This afternoon @shringcy will give a talk on "Why game designers should study stage magic" at #gamehappens2019
This thread collects some links to relevant material to check in order to widen the exciting possibilities behind looking at design from the perspective of magic --> [immagine]

Christopher Morgan, "Magic for your micro" in onComputing, Vol. 1, N. 2, Fall 1979, pp. 18-22 is the first code for a computer program implementing a magic trick. Available here: BROKEN LINK #gamehappens2019 --> [immagine]

A number of clever ideas have been offered by Martin Gardner in his article “Ideas for computer magic” in  Algorithm, Jan/Feb 1990. It deals with using a computer as a stooge and the opposite i.e. acting as stooges for secretly communicate with the computer
#gamehappens2019 --> [immagine]

Computer interfaces can be reframed in unusual ways, like I did with "Through the looking glass": please use a mouse to play this game - given that it is based on the similarity between mouse and Ouija Planchette -->
marianotomatis.it/page/glass/
#gamehappens2019 [immagine]

Obfuscated URLs can be used to protect the secrets of your trick. See for example my web version of "Il laberinto": the code in the URL prevents to browse freely the book itself.
mesmer.it/labyrinth
#gamehappens2019 --> [immagine]

And this is @shringcy on the stage of #gamehappens2019 [immagine]

Teller's subtle silent narrative behind his "Miser's Dream" routine can inspire game designers on how to craft surprising coup-de-theatre and shape non-trivial causal inferences
youtu.be/M0mL3PWKkwU
#gamehappens2019

Metal Gear Solid 1 features Psycho Mantis, a psychic pretending to read the mind of the player. The truth is he reads the memory card and reveals player's behaviour by analysing the game played!
youtu.be/t0oHnGM_iQw
#gamehappens2019 --> [immagine]

Penn&Teller's Desert Bus is the worst videogame ever, a dark tale on modern bike riders delivering goods. theverge.com/2017/12/3/16725692…
#gamehappens2019 -->

Derren Brown's use of VR is a fruitful intersection between magic experiences and videogames
wired.co.uk/article/derren-brow…
#gamehappens2019 -->

18th century Mechanical Turk is a typical contraption made of cogs and leverages exploiting a secret stooge to pretend to be able to play chess. -->
#gamehappens2019
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turk [immagine]

And to close the thread, @shringcy suggests this academic paper by Bruce Tognazzini on the "Principles, techniques, and ethics of stage magic and their application to human interface design", 1993
BROKEN LINK