(#wartron) I paused just inside the arcade's front door to let my eyes adjust. Adjust to the low light; adjust to a new intensity of purpose. I was in an arcade. There was an arcade in Tron. GC had to use this place in the upcoming WarTron game. So: look around. What could be used as a puzzle? Try to think like a game designer, try to think like a puzzle designer. Think. Look. Look around. Look harder. My eyes adjusted, my attitude adjusted. Think look think look thinklookthinklook.

Thus, I nearly jumped out of my socks when I saw "Acorn Pooley" out of the corner of my eye. This was just the kind of thing I was looking for. Just a couple of words, just a name seen out of the corner of my eye—and my brain was already weaving stories around it. Acorn plays puzzlehunt games. Acorn runs puzzlehunt games. Maybe he was helping to run this one, had left behind some evidence. I whipped my head around.

I was looking at an arcade game, Gauntlet Dark Legacy. Specifically, I was looking at its credits screen scrolling past. Acorn used to work at Midway, had legitimately worked on this game I was standing next to. Maybe I was getting started on the paranoia a little early this time.

When I told Acorn about this, he nodded sagely and said, "Yeah, we've been setting up this game for a long time." But he was kidding. I'm pretty sure he was kidding. Pretty sure.