narrative design: storytelling methods in video games
Narrative design for video games has steadily become a profession and field of study within game design. In this post, I will give an overview of several narrative structures commonly used in video games. These frameworks aren’t mutually exclusive and…
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…
super nintendo world and the interactive theme park pipe dream
On 4 February, 2021, Super Nintendo World will be the first theme park to open during a pandemic. Okay, so it isn’t a standalone theme park, but a section of Universal Studios Japan. It is significant, however, because it’s first…
best travel video games for explorers, adventurers and experts
2020 has been a year of lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing. For travel enthusiasts, or even those of us who were looking forward to a drive away for the weekend or a trip home for the holidays, it’s been difficult. …
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…
