"You've lost a what? A peet-zer? Never heard of such a thing. *burp*"

We all love a story with a happy ending.

(In video game terms, you'd probably want to put the first sign in a high traffic area where its full significance will be understood, then switch the sign when a change in the world state occurs.)

This one reminds me of the many times in point-and-click adventure games that an animal ran off with the item I needed.

This is one of the most heartbreaking images in this set, if you read it as evidence that a tragic tradeoff was made.

Not a strand out of place. This unlucky shopper knew a lost cause when they saw one.

I love the moment when the crew boards a derelict spacecraft, and sifts through the aftermath while asking, 'what the hell happened here'. That same principle can be used in horror, as in haunted houses, as well as lighter contexts or romance/tragedy - as in this couple's last embrace.

Desire paths, also known as "desire lines" or "pirate paths," are dirt trails created by pedestrians taking the short route to a point of interest. Urban planners sometimes convert them into paved routes. In a game context, they're a great way to encourage the player to veer off the critical path.

a man wearing a wig and headphones says oh great heavens ALT: a man wearing a wig and headphones says oh great heavens

@jeanofmarc.bsky.social I just booted up One Deck Galaxy for the first time and minutes later I can't bring myself to start the game because I can't handle a future where the menu music stops for even a minute. Well done sir!

Epoch-making words:

“I panicked”.

You love to see it. Congrats - well deserved! 🎉🍻

This news hit hard. Not just because John and Brenda are legends but also because I was senior narrative designer on this game early on and I am still incredibly excited to play it as a fan. Publishers, do not sleep on this one. 😉

This reads almost like one of those dark satirical ads from near-future sci-fi movies like Robocop.

How to use environmental storytelling to convey that a heat wave took place in the recent past, but is now over.

These mannequins melted during a heatwave in London in 1929. This photo was published in The Sphere, a British newspaper that ran from 1900 to the 1960s.

Please do!

Once again: real graffiti is often far more on the nose than most writers would ever dare to be when conveying the state of a fictional world.

"Okay, you can borrow the car but listen to the satnav. Don't go looking for one of your 'shortcuts'."

Don't tell me how to live my life, sign.

Let's play a game called 'think of a scenario in which this isn't a red flag'.

A: What did you do for your birthday?
B: ...

A: "I don't like thunderboxes. I don't trust them."
B: "Oh, come on. What's the worst that could happen?"

Ah, thank you sir. I'll be adding to it over time. Feel free to do the same if you find any good ones!

There's an inherent comedy in signs that say things like "Falling rocks" because there's little you can do about the warning other than pray for luck.

I like to imagine no one in this image is saying anything.

Character A: Won't a sign do? It's probably not gonna happen again.
Character B: No. We're taking no chances. I want it in bright red neon letters.

In environmental storytelling, your use of a signs can be literal or metaphorical depending on the nature of your story.

How many times does something have to happen before a sign is justified?

Beginning: Oh god, this cement isn't dry.

Middle: If I maintain my speed, I think I can power through this.

End: Enough. I tire of this madness. I'm leaving for Madagascar where I shall forage from the land and sleep in the trees.

I love these ones that expand in the mind, blooming into a wealth of mini-narratives each of which contorts itself to try and justify the image. Did the squirrel get inside? How many times? Was it one squirrel or multiple? What did they find to steal? Or was it the books they were after?

Two large gears meshing, the lower of which bears a sign reading "WARNING: Never put your fingers where you wouldn't put your dick."

Good advice for life, of course, but also a way to establish the tone of a workplace without needing to have any NPCs present.