less and less dominated by big-budget AAA productions, this book provides a very good insight into what goes into the making of an indie game.
With the focus on the human side and very little emphasis on the technicalities, this makes the book an excellent read for budding or established game developers or their friends / family to get a feel for what it took (and is mostly still relevant) and means to get into the game industry
July 4, 2013
(Review of this and of The Making of Prince of Persia.)
These are Jordan's diaries, starting from his student days and carrying on until a year or so after the release of Prince of Persia. I found these very entertaining from a tech history point of view ("Roland came over for breakfast and we installed an extra 1 MB in my Mac."), and it was interesting to see all the details of how the games were designed and publicised. The description of his method of motion capture to get the sprites' movements looking more realistic was particularly good. However, reading his excuses to himself for procrastinating was quite frustrating - probably because they remind me of me!
These are Jordan's diaries, starting from his student days and carrying on until a year or so after the release of Prince of Persia. I found these very entertaining from a tech history point of view ("Roland came over for breakfast and we installed an extra 1 MB in my Mac."), and it was interesting to see all the details of how the games were designed and publicised. The description of his method of motion capture to get the sprites' movements looking more realistic was particularly good. However, reading his excuses to himself for procrastinating was quite frustrating - probably because they remind me of me!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews