Extra Credits
Season 2014
A weekly show discussing various topics on the video game industry and the consumers.
Where to Watch Season 2014
51 Episodes
- Designing for YouthE12
Designing for YouthGood games inspire children to learn through play, whether in the classroom or at home. Understanding the educational needs of different age groups, from kindergarten to middle school, allows designers to create games that give children the opportunity to explore and grow. - Net NeutralityE13
Net NeutralityThe debate about net neutrality rages on, but the meaning of "open internet" vs. "closed internet" is seldom explained. Without an open or neutral internet, corporations like AT&T or Comcast can restrict bandwidth and charge people extra for faster connections or limit access to their competitors' services altogether. In the United States, a January 2014 ruling from the DC Circuit Court determined that the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) had no authority to enforce its previous rules about net neutrality. This opened the decision about how to govern the internet's future up to law makers in the US Congress. - ShovelwareE38
ShovelwareGames based on popular movies or books often turn out to be disappointing for fans of the original material. These poorly made cash-in games often spend most of their budget buying a brand license and then rush through development in order to match release deadlines. Especially now when they are moving to the growing mobile and handheld markets, their poor quality leaves a potential new base of consumers with a bad impression of games. Special thanks to Scot for the suggestion! Thanks for supporting us, Scot! - Big Bad IE39
Big Bad IVideo game villains that don't match the overall tone of the game distract the player and can become more of a laughing stock than a threat. Game designers must understand the two basic categories of bad guys (mechanics villains and narrative villains) and know not only when to use them but how to approach their design. - Big Bad IIE40
Big Bad IIVillains are people too. A compelling narrative villain does not just do evil things for the sake of being evil, but because their view of the world or the actions they've taken within it drive them to make choices which they see as necessary, or even good. Instead of just a big boss monster to defeat, these antagonist types force the protagonist to make choices and challenge how they see the world. - Digging DeeperE41
Digging DeeperOur brains have a tendency to gloss over the minute-to-minute action in video games, leaving us with a few minutes of distinct memories after hours of gameplay. Unlike with books or movies, we have been trained to turn our brains off or "veg out" during our game time, causing us to miss out on the full range of experience games have to offer. We can change this by making a conscious effort to focus on our games, especially when they bring more complex narratives or themes to the table. - Plan, Practice, ImproviseE42
Plan, Practice, ImproviseSuccessful game design requires focus, which means the designer must understand what types of play best suits their game and make sure that all the game mechanics support it. Planned gameplay allows many different solutions but gives players time to review their options, practice gameplay encourages strategic thinking within fixed maps or rules, and improvised gameplay forces players think on the fly to adapt to random elements. While some games use one category exclusively, most combine them to different degrees and find success in developing systems focused on a primary type of play. - Horror That LingersE43
Horror That LingersToo many horror games rely on "cheap" frights like jump scares or cliche monsters like zombies. While they may succeed in making the player afraid for a few moments, they rarely leave a lasting impression once the game is over. More horror should make use of the uncanny, creating scenes and characters that seem mostly normal but are just "off" in a disturbing way. This technique gives players something they can relate to and makes the game world real enough that it seems almost possible that the terror in the game could actually be part of our lives. Plus: Mass Effect costumes for Halloween! - Shiver with Antici-pationE44
Shiver with Antici-pationGood horror games have their own pacing that's unique to the genre. To keep the player scared, games use a cycle of tension and release that keeps the player on the edge of their seat. Not knowing when the next scare will hit, but constantly reminded of the danger around them by small clues like scratching noises and dark corridors, players effectively begin to frighten themselves as they wonder what will happen next. - Video Game Rating SystemsE45
Video Game Rating SystemsGames are becoming more common than ever, but the time-consuming and expensive methods to rate them for mature content haven't grown along with them. Small games, especially indie games, cannot afford the fee charged by organizations like the ESRB or PEGI for a full rating which requires someone to review the game's content and mark it by hand. Allowing developers to submit their own games which are then subject to consumer review for accuracy would make it possible even for small games to get content ratings, however platforms such as Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and even the App Store would need to encourage developers to use the system. - Interactive VideoE46
Interactive VideoEarly games like the 7th Guest mixed film footage with the interactivity of video games, but the poor quality led to bad results that deterred other games from following their lead. Cloud Chamber, a "massively multiplayer story game" released in 2014, revives the idea of interactive film by centering its action on the players' response to the movies, taking advantage of people's natural inclination to want to discuss what they've seen by developing in-game message boards. Thus Cloud Chamber is able to make videos interactive without the age old flaws of intrusive action menus or pace-breaking player actions. - How to Approach Game DifficultyE47
How to Approach Game DifficultyGames often start by asking the player, "What difficulty would you like to play on?" But how is someone who has never touched the game before supposed to figure out whether they want to cruise along on easy mode or challenge themselves with hard mode? Even the idea of dynamic difficulty adjustment, which modifies the game based on how well the player is doing, can be frustrating for players whose efforts to get better at a difficult section are cut short as the game suddenly drops their difficulty rating. Dark Souls 2 provides in-game mechanics to let players choose their own difficulty preferences and adjust them on the fly simply based on the items and skills they choose - and in this episode, we give you the secret to playing Dark Souls II on easy mode! - How Games Scratch Your Multitasking ItchE48
How Games Scratch Your Multitasking ItchGames that ask the player to do nothing more than wait while numbers increase have seen a surge in popularity. They fill a developing modern need for activity, giving players a window in their browser they can compulsively check while cycling between other interests. The fact that they ask for so little makes it easier for them to fulfill a multitasking impulse, scratching the player's itch to feel like they're accomplishing many tasks when their main focus (like listening to a lecture or working at their desk) requires them to sit still. - Global Games: NorwayE49
Global Games: NorwayNorway faces a unique set of challenges when it comes to developing its role in the games industry. Despite some notable successes, the Norwegian game industry has yet to make its mark on the world stage. While the country has a very healthy economy and government support for games as a growing industry, Norway's population is too small to support a game industry by itself. Because of this, game companies must succeed in the global market despite a lack of dedicated business and marketing infrastructure on the publishing side. - Mechanics and ToneE50
Mechanics and ToneGame mechanics often come "first" in the development phase, with a narrative being tacked on later. But when game mechanics become separated from story, the disjunct makes for a bad experience as players become impatient or disinterested. However many of the best games, from Shadow of the Colossus to Dark Souls, have mechanics that enhance the mood created by the story and the characters, and visa versa. Achieving that synthesis is key to the field of narrative design in video games. - Snakes and LaddersE51
Snakes and LaddersSnakes and Ladders, or Chutes and Ladders, has been around for generations, going back perhaps 2000 years to its invention in India. Though simple - or perhaps through its simplicity - the game conveys a deliberate message about life that has stood the test of time. Snakes and Ladders requires no skill, relying purely on luck to demonstrate to the player that fate is beyond their control, and that they will stumble upon both sins that bring them down (snakes) and moral actions that lift them up (ladders) on the passage towards their goal in life.