Ever since video games moved from arcades to home consoles we have seen video games develop into the method of development and release which is similar to how board games are released, as a product. However, with the advent of mobile gaming, specifically phone and tablet gaming, we have seen games return to a games as a…
Category: Player Behavior
All or nothing affinity: Why NPC interactions are broken
In roleplaying games conversation trees, and dialogue options open up a world of character expression and interaction with the non player characters. Whether it is as simple as talking to a bartender to tap into the rumors floating about town, or diving deep into the history of a companion to learn their motivations for joining you…
Consumed by the Commonwealth: Resistance is futile
Resisting the fallout During my first full playthrough of Fallout 4, which you can read more about in my article The world that he wants: the aftermath of siding with Shaun, I focused on being a morally good character, but there is a disconnect that comes from trying to maintain a goody two shoes outlook…
How genres shape the impact of a game: Strategy & Simulation
Genres and what a game means to a player The use of genres to identify and categorize the content of different forms of art is nothing new, however the change in genre in games can have a massive impact on the gameplay experience. The differences and defining points of genres within gaming have grown and…
How genres shape the impact of a game: Forum for Creativity
Genres and what a game means to a player The use of genres to identify and categorize the content of different forms of art is nothing new, however the change in genre in games can have a massive impact on the gameplay experience. The differences and defining points of genres within gaming have grown and…
How genres shape the impact of a game: Roleplaying Narratives
Genres and what a game means to a player The use of genres to identify and categorize the content of different forms of art is nothing new, however the change in genre in games can have a massive impact on the gameplay experience. The differences and defining points of genres within gaming have grown and…
How genres shape the impact of a game: Competition
Genres and what a game means to a player The use of genres to identify and categorize the content of different forms of art is nothing new, however the change in genre in games can have a massive impact on the gameplay experience. The differences and defining points of genres within gaming have grown and…
Analyzing games: studying vs consuming
*Not actual gameplay footage (A detailed aircraft model featured in a Mobile Strike ad but not in the game itself) When I reviewed Mobile Strike a few months ago in my article Mobile Strike: complexity vs depth, I was incredibly let down by the gameplay experience. The experience shown in Mobile Strike‘s over-the-top, budget-busting ad campaigns, showcasing high-octane…
Going with what works: why designing a game requires a surrender to change
When a developer decides to create a game they often begin with wanting to create an experience they themselves find interesting. The truth of the matter is, as I discussed in my article Children are Game Designer: how child’s play mirrors professional game development; developers are children at heart, seeking ways to express play, with the…
Off the top ropes: always playing the underdog and only winning by an upset
I have always loved playing video games, and I’ve never felt that they were impossible for me to beat. However, when it came time to play against my friends it became clear that some of them were way better than me at the games we played. Thus I figured out early on that if I…
Cause and effect: the Mass Effect trilogy in 17 days
Just a few…more…games… As the last console generation drew to a close, I lamented the transition into the next generation, the cost of a new console, the lack of backwards compatibility, meaning I would need to start an entirely new library with games and franchises not yet proven to have what I so loved about…
I chose to save Roman and Niko took revenge: blurring identities and the gamer experience
The bewildered audience The worst fear that is often associated with video games is that the player will lose the ability to distinguish themselves from the characters they play. Examples include players who play Grand Theft Auto getting the urge to steal cars, Call of Duty players becoming obsessed with firearms and killing sprees, or…
Play Professor 