The Impact Factor

News & Views

10/15/16-10/21/16

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and compiles them into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about a level that took 300 hours to make, how consoles are compromising their ‘play now’ identity, a core failure of military shooter video games, and why is it is difficult to make a video game.

And of course please check out the brand new episode of The Impact Factor podcast that was posted today! You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or if you prefer other methods, check out our SoundCloud. We’re on YouTube too!

Spotlight

Why It's So Hard to Make a Video Game

Tina Amini, Waypoint

Worth Reading

The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker's dungeon design

Mark Brown, Boss Keys

Why 'Skyrim' Forever Remains in the Shadow of 'Morrowind'

Jim Trinca, Waypoint

Doom 2 modder spends 300 hours making a three-hour level

Jeffrey Matulef, Eurogamer

Why VR Is the Next Step for Walking Simulator Games

Matthew Walden, Rolling Stone

How Consoles Broke The 'Play Now' Promise

Jim Sterling, The Jimquisition

Skyrim modder creates mysterious potion and has no clue what it even does

Steven Messner, PC Gamer

Virtual war zones and the failure of the military shooter

Dan Hill, Kill Screen

The Art of Escape: What do we gain from giving inmates access to video games?

Ryan Bradley, Longreads