justice for player two: balancing couch co-op in video games
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…
the last guardian’s trico and companions in video games
In single-player games, the hero is often accompanied by one or more companion characters. In some cases, the companion fulfills a story purpose, such as the robot Six that accompanies you in Heaven’s Vault, providing commentary on the world’s history and…
wingspan bonus cards reference list with applicable birds
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…
inventing new player types outside the bartle taxonomy’s four
In 1996, co-creator of the first Multi-User Dungeon game (MUD) Richard Bartle published his theory of four player types. With his theory outlining the motivations of and interactions between achievers, explorers, killers and socialisers1, Bartle set a standard for the…
beyond bartle’s taxonomy: discover your game’s player types
Bartle’s Taxonomy of Player Types, or Player Type Theory1, is inescapable when learning about game design. Since Richard Bartle put down in writing the four player types he found in Multi-User Dungeon games (MUDs) in 1996, the theory has become…
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…
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…
gotham knights’ 4 playable bat-family characters: hopes and fears
One of my latest lockdown activities has been playing the eleven-year-old video game that put Batman games on the map, Arkham Asylum. That nostalgia, combined with my love of Batman, games and comics, had me on the edge of my…
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…
