Stories are something that is very important to us humans and also a crucial part of many video games. In some games the player is the author of the story, for example in Civilization where you are given some basic start resources and are then free to decide how your story will play out. In other games the designer has the most control of the story and the game mechanics do their best to guide the payer through the narrative (which may dynamic or linear).
Horror Tip: The Statement of Randolph Carter
This is one of my favorite stories from HP Lovecraft and it should also serve as an excellent introduction. It is very short and a perfect example of fear of the unknown. This story really got to under my skin and has served as an important influence when coming up with good scares for our horror games.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent – Teaser, Web Site & Pre-order
From the makers of the Penumbra series comes a brand new survival horror game, Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Today we are happy to announce the release of the game’s web site and a first look at actual in-game footage, in the form of a horrifying teaser.
Closer look at Teaser and more
After a lot of work we are finally done with the teaser! Hope you all enjoy it! In case you have not seen the teaser yet then do so before continuing with this post:
Exploring Deeper Meaning In Games
This post aims to be a deeper look at my earlier rant about meaning, narrative (plot) and gameplay. After considering feedback and thinking about it some more I would now like to write a more constructive text. In this post I will outline some steps and ways of thinking that I think are needed in order to achieve deeper and more varied meaning in games. “Deeper meaning” is of course a highly subjective thing, but what I mean is simply games where the core is not just about a gameplay mechanic, showing entertaining gore or similar. Instead, the focus should be on exploring something other than pure “fun”.
Alpha – the beginning of the end!
Yesterday, after several weeks of grueling 15 hour (kid you not) days, we finally reached a really important milestone here at Frictional Games. It’s by far the most important milestone we have reached so far and might be the most important milestone of the entire project!
The perception of $100 000
I read the other day that the US budget deficit is expected to be $1 300 billion for 2010. Which led me to say to Thomas that we should ask the US government (Yes, I know we are Swedes. Yes, I know it is wrong to expect Swedish game development support from the US government.) for $100 000… Who would notice?
How Gameplay and Narrative kill Meaning in “Games”
In many of the posts here I have been discussing how having “unfun” gameplay can greatly enhance the experience. I have also ranted about how too much “fun” can completely destroy the intended experience. What I want to discuss now is how a game’s most common ingredients might be detracting from certain kinds of experiences and are in some cases best gotten rid of. These ingredients are Gameplay and Narrative. It is my view that these two features can seriously get in the way when trying to take the interactive medium in new directions.
Dark Penumbra Soundtrack Released to Critical Acclaim
The Sound of Fiction record label today released a special edition of the Penumbra Soundtrack. The Penumbra series, developed by Frictional Games, has achieved cult status, and Mikko Tarmia’s essential soundscape has been consistently lauded as one of the series’ greatest achievements.
When focusing on fun fails
Because of a past as sort-of-toys important features of games are: How “fun” they are, replay value and how long they last. Reviews often take this into account and in turn this makes developers focus a lot on making a game “fun”, “replayable” and “long lasting”. I think this kind of thinking (which I am at times guilty of myself…) can seriously hurt a game. I think designers shall focus entirely on what kind of experience they want to deliver and make that come across as effectively as possible!
