Well, “small spaces” and constriction are two distinct things, Bonster. I have no fear of heights qua heights but strongly dislike being near a ledge or window in a tall building. Yet I have no problem at all with window seats on airplanes.

As for claustrophilia, first of all that rocks, and second of all, what does it mean when you both love small spaces and get totally freaked out by them at the same time?  The idea of wiggling through an air duct, for example… Jeezie, it just makes me want to die.  Maybe it’s the masochist in me havin’ a ball.

You’re no slacker Bonnie, you’ve become increasingly accomplished in game’s journalism and I can see you becoming on of our premiere critics. And this medium needs that in a major way. It just happens that about eight months ago I started driving at becoming a small-time producer and let my journalism taper off, and you kept on at it. I’d say niether of us is a slacker, and I probably smoked a lot more pot in the meantime. :)

As far as the cave thing, thats interesting, but I’m actually incubating a casual game concept thats quite different. Its more like Nintendogs meets Calvin and Hobbes, but with a girl instead of a boy. I’m thinking the activities you can do with your pet will be different Calvin-esque escapisms, and cave delving makes a lot of sense, so that might become a minor part of the play.

Microcomputers, too. Wizardry: PGotMO was one long dungeon romp, as were Epyx’s Apshai games. Rogue and its manifold offspring also deserve a nod.

And outside of computing, of course, Gygax and Arneson didn’t call it *Dungeons* & Dragons for nothing.

(1) The love of tight, closed-off spaces is claustrophilia. Isaac Asimov openly admitted to having it. He once remarked that he would love to work in a subway magazine stand where he could lock himself in and read all day long.

(2) Scuba-diving in (underwater) caves is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Apart from being a qualified diver, the amount of training, planning and care is just ridiculous.