Graham A. Nelson (born 1968) is a British mathematician, poet, and the creator of the Inform design system for creating

interactive fiction '' Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, is software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives, either in the ...

(IF) games. He has authored several IF games, including ''

Curses A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular ...

'' (1993) and '' Jigsaw'' (1995).

Education

In 1994, Nelson received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

under the supervision of

Simon Donaldson Sir Simon Kirwan Donaldson (born 20 August 1957) is an English mathematician known for his work on the topology of smooth (differentiable) four-dimensional manifolds, Donaldson–Thomas theory, and his contributions to Kähler geometry. H ...

Writing

Nelson co-edited ''

Oxford Poetry ''Oxford Poetry'' is a literary magazine based in Oxford, England. It is currently edited by Luke Allan. The magazine is published by Partus Press. Founded in 1910 by Basil Blackwell, its editors have included Dorothy L. Sayers, Aldous Huxley ...

'' and in 1997 received an

Eric Gregory Award The Eric Gregory Award is a literary award given annually by the Society of Authors for a collection by British poets under the age of 30. The award was founded in 1960 by Dr. Eric Gregory to support and encourage young poets. In 2021, the seve ...

from the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...

for his poetry. he was managing editor of Legenda, the imprint of the

Modern Humanities Research Association The Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA) is a United Kingdom–based international organisation that aims to encourage and promote advanced study and research of humanities. It is most notable for producing the ''MHRA Style Guide''. His ...

( MHRA).

Interactive fiction

Nelson is the creator of the Inform design system for creating

(IF) games. He has also authored several IF games, including ''

'' (1993) and '' Jigsaw'' (1995), using the experience of writing ''Curses'' in particular to expand the range of verbs that Inform is capable of understanding.

Personal life

Nelson is married to IF writer

Emily Short Emily Short is an interactive fiction (IF) writer. She is perhaps best known for her debut game ''Galatea'' and her use of psychologically complex non-player characters (NPCs). Short has been called "a visionary in the world of text-based game ...

Games

Written

* ''

'' (1993, Z-code) * ''

Deja Vu Deja or Dejah may refer to: * Deja News, an archive of messages posted to Usenet discussion groups and its successor ''deja.com'' * Andreas Deja (born 1957), German animator * Dejah Mulipola (born 1998), American softball player * Dejah Thoris, a ...

'' (1993, Z-code) * '' Balances'' (1994, Z-code) * '' Jigsaw'' (1995, Z-code) * '' The Meteor, the Stone and a Long Glass of Sherbet'' (as "Angela M. Horns", 1996, Z-code), for IF Comp 1996 (1st place). Was a finalist for Best Individual Puzzle, Best Puzzles, Best Writing, and Best Game at the XYZZY Awards 1996 * '' The Tempest'' (1997, Z-code), for IF Comp 1997 (25th place). Winner of Best Use of Medium at the XYZZY Awards 1997. * ''

Time and Dwarves Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'' (1998, Inform source code). Demo code for Inform programmers. * ''Ruins'' (as "Angela M. Horns", 2001) * '' The Reliques of Tolti-Aph'' (2006, Z-code)

Ported

* ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

'' * '' Adventureland'' * '' Crobe'' * '' Fyleet'' * ''

Quest for the Sangraal A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore o ...

Other works

* (1995) "The Craft of the Adventure" (2nd ed) * (1997) ''Singularities'', with Polly Clark and Tim Kendall. Oxford: Hubble Press. . Anthology of poetry * (2001) ''Inform Designers Manual'' (4th ed), with Gareth Rees. Placet Solutions,

References

External links

Homepage of Graham Nelson

Graham Nelson's entry in Baf's Guide to IF archive

IFWiki's page for Graham Nelson

* [https://www.filfre.net/2019/11/new-tricks-for-an-old-z-machine-part-2-hacking-deeper-or-follies-of-graham-nelsons-youth/ Graham Nelson's brief autobiography as of 2019, published by computer entertainment historian Jimmy Maher] {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Graham 1968 births Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge British video game designers British video game programmers English mathematicians Fellows of St Anne's College, Oxford Interactive fiction writers Living people English male poets