scavenger hunt: a storytelling technique for video games
If you’ve studied narrative design for games, you’re probably familiar with many different frameworks for interactive storytelling. Narrative design has grown into its own field within game design, with books, courses and experts on the topic. In The Art of Game…
the best improvements to hearthstone’s rewards track
I’ll admit, I give Hearthstone a hard time on this blog. But that’s only because I have such a high standard for the awesome card game that captured my imagination way back in 2014. It’s been a mainstay on my gaming list…
what went wrong with hearthstone’s new reward system
In November 2020, Blizzard revamped Hearthstone‘s reward system in a major way for the first time since the popular card game’s release in 20141. But after the new reward system’s release on 11th November, there was an outcry amongst unhappy…
an analysis of gender and roles of league of legends champions
There is a persistent stereotype in multiplayer games that females tend to play support characters. For example, it’s common to hear that women exclusively main the healer Mercy in Overwatch, which was addressed in a popular 2017 Reddit post by…
breath of the wild 2: why a playable zelda is not good enough
Ever since I played my first Legend of Zelda game – it was Link’s Awakening, if you were curious – I’ve wondered why I was playing as Link in a series named for Zelda. Eventually, I stopped asking questions, because that was…
phasmophobia review: a ghost game about shared scares
Despite being in early access, the indie VR/PC psychological horror game Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games) has become the it-game of the 2020 Halloween season. The 4-player co-op psychological horror game has you tracking down and identifying ghosts like a modern-day Scooby-Doo…
scare tactics: game design of fear in dead by daylight
October has rolled around, which means Halloween and all the associated spooky celebrations. And since I’ve not been able to partake in many of my favourite Halloween activities, like pumpkin picking and costume making, I’ve kept up with the gaming…
recipe for horror: asymmetric multiplayer and slasher video games
Since it’s spooky season, I thought I’d write a post on a game mode that is the perfect match for horror video games. I’m talking about asymmetric multiplayer, in which different players play and experience the game in a different…
teamfight tactics feels like a solved puzzle, so why am i still playing it?
When Teamfight Tactics came out a year ago, it was the latest in a 2019 fad of “auto battlers” or “auto chess” games. This craze started with a Dota mod called Dota Auto Chess that came out in January, which…
