Comments on: We’re Developing a game!… not really.

By: Missalot

Missalot — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 01:02:42 +0000

Oh I love talking about games. I hesitate to call myself a ‘gamer’ just because of the hilarity of that sentiment, but I have thought long and hard about how games work and why they work the way they do. Twine might not be a game, but I would argue that the interactive nonfiction project that we are working on can be considered a game, albeit a small one. Some of the projects we’ve heard about in class sound so fun that I would play them if I encountered them out in the wild.

In some of my research for another one of my classes (I’m writing an essay about games, shocker, I know), I found that there’s actually a lot of debate about what constitutes a game and how interactivity plays into game development! Building something with a ‘player’ in mind is step one to that. I think we’re well on our way with your projects!

By: The01Raven

The01Raven — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 21:31:12 +0000

You emphasize suspense, which I think is a interesting perspective of choices. Usually I think of choices in video games being informed by the information you have, your perspective within the game, and what you are hoping to achieve. But reframing it with the idea of suspense makes me ask, what if the lack of information is what makes a choice interesting? It makes me rethink how I approach video games and how I would design one. Moreover, what does that make of Puzzle games? Puzzle games are all about giving the player a good amount of information then letting them put the pieces together. But what if we reframed it as though the fun comes from the lack of knowledge of how the pieces come together?

I do think this raises issue with the conception of Mastery. Mastery is no longer about suspense or risk, it is about demonstrating skill over the mechanics, it comes after the suspense.

Great post, you’ve given me a lot to think on!

By: Bryson

Bryson — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 19:10:33 +0000

You discuss Twine and how it can be used to create games. You mixed in the elements that will make a game successful, like audience, suspense, and game choices. One thing in particular that you said that stood out to me was the line “By including options for the player, this will provide ways to access all representations of what the player can be.” It is important for all players to find something they can enjoy in the game, and your statement talks about that. I like the phrasing of “representations” because that’s what the game really is, a simple representation of what the player can be rather than the player actually being something. You also mention suspense and how important it is. I will say suspenseful moments during games are the most enjoyable.