Volume 08

74

Special Toys & Games Section

50: Homebrew Game Design Turning wacky ideas into fun board games. By James Ernest

54: The Secret History of Myst The story behind the world’s best-selling computer game. By Robyn Miller

62: 1966: A Big Year for Video Games An afternoon with the father of video games, Ralph Baer. By Joe Grand

64: Photos from the Inside Ted Kinsman uses X-rays to reveal the inner workings of toys. By Shawn Connally

66: Pinball, Resurrected Rescue and revivify a derelict pinball machine. By Bill Bumgarner 74: Pinheads in Oddball Places Inside the electromechanical underground. By Dale Dougherty

76: Chris Ware’s ACME Papercraft Comics you can build! By Gareth Branwyn

80: Tabletop Terrains Make an asteroid mining colony on your desk. By Gareth Branwyn

83: Making Your Own Video Game Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express opens up game development. By Dean Johnson

84: Pummer, Dude! Create a robotic desk toy. By Gareth Branwyn

PINBALL WIZARD “What I like about pinball machines is how they bring together art, history, and science.”

ON THE COVER

When MAKE Creative Director Daniel Carter (shown at right) went to the Lucky Ju Ju pinball arcade photo shoot, he was given the task of muffling the bell on the Fireball pinball game so it wouldn’t bother the beauty salon next door. Photography by Steve Double

Columns

11: Welcome

Pinball’s magic juju and the unanticipated effect of one thing on another. By Dale Dougherty

13: News From the Future: Games with Purpose What makers understand is that play is as important

as work. By Tim O’Reilly

X-RAY TOY PHOTOS

“I like showing people what’s ^{14: Life Hacks} _{inside this object or that} Why those kids from Podunk are keeping you down. _{object. Seed pods, shoes,} By Danny O’Brien and Merlin Mann duck decoys. So people can _{see exactly what’s inside —} 16: Make Free: HD = Highly Deadly _{the defects, recycled} Goodbye open platforms, hello monopoly lockware. materials. It becomes a ^{By Cory Doctorow} totally wide-open world.” _{26: Hands On: Nikola Tesla}

The inventor saw reality in his own way. By Bruce Sterling

40: Heirloom Technology: Jet Boat

Charlie Asquith’s jet-powered mullet dory. By Tim Anderson

42: Making Trouble: Unhindered Creativity Enable kids to invent their own games. By Saul Griffith

Vol. 08, November 2006. MAKE (ISSN 1556-2336) is published quarterly by O’Reilly Media, Inc. in the months of February, May, August, and November. O’Reilly Media is located at 1005 Gravenstein Hwy. North, Sebastopol, CA 95472, (707) 827-7000. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Send all subscription requests to MAKE, P.O. Box 17046, North Hollywood, CA 91615-9588 or subscribe online at makezine.com/offer or via phone at (866) 289-8847 (U.S. and Canada), all other countries call (818) 487-2037. Subscriptions are available for $34.95 for 1 year ( 4 quarterly issues) in the United States; in Canada: $39.95 USD; all other countries: $49.95 USD. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Rates is Pending at Sebastopol, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MAKE, P.O. Box 17046, North Holly wood, CA 91615-9588.

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