Game Design Blog — Cheryl-Jean Leo

game design theory, concepts and techniques

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  • Game Design

    real video games for readers of tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin

    May 29, 2023 /

    Gabrielle Zevin’s novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow follows three young game designers as they start a video game company.  The book refers to several real-world games, in particular retro favourites like Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong, which a…

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  • Game Design

    what root and other board games gain and lose in digital format

    January 23, 2023 /

    Modern board games suffer from the difficulty of onboarding new players.  More often than not, players rely on one patient friend who has either played the game before or read all the rules prior to the gaming session. As the…

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  • Game Design

    the power of wildermyth’s modular storytelling in game design

    December 26, 2022 /

    Every once in a while, a game comes along that changes the way we think about interactive storytelling.  Undoubtedly, Wildermyth has this star quality.  The tactical RPG uses procedural generation to author stories in a unique way, chaining up series…

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  • Game Design

    justice for player two: balancing couch co-op in video games

    December 12, 2022 /

    The LEGO video games are some of my favourite couch co-op experiences.  As a franchise, they have a strong awareness of what they are: pure, wholesome, family fun, and they don’t try to be anything else.  In particular, I enjoy…

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  • Game Design

    listening to the voice of elohim in the talos principle

    November 28, 2022 /

    When I played The Talos Principle, the puzzle game by Croteam released in 2014, it brought to mind other great puzzle games.  Though it can get lost in the shuffle between the legacy of Myst (1993) and the star power…

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  • Game Design

    the subtle storytelling of the video game inside

    October 10, 2022 /

    Since it’s October again, it’s time for my traditional post about a spooky game.  Last year, I wrote about the innovative use of death in the mechanics of Limbo, and this year I’m excited to tackle the storytelling of Inside.…

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  • Game Design

    wingspan bonus cards reference list with applicable birds

    September 26, 2022 /

    Wingspan’s bonus cards showcase the thoughtful balance of the board game.  In the original game, there are twenty-six bonus cards that award the player who has them bonus points for achieving different goals. As an exercise, I’ve created a list…

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  • Game Design

    raft is a video game about raft-building, not survival

    May 9, 2022 /

    Raft is a raft-building game first, and a survival game second. The open world video game was developed by Redbeet Interactive, and published by Axolot Games.  It was released on Steam as an early access title in May 2018, and…

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  • Game Design

    wingspan game review: the best cards match strategy mechanics to real birds

    March 14, 2022 /

    If there’s one game that’s captured my imagination — and my time — recently, it’s Wingspan.  I’ve played dozens of rounds of the bird-themed board game, against friends and against the AI on Steam. Wingspan is about collecting bird cards…

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