Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan is the editorial identity under which Fantasy Arcade's guides and game write-ups are published. Everything on this page is stated plainly, including what that means and what it does not.

What this byline means

Alex Morgan is a pen name used consistently for the site's editorial output, not a claim about a specific individual's identity. We use a single byline because the guides speak with one voice and follow one set of standards, and because a reader is better served by knowing which standards apply than by a list of names.

We say this openly because the alternative - implying a particular person with particular credentials - would be a claim we could not support. There is no fabricated biography here, no invented degree, no imaginary employer and no award that does not exist.

The illustration accompanying this byline is a geometric monogram rather than a photograph, for the same reason. Presenting a generated or stock face as the site's editor would be a claim about a person who does not exist.

What the byline is responsible for

Every guide and every game write-up on this site. That includes the specific numbers they quote - point values, timing windows, spawn rates and difficulty figures - all of which are taken from the game code rather than estimated.

It also includes the corrections. When a guide is found to be wrong, it is changed and the updated date on the page moves. The fact-checking policy describes how that works.

Every game is played extensively before it is written about. A guide that describes what a game feels like at wave nine is written by somebody who has reached wave nine.

Areas covered

Browser games and HTML5 games generally: what they can do, what they cannot, and why so many of them feel worse than they should.

Arcade game mechanics: attack timing, combo systems, difficulty curves, scoring design and the specific reasons a game feels fair or unfair.

Game user experience: controls, readability, feedback and the small decisions - coyote time, input buffering, telegraph length - that decide whether a player blames themselves or the game.

Fantasy game design: creature legibility, environment design, and how a theme can carry mechanical information rather than just decorating it.

Casual and mobile browser gaming: short sessions, touch controls and what changes when a player has one thumb and ninety seconds.

How the guides are written

Each guide starts from a mechanic that exists in a game on this site. The behaviour is confirmed against the code, the game is played to check that the description matches the experience, and the guide is written from that.

Guides are drafted with the help of AI writing tools and are reviewed, corrected and fact-checked by a person before publication. We state that plainly on the editorial policy page rather than implying that every sentence was typed by hand.

Where a guide makes a general claim about human performance - reaction times, for instance - it says what it is based on and does not invent a statistic to support it.

Contact

Corrections, disagreements and bug reports are all welcome through the contact page. Guide corrections in particular are taken seriously: the guides quote a lot of specific numbers, and if one of them is wrong we want to know.

Social profiles are not currently maintained for this byline. When that changes, the links will appear here rather than pointing at placeholder accounts.

Guides by Alex Morgan

Frequently asked questions

Is Alex Morgan a real person?

Alex Morgan is the editorial identity under which the site's guides are published - a consistent pen name rather than a claim about a specific individual. We say so here rather than implying credentials we cannot support.

Why use a byline at all then?

Because a reader is entitled to know which editorial standards apply to what they are reading. The byline names a consistent set of standards, which are written out on the editorial policy page.

Are the guides written by AI?

They are drafted with AI assistance and then reviewed, corrected and fact-checked by a person before publication. The editorial policy explains the process in full.

Where do the numbers in the guides come from?

From the game code. Point values, timing windows and difficulty figures are taken from the source rather than estimated, which is why they can be quoted exactly.

Why is the portrait an illustration?

Because presenting a generated or stock photograph as the site's editor would be a claim about a person who does not exist.