News & Views
3/12/16-3/18/16
Happy
Friday everyone! This week has been an interesting one. I’m thankful to be
heading into the weekend though, especially considering that all of Daredevil S2 just posted this morning.
How many will I watch? Only time will tell. The excellent Salt & Sanctuary might dampen my binge watching a bit. The game
is so good!
News &
Views is your weekly dose of excellent gaming writing. Opinion pieces,
editorial, uncovered stories and more! Check out the links below for great articles
about the brilliance of Downwell’s
gunboots, why an increasing number of women are choosing virtual boyfriends
over the real deal, and how Supercell has one of the most ruthless production
dogmas in the business.
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
Pete Ellis, Gamasutra
Worth Reading
Zack Kotzer, Kill Screen
Caty McCarthy, Kill Screen
Colin Campbell, Polygon
Allegra Frank, Polygon
Pip Usher, Vogue
With Comments
Patrick Miller, Giantbomb
I’ve held the belief that Street Fighter II did more than eat my quarters. It taught me how to adapt on the fly,
to master a strategy, and to better myself. Fighting games have long been part
of my gaming wheelhouse and for a good reason—the same reason that Patrick
Miller writes about. Fighting games can teach you how to learn. There aren’t
many better vehicles for self-improvement than eSports, and for me
specifically, fighting games. Give them a shot.
Kris Graft, Gamasutra
Following widespread talk about the game
online, I downloaded my first Supercell game ever last week: Clash Royale. I bemoaned the unbelievable success of what felt like the disingenuous
and debatably terrible Clash of Clans. I
hated what it represented. But Clash
Royale is actually quite fun. It got me
thinking. How does Supercell make such huge hits? Turns out the answer is quite
simple: ruthless production. The company is unafraid to kill projects left and
right if they don’t meet the right level of quality. Graft spotlights Supercell’s
fascinating approach to game development. Well worth reading.
Sharang Biswas, Zam
I’ve always wondered why Heroes of the Storm has a tolerable online community. I would even go so far to say that
it’s an exceptional one, considering that the game is a MOBA. I’ve had my own
theories, most of which align with the points raised by Sharan Biswas in this
excellent piece. It all comes down to smart game design. Biswas and others
suspect that much of the MOBA hostility comes from fighting over shared
resources & responsibilities. Heroes
alleviates some of this tension (and subsequent toxicity) by offering players
fewer choices (less ways to ‘screw up’ on a macro-level), no gold economy
(simplicity), team experience points (feeling of unification, focuses fight on
enemy and less between members of the same team). All of these design decisions
reduce inherent intra-team hostility. No wonder Heroes is by far my favorite MOBA.
Cassandra Khaw, Eurogamer
Danganronpa Trigger Happy
Havoc is an awesome game. It really is.
But why? Why do we have so much fun playing as a group of teenagers trapped in
a school who are forced to kill each other? Cassandra Khaw shares some insight
as to why. To summarize her article briefly: children are monsters. They lack
the full grasp on what it means to operate in a civil society, and therefore
their interactions can be fascinating. Further, Danganronpa plays with our deep-seated mistrust of others,
since we can never know someone’s true intentions. And finally, kids are our
future. So it is extra unsettling when we see harm coming their way. You should
read the article and you should play Danganronpa. Which reminds me, I have the sequel sitting untouched on my Vita.
That needs to be fixed.
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