In last week’s article I examined some of the most interesting and common hidden mechanics in games. However, there is one category of hidden mechanics that is more varied and pervasive than any other – mechanics that adjust the game’s difficulty and balance. These mechanics are collectively known as dynamic difficulty adjustment. Dynamic difficulty adjustment…
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Video games are a wonderfully unique art form because of the way they create experiences. Because you, the player, control what happens it creates a level of immersion and investment that cannot be matched by any other medium. You aren’t just watching something happen – you are making it happen. Shaping these experiences is what…
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In video games there are few things as fundamental as moving your character around the screen. Whether it’s 2D or 3D, a shooter or an RPG, most games will put the player in control of a character that then has to walk, run, jump or fly around the screen. Because moving around seems so basic,…
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Last week I began this two part article about the concept of difficulty in games. In part 1 (which you can find here) I looked at whether modern games were too easy, and some of the considerations designers should keep in mind regarding adding difficulty settings to their games. In this part I am instead…
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Lately I have been playing through the game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and I can confirm that the rumors are true – this game is hard as heck. This is pretty much par for the course for FromSoftware, the makers of Sekiro, who are well known for making BloodBorne and the Dark Souls series. These…
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With all of the buzz around Death Stranding, including the recent release date reveal, it’s designer Hideo Kojima has been on a lot of people’s minds lately. Even though very little is still known about this game, the simple fact that it is Kojima’s first independent work makes it worthy of hype, intrigue, and over-analysis.…
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When I think of Pinball machines my mind is filled with contradictions. With its blinking electronic displays and sounds it seems incredibly modern, and yet its inherently mechanical nature makes it feel like a relic of a bygone era. Its mechanics are so simple, and yet mastering them and learning the unique intricacies of a…
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My name is Jesper Juul, and I am a ludologist [Noun. Video Game Researcher]. This is my blog on game research and other important things.
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About Board Games of All Sorts — but Especially Eurogames
