As the games industry grows up and broadens its horizons, games criticism is doing the same. While some would say that traditional point-by-point reviews – graphics, sound, AI, and so on – still have their place, others want to explore deeper kinds of criticism. Our own Brendon Keogh, with his ebook on Spec Ops: The Line, is an example. Another is Justin Keverne, who wants to use GoFundMe to raise enough money to write a book on level design called Groping The Map: Book 1.
That name may sound familiar to those who've read previous work from Keverne. Groping The Map started as a series of in-depth analyses of level design on his blog “Groping The Elephant”, each long article focused on only one level. Previous levels covered in the series are Pauper's Drop from BioShock 2, Liberty Island from Deus Ex, and Life Of The Party from Thief II: The Metal Age. The book will consist of four articles of around 10,000 words each, on The Omega Ranch from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Nova Prospekt from Half Life 2, The Silent Cartographer from Halo: Combat Evolved, and Jacknife from Mirror's Edge. If Keverne receives extra money, he'll add another article on “Rescue Attempt” from The Operative: No One Lives Forever.
The goal is to raise £1,000 to give Keverne the time to focus on the book and get it finished sooner. Six days in, he's already raised £489. If he hits his goal, he hopes to get the book out within the next six months.
