Kyle Orland

@KyleOrl
2.1K Followers
555 Following
2.1K Posts

Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica.
https://mastodon.social/@KyleOrl
Generalized Content warning: I talk about politics a lot.

Author of some books: https://press.etc.cmu.edu/index.php/author/kyle-orland/

"Pedantic nerd of integrity" -Some guy on Twitter capturing my essence

Also, I know how to juggle.

Twittodonhttps://twittodon.com/share.php?t=Kyleorl&[email protected]
@rodneylives you mean on blue sky? Because I’m not posting much here…
@rodneylives I end up making lists for accounts I want to prioritize seeing first
@rodneylives on what list?

2024's first book! Very entertaining to learn the history behind a game that, at first glance, really doesn't deserve a whole book.

Might have to play a few rounds in the morning. Thanks, @[email protected]!

(comment on Minesweeper)

Minesweeper - BookWyrm

If you had some free time and a Windows PC in the 1990s, your mouse probably crawled its way to Minesweeper, an exciting watch-where-you-click puzzle game with a ticking clock and a ton of “just one more game” replayability. Originally sold as part of a “big box” bundle of simple games, Minesweeper became a cornerstone of the Windows experience when it was pre-installed with every copy of Windows 3.1 and decades of subsequent OS updates. Alongside fellow Windows gaming staple Solitaire, Minesweeper wound up on more devices than nearly any other video game in history. Sweeping through a minefield of explosive storylines, Journalist Kyle Orland reveals how Minesweeper caused an identity crisis within Microsoft, ensnared a certain Microsoft CEO with its addictive gameplay, dismayed panicky pundits, micromanagers, and legislators around the world, inspired a passionate competitive community that discovered how to break the game, and predicted the rise of casual gaming by nearly two decades.

Starting off my goal for 2024 of reading at least 18 books with something a little lighter. Been looking forward to reading this since I backed it on Kickstarter. I've enjoyed reading @[email protected] as long as I've been reading @[email protected].

(comment on Minesweeper)

Minesweeper - BookWyrm

If you had some free time and a Windows PC in the 1990s, your mouse probably crawled its way to Minesweeper, an exciting watch-where-you-click puzzle game with a ticking clock and a ton of “just one more game” replayability. Originally sold as part of a “big box” bundle of simple games, Minesweeper became a cornerstone of the Windows experience when it was pre-installed with every copy of Windows 3.1 and decades of subsequent OS updates. Alongside fellow Windows gaming staple Solitaire, Minesweeper wound up on more devices than nearly any other video game in history. Sweeping through a minefield of explosive storylines, Journalist Kyle Orland reveals how Minesweeper caused an identity crisis within Microsoft, ensnared a certain Microsoft CEO with its addictive gameplay, dismayed panicky pundits, micromanagers, and legislators around the world, inspired a passionate competitive community that discovered how to break the game, and predicted the rise of casual gaming by nearly two decades.

@sandhu I’m not looking for replies, just looking for the people I’m following to post more
My followers feed on here has absolutely died. If you're still looking for me I'm mainly posting on bsky as KyleOrl these days...
@lfrum email me at Kyle.orland@gmail
Doing most of my posting on Bluesky these days. I have an invite if someone needs one, more likely to share if I know you IRL or virtually

Today marks the "official" launch date of my Minesweeper book from Boss Fight Books, which is now available booksellers like Amazon

It's the perfect opportunity to run a review/interview/excerpt/etc. to help fill in the summer news doldrums. Hint hint!

https://bossfightbooks.com/products/minesweeper-by-kyle-orland

Minesweeper by Kyle Orland