For more than twenty years, International Hobo Ltd has been helping developers, publishers, and researchers understand how and why people play games. We provide fixed-price support with game design, narrative design, and dialogue scripting to both publishers and developers. We were the first company to coin the phrase 'narrative design', we founded the IGDA's Game Writing Special Interest Group and won their MVP prize, and our award-winning work has been praised by everyone from the IEEE to Jane McGonigal. You can learn about what we offer on the Services page, and discover (some) of the games we've worked upon at the Softography page (many projects are covered by NDA—some we never get to say we worked on!). Join us on our next adventure!

Have a situation we can help with? Get in touch!
Check the Contact page, or find our Founder, Chris Bateman, on Twitter as @SpiralChris.

Want to keep an eye on what we're up to?
Subscribe to the monthly Newsletter.

Want to be part of our community?
Join our Discord server.

Big things are brewing at International Hobo… After nearly two decades of providing our acclaimed game design and narrative services to nearly 60 clients on four continents, we are opening a new office in downtown Manchester and putting together development teams to work on some intriguing game projects of our own. We’re still delivering our award-winning services to clients, but over the next few years we’ll also be dipping our own toes into development and publishing – not to mention some crowdfunding to help those projects get off the ground.

To help our loyal fans, clients, friends, and associates stay abreast of what we’re up to, we’re launching a new email Newsletter, The Chronicles of International Hobo, as a place for keeping track of our game projects, speaking gigs, and crowdfunding campaigns, as well as contractor and staff openings. We’d be truly grateful to anyone who wants to sign up for the Newsletter, using the box in the sidebar here, or via the landing page over at TinyLetter.

We will still be posting updates here at ihobo.com, but the Newsletter will provide additional behind-the-scenes information that won’t be here on the site, including opportunities to collaborate with us on game projects in ways we’ve never offered before.

Please sign up for the Newsletter – and thank you for supporting International Hobo!

Over on another of my blogs, you’ll find a developing discussion of cybervirtue, the positive qualities of cyborgs – like you and your smartphone. Thoughts, pushback, and further contributions welcome!

Taking my Autumnal break from social media, but feel free to leave comments in my absence and I’ll reply as soon as I get back in December.

Over on Only a Game today, details of the special double serial I will be running both here and there throughout June. Entitled Foucault’s Archaeology (Only a Game) and Player Practices (ihobo), it ties in with the ten year anniversary of Only a Game on July 1st.

Caster slows down time in order to contemplate a problem or take a break from blogging. Only verbal and somatic components are required to cast this spell.

ihobo will return soon.

Because my readership is partly in Europe, partly in the US, and partly scattered across the globe, I am experimenting with new posting times. I previously ran all posts on Only a Game and ihobo.com at 10:30 am GMT. For the near future, I will be posting at 6:00 pm GMT instead. This is based on trying to minimise any impact from time zones on my readership. If you are affected by this change, do let me know your thoughts!

Cross-posted from Only a Game.

As usual, I'll be taking a short break from blogging and social media in November. Even though I'm away, I still welcome comments on any of the posts here (no matter when they were written!), and I'll be back some time in December with further ramblings. Enjoy the silence!

Having a new PC installed, which has delayed this week’s post – it’ll be ready next week, and takes a sceptical look at the idea of a player’s Bill of Rights. Stay tuned!

My original blog, Only a Game, is nine years old today! Why not pop over there and wish it many happy returns? As mentioned there, I’ll be taking a break from blogging for July but I will be back soon with more blog letters, replies, and philosophical game musings. Have fun!

ihobo will return in August.