Lots of behind-the-scenes articles written recently. Lots meaning two. This is the second; that was the first.

Part of the genuinely terrific Orange Box collection, Portal made me feel like a complete idiot when I first played though it. The vile curse words I strung together while trying to figure out the latter levels bordered on the poetic. This month’s Game Developer magazine has a look at how the game first came about. From the first idea to overcoming technical difficulties that I don’t understand, not being a programmer, the excerpts make it seem like a fun read. I’m very much in favor of fun reads, especially on a post-CES Friday afternoon. Hopefully the rain wil end soon.

Thinking With Portals [GameDeveloper via Gamasutra via Kotaku]