Clickuorice Allsort: Writing systems in videogames
A man of letters
This is three weeks old, but time is a construct. Philip Boyes is an expert on writing systems and cryptic alphabets, and he has looked at games that use fictional script over on Eurogamer. Zelda's ancient Hylian is mentioned, and the rune-like alphabet of the Elder Scrolls gets a shout-out too. But also discussed is Sethian, a game about deciphering a dead alien language based on the responses of an old computer, covered with symbolic buttons to mash. I liked this game and it's good to see both its failings and strengths discussed from the perspective of someone who understands how these magical squiggly lines are born. It's an interesting read and not too long or hyper-detailed (except maybe when he talks about "deciphering Linear B based on internal correspondences"... buh?). Anyway, fans of silly-looking text, give it a read.