how baba is you puts the spirit of play into puzzle games
I find puzzles a lot of fun, and I enjoy games very much. However, putting those two together is more complicated than it sounds. You see, while “puzzle games” is a common category in any gaming catalog, it is not…
why we don’t play “rock, paper, scissors, lizard, spock”
If you’ve seen The Big Bang Theory, you’ve heard of a game called “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock”. The TV show popularised Sam Kass and Karen Bryla’s expanded version of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, which included two more hand gestures, “Lizard” and…
legends of runeterra review: player agency in card games
Riot Games’ new collectible card game Legends of Runeterra is, in a word, frustrating. This is a game with high production value – polished graphics, animations and sound design as expected from the creators of League of Legends. And yet,…
storytelling of disney’s pirates of the caribbean ride… and the redhead (part 2)
In every Disney ride, there is a strong thread of storytelling running through the entire experience. After all, Disney is a company built on story, stemming from its roots in the film and animation industries. Its theme parks are best…
the history and design of disney’s pirates of the caribbean ride (part 1)
Pirates of the Caribbean has long been one of the most beloved rides at the Disney theme parks. It was the last ride personally overseen by Walt Disney, though it did not open in Disneyland until 1967, three months after…
kind words game review: a rare haven of companionship
Online games have long been notorious for toxicity amongst players. A 2019 study said that 74% of US gamers have experienced harassment in online multiplayer games, with offensive names and trolling or griefing topping the list of incidents1. As an…
hero power creep in hearthstone’s new demon hunter class (part 2)
Last time, I talked about the game design challenges of releasing the first new class to the online card game Hearthstone. As a refresher, the Demon Hunter class was so powerful, and therefore problematic, that Hearthstone developers nerfed several new…
the rapid rise and fall of hearthstone’s new demon hunter class (part 1)
Let’s face it, Hearthstone’s new Demon Hunter class was always going to be trouble. In its biggest update since Hearthstone’s release in 2014, the popular online card game added the first new class ever to its roster of playable heroes…
3 time zones, 1 board game: gaming together in a time of social distancing
My first thought about playing a board game online was that it was never going to work. Nowadays, getting a group of friends together is almost impossible without weeks of notice, and even then, at least one person is bound…
