Framing and World of Warcraft’s Rest System

One of my favorite things about human psychology is how a punishment can be turned into a reward just by changing the way it’s framed. A few years ago a friend of mine was serving on the boar…

One of the more famous psychology lessons from World of Warcraft - framing is everything. Players hated the “rest” system when it was seen as a penalty for playing too long; they loved it when it was seen as a reward for spending time not playing.

Skill Up illuminates the history of the loot box from its surprising origin in a side mode in a soccer game to where we are today with the Star Wars Battlefront II backlash, as well as discussion of potential legal regulation of loot boxes as a form of gambling and why this is an existential threat to EA.

Q&A: Translating the humor & tone of Yakuza games for the West

"The humor of a Yakuza game is a fine line to walk," says localization producer Scott Strichart in this in-depth chat about localization, the Yakuza games, and the ins and outs of Japanese humor.

A look at the challenges of localizing the Yakuza series of games for the West and the strategies Atlus has developed to overcome them (in particular working with both editors and translators together). I was intrigued by how important it is to have editors with strong understanding of the characters.

Arin Hanson’s short but brilliant series on design evolution in game sequels. His insights are valuable and delivered entertainingly - in particular, he provides the definitive examination of the finely-crafted opening level of Mega Man X.

On Dark Souls and Easy Modes

I. One time I was hanging out with a friend while she was streaming Dark Souls. She was in Sen’s Fortress, and there were these weird boulders rolling around the level. When she got outside, …

Cameron Kunzelman points out the strange assumptions inherent in the discussion around whether Dark Souls should have an Easy Mode and explains why the common objections seem to lack merit. There’s some good discussion in the comments as well.

Gamasutra - Postmortem: Indigo Prophecy

Published in edited form in the June/July issue of sister magazine Game Developer, Gamasutra is proud to present the full, extended postmortem for Quantic Dream's fascinating console title Indigo Prophecy / Fahrenheit, as described by creator David Cage.

Probably my favorite postmortem, this look back at 2005’s Indigo Prophecy has a lot of valuable insights. The one that’s stuck with me the most is that when writing a story, you can make the audience believe anything - but only once. An impossible premise is not a problem, but adding more impossibilities later is likely to backfire.