You Were Here

I really enjoyed both You Were Here and If is Dead. Long Live IF. The loud criticisms of these pieces aren't exactly wrong, but they seem to willfully overlook what makes Houk's work special. In both cases, he uses the medium to celebrate the medium, and the results are funnier and more moving (if less in-depth) than, say, a comprehensive blog post. Yes, it was frustrating to read a great line in You Were Here and have no idea how to find the corresponding game, but my experience overall was one of admiration for all of the great stories that were told last year. I hope that Houk makes more pieces like these. He clearly loves IF, and I enjoyed seeing the medium from his perspective.