Extra Credits

A video game takes up more of our time than movies, TV, or books, but they have far less to say. Literally: while TV scripts have about 120 words per minute of dialogue, we timed several narrative heavy games at about 16 words per minute. Many of those words are aimed at giving the player game information, not plot exposition, but even so, games like Destiny waste the time they do have on instructional text or throwaway lines. Characters simply restate what's going on around them or make meaningless comments to cover the gap in boring sections of gameplay. Contrast that with the Witcher 3, which dispenses instructions in five words and then proceeds to tell a story. Good dialogue should meet at least one of four basic criteria: 1) Tells us about the world 2) Tells us about the speaker 3) Tells us about other characters, or 4) Moves the plot forward. When games have so few words to build their story, it's a shame to see those opportunities wasted on filler.

The television show "Mr. Robot" provides a very good example of how to get the most of a scene. SPOILER ALERT in this episode and this description! In episode 9, the show reveals that the antagonist is actually a facet of the hero's split personality. In the scene where it's revealed, they use music that not only reflects the protagonist's state of mind, it also references Fight Club, a movie with a similar story reveal that used the same music. With this simple choice, they have created both an internal reference - the mindset of the character - and an external reference - the similarity to Fight Club - which come together to form a richer interpretation for the viewer of the show. Let us know in the comments about games you've played that also manage to pack multiple messages into a few simple references!

The European Union (EU) has passed laws regulating free-to-play games, but their focus has been on limiting the way Free-to-Play games target children. It's not a bad start, but since children only make up a small sliver of the F2P market, it still leaves the major targets of predatory F2P companies unprotected. People with depression, compulsive personalities, or people who form close bonds with the internet community are deliberately exploited by companies that expect to pump thousands of dollars of revenue out of a single one of these users by preying upon human psychology. We're leary of the form that F2P regulatory laws could take, especially seeing as the versions in the EU triggered both Apple and Google to overcompensate by punishing innocent developers, but as long as companies continue to build game economies on the assumption that they can exploit these "whales" then we are running a dangerous risk of requiring government intervention to protect the players.

It's a brand new year, and there a few interesting trends we're keeping an eye on as 2016 shapes up. For starters, the Portable Steam Machine may create a unique space for itself in the market. Since Apple devices like the iPad took over the mobile scene, there haven't really been any portable games designed around a controller input other than Nintendo 3DS - and its control scheme is unique enough to make porting to other systems difficult. The Portable Steam Machine, on the other hand, is built to play on both a handheld and a computer and it has a built in controller that unlocks diffferent avenues for game designers wishing to be successful in multiple sections of the market. We're also keeping an eye on the rapid acquisitions of non-Chinese game developers by Chinese corporations like Tencent and Snail Games. The quiet but rapid rush of acquisition we've seen over the last year has now reached a phase where it needs to pay off, and Chinese companies need to be more strategic about their investments. But they've been largely more hands-off than Western firms like EA when they acquire games, and the relationship between Riot Games and Tencent (which recently acquired 100% ownership) will serve as a bellwether to see how this shakes out. On similar lines, China recently lifted its ban on consoles, so we may see new Chinese game developers form to build games in their new console market. We're interested in whether those games remain in China or become localized and exported to other countries, bringing another new voice and new cultural perspective to game design. Finally, we hope to see whether the Western acquisition bubble will pay off. Microsoft and Activision invested billions of dollars into acquiring Minecraft and King Games (Candy Crush), respectively - even more than Disney paid for the acquisition of Marvel or Lucasfilm. If these investments pay off, expect to see a change in the valuation of all game development companies - but if not, expect to see in

Why are there no good movies about video games? We asked our friend Movie Bob to weigh in, since this topic is his specialty. And there's no single answer to it. True, video games have a different storytelling style because of their interactive nature, but books and plays and even song also have different approaches that have been adapted successfully. The bigger concern is that the people with money and the power to make decisions in the film industry didn't grow up with our classic games. Looking back to Tim Burton's Batman, that movie was a hit that spawned multiple comic book movies - but they were all based off old franchises (Dick Tracy) or new fads (Spawn) instead of the most popular and enduring characters (Spiderman). They picked the wrong properties. Another challenge is that in games, caring about the story isn't necessarily part of caring about the game. Street Fighter has a narrative that most players don't even know about. But what if there's something worth adapting about a game aside from its story or mechanics? What if you adapted its core gameplay: a first-person experience of war. It would be distinct, and it would be distinctly Call of Duty. It even has the potential to feel more personal for the audience and to tell a good, original story that may not even need to connect to the game beyond that persepective.

The most important skill for a game designer is understanding the fantasy or player experience their game wants to deliver. Dig deep into the genre of the game, study both the best and worst examples from all media to understand why people love that genre, and then design visuals, story, and mechanics that make the most of that understanding.

Pokemon Go demonstrated the potential of a well-themed augmented reality game to capture people's imagination, but as far as game design, it doesn't offer much. We take a look at how a hypothetical D&D competitor could use the same type of location and resource structure to make a more engaging and accessible game.

Free-to-Play mechanics bring persistence and progress to simple game systems, only to slam players into a frustrating paywall. But replace real money with in-game money that every player earns by enjoying the main single player game, and suddenly the same mechanics that make free-to-play so maddening become the foundation for a memorable and even beloved mini-game like Gwent or Blitzball.

Pokemon Go has taught us a lot about how to make real world games. Unfortunately some of it is what we really, really have to do better. Find out all the places where Pokemon Go stumbles.

When games and the real world meet, we have the chance to do some real good. Join us as we explore how we can use gaming in the real world to make the world a better place.

Dave and Max: Games can teach us about ourselves and games can teach us about the world. Sometimes it's important to see not only how games can help us understand ourselves but how our play prepares us to take on the challenges we'll we know we'll be forced to face. I hope this episode helps you step into these challenges without fear and helps arm you with the knowledge of how well prepared you really are.

Sony's announcement of the PS4 Pro is the next step in their gamble on PlayStation VR, but it also seems poised to end the console "generation gap" and make upgrades in the console market more like those in the PC gaming world. But is this a good thing?

Overwatch has the most wildly asymmetric levels we've seen in a multiplayer FPS. And yet, each level is meant to funnel players through a perfectly crafted interest curve. Does it work?

Overwatch's character diversity is its best feature, but it also makes each new map and new character much more challenging to create. How do the designers adapt each release to keep the game's variety of playstyles relevant and fun?

Ever wonder why characters in horror stories take so long to realize that the danger they're facing is real - and deadly? True horror turns our strengths against us, turning our rationality into a weapon that makes us doubt our own perception before we dare to question the reality we always trusted.

If you want to try games that feel different, that always feel new and ambitious even if they're not necessarily the most polished experiences, then check out this list of Games You Might Not Have Tried. We review and recommend interesting but under appreciated games on a variety of genres and platforms for you to discover and enjoy.

Video games let us be heroes who accomplish the impossible. They teach us to take control of difficult situations and find our way through. When we apply those lessons to our real lives, how much can we accomplish?

When players can generate their own money in infinite supply by killing monsters for in-game gold, MMO economies quickly get overrun by inflation. In the past we've talked about how designers can create gold sinks to solve this problem. Today we'll talk about other ways game designers approach it: by adapting the same tools used by economists in the real world.

Accretion happens when, instead of fixing broken mechanics, developers just build new ones and let the old ones become obsolete. It allows longterm projects like MMOs and yearly sequels to keep going as the new teams pick up where the old ones left off, but it can also bog the game down and make it completely inaccessible to new players.

Sara Winters, born with ocular albinism, was legally blind for most of her early life. Game therapy helped her brain learn to make sense of the images processed by her eyes: it helped her to read, to find friends and community, and to build a life helping others. She shares her story with us Because Games Matter.

Daniel Starkey had been through a difficult break-up that left him feeling alone in the world. He started playing Dark Souls, a difficult game that stranded him in another lonely world - but it helped him discover the patience and focus he needed to get himself back on track.

Zhenghua Yang (Z) woke up one night, choking on his own blood. His platelet count had dropped below fatal levels and doctors gave him only two hours to live. But Z survived. He spent two full years hospitalized, feeling lost and hopeless until video games brought him to a new sense of purpose and a community of friends. Now he develops his own video games to explore their potential to teach, inspire, and yes: save lives.