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1286 interviews since 2009

A picture of Bernie DeKoven

Bernie DeKoven

Game designer, fun theorist

in designer, game, mac

Who are you, and what do you do?

I'm Bernie DeKoven, author of The Well-Played Game and A Playful Path (you can download the PDF free on the related site). I've written several other books, and first designed computer games in the early 80s. Currently, I write and teach people about how to make things more fun - especially their lives. I'll be hosting a 5-day "legacy retreat" this Spring - a 5-day exploration of playfulness at Kripalu. All of the games I now design don't use any equipment at all - just people.

What hardware do you use?

I use my MacBook Air for just about everything. And when I'm not using that, I use a notebook (yes, one of those things with covers and paper inside) and a rollerball pen. And when I'm not using that, a voice recorder. I walk a lot, and after trying many different devices over the years, I like that little notebook the best.

And what software?

I like Pages for some strange reason. Sometimes, when I need to sketch out a large project, I use Microsoft Word because of the outliner. I first discovered the power of the outliner when I was designing computer games. Back then, it was a product called ThinkTank and later MORE (both designed by someone who became a close friend - Dave Winer).

What would be your dream setup?

I think I might be living the dream. O, sure, it'd be neat if everything, everything were integrated. I'd plug my paper notebook into my computer and it'd upload it as text (in outline form). I'd plug in my voice recorder and it would also be integrated into my working outline. And, of course, everything would be socially mediated. On the other hand, I'm very happy with my little notebook and my Air.