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The Disunity of Assassin's Creed: Unity
In this post I examine an example of a game with solid standalone parts that don't connect into a cohesive experience.
Aug. 11, 2016
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Robin Hunicke hopes her games 'encourage people to help one another'
"We've been spending a lot of time thinking about mechanics & systems as an industry," the Funomena cofounder tells Eurogamer, adding that real-world troubles need "the counterbalance of playfulness."
Aug. 10, 2016
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How Spry Fox was 'built to be a cockroach' that can survive the game industry
Flying Saucer Media published a brief video documenting, in its members' own words, how Spry Fox has managed to survive -- and thrive -- in the six years since it was founded.
Aug. 10, 2016
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Simple mechanics, complex puzzle creation. Can computer-aided puzzle design help us create fair, fun and interesting challenges?
Can computer-aided puzzle design help us create fair, fun and interesting challenges? Let's find out discussing our approach in Skiddy, The Slippery puzzle, puzzle game with simple play mechanics but a complex level creation problem. Part 1
Aug. 10, 2016
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Game Jam Reflections and Practical Advice
Dustin Triplett, founder of Dirty Joystick Games, salvages inspirational life lessons from the smoldering wreckage of a failed game jam.
Aug. 10, 2016
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Spoiled for choice: The psychology of choice overload in games, and how to avoid it
It's easy to give your players too much choice. This post discusses the literature on excess choice and its relevance to designing choices in games. Crucially, evidence suggests that choice overload is most likely to damage the experience of new players.
Aug. 10, 2016
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Hunt The Syntax, Part Two
This series sets out the historical roots of the text puzzle and the influence it has had on the evolution of video games. It begins with the first text adventures, moves on to the representation of the quest within MUDs. Part two of two.
Aug. 10, 2016
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Compulsion loop is withdrawal-driven
The compulsion loop is one of the most popular ways to keep players motivated. Here is an analysis of the inner mechanisms at play at psychological level, a recipe on how to build one, and the limits of this tool.
Aug. 10, 2016
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3 first-impressions of No Man's Sky
Gamasutra editor-in-chief Kris Graft has an existential crisis, ponders game marketing, and admires proc-gen technology, thanks to No Man's Sky.
Aug. 10, 2016
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No Man's Sky dev talks about dealing with excessive fan enthusiasm
In an ask-me-anything session on Reddit, Hello Games' Sean Murray offers insight into why developers can't say much even as fans clamor for answers about their game.
Aug. 9, 2016
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PC game pirates begin to find cracks in Denuvo anti-piracy tech
Vice Gaming reports that several pirates have begun to break through the protections offered by Denuvo's Anti-Tampering software.
Aug. 9, 2016
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A comic look at the weird business of game development
Indie game dev and artist Dominique Ferland has published a quartet of one-panel comics that illustrate (with disarmingly cute characters) some of the weird idiosyncracies of life as a game developer.
Aug. 9, 2016