figment: a mind full of incoherent video game design
For a game that’s set inside a human mind, Figment doesn’t make a lot of sense. Released in 2017 by Bedtime Digital Games, Figment is a single-player action-adventure game including platforming, puzzles, and boss battles where the boss sings an elaborately…
don’t starve together, with a little help from my friends
I was introduced to the ominous ink-drawing world of Klei Entertainment’s Don’t Starve by two bona fide experts, who invited me into a custom server of Don’t Starve Together one lazy winter afternoon. Between them, my friends had more than 2,000 hours of…
disney star wars: galactic starcruiser hotel’s biggest design challenges
Marketed as “a 2-night, immersive adventure”, Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel is set to open in Spring 2022. This project, first announced way back in summer 20171, will welcome guests on board a spaceship called the Halcyon. There, guests…
trial and death in the video game limbo
In celebration of spooky season, I usually write about my favourite spooky games. In the past, I’ve written about the game design of fear in Dead by Daylight and the fun of playing Phasmophobia with friends. This year, I’ve decided…
disney genie plus app and the game design of fastpass
FastPass has been an integral part of my experience visiting the Disney theme parks. Introduced in 1999, the system was initially designed as a virtual queue. At popular rides, FastPass kiosks printed a limited number of tickets for time slots…
80 days game review: reinventing travelling around the world
When I first started looking for games about travel, I was trying find a way to replicate a feeling that we’ve all been missing out on this past year. In a previous post, I wrote about some of the games…
the joy of watching untitled goose game: review
I’ve been going through a slump lately. So, when looking for a game to play (and later on which to do a game design review): something light, not too serious, without too much commitment, my gaze settled on the 2019…
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…
