- Jon Ingold
Infobox Writer
name = Jon Ingold
imagesize = 150px
caption =
birthname =
birthdate =
birthplace =England
nationality = British
occupation = Writer
notableworks =
influences =
website =Jon Ingold (1981 -) is most known as the author of multiple influential
interactive fiction works, but he has also written a number of plays, short stories and novels. He has been nominated for manyXYZZY Awards and has won several.Life and education
Jon Ingold was educated at
Parrs Wood High School and Sixth Form Centre and then studiedmathematics atSt John's College, Cambridge from 1999 to 2002. After graduation he became a mathematics teacher atHighgate School ,London .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 Roads " (in which it's not at all clear who - or what - the player-character is).Recently, his game "Dead Cities" (2007) won Best in Show in the Lovecraft Commonplace Book Exhibition, and will be displayed along with four other games at the Museum of Science-Fiction and Utopia, Switzerland.
Other works are more fun: the Mulldoon sequence (currently 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 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 Roads " (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; Z-code 8). HP Lovecraft: The Commonplace Book Project 2007: Awarded Best in Show. XYZZY Awards 2007: Finalist for Best Story.Technical Credits
* Creator of Adventure Book, which is an authoring system for
Choose Your Own Adventure games.Reviews and Articles
* Interactive Fiction Art Show reviews: [http://members.aol.com/iffyart/reviews4.htm#ingold 2001] , [http://members.aol.com/iffyart/reviews5.htm#ingold 2003] , [http://members.aol.com/iffyart/reviews6.htm#ingold 2004] and [http://members.aol.com/iffyart/reviews7.htm#ingold 2007] .
* [http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.int-fiction/msg/9252c4543b0a0195 Review] of "The Mage Wars: Statue" from IntroComp 2003.External links
* [http://wurb.com/if/person/379 Jon Ingold] at the Baf's Guide to the Interactive Fiction Archive
* [http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsI/ingold-jon.html Jon Ingold] at Doollee.com's list of modern UK playwrights
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
