What Games Are

The Storysense of Call of Duty MW3

I often say that videogames are not a storytelling medium. They can’t tell tightly structured tales because the player gets in the way, and this is why there are no great game stories.

However I also often say that videogames are a great medium for storysense. An excellent example is the new Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 3. This article looks at how Modern Warfare 3 conveys its sense of story, and how it sometimes gets it wrong, as a lesson for what you might do in your game.

(PS: Watch out, there are spoilers.)

Currencies and Other Numbers [Game Design]

It’s somewhat fashionable to label any number in a game a currency. In practise, however, it gets a little confusing.

Anyone can grasp the idea that in-game gold is a currency, but what about your character’s health or experience points? Advocates might say that the player is trading health for damage or progress during the course of the game. But to most people that’s pretty tenuous.

I prefer to think of currency as one type of resource instead. This is a post about different types of resources that you could use in your game (including currency) and some guidelines on how to use them well.

Pick Up The Gun

You may know the joke:

Jack Palance throws a gun at the feet of a shepherd and says "Pick up the gun" to goad the shepherd into action. The shepherd complains at first, then tries to pick it up and shoot. And he is killed by Jack.

"You all saw it", declares Palance, "He had a gun".

The throw down is a scenario.
The gun is an action.
The likely reaction of Palance is a factor.
There is pressure, a risk of death.

"Pick up the gun"
This is what games are.

(with thanks to Bill Hicks)