021: Celeste + Empathy through gameplay

05/22/23 • 34 min

Game:
- Bringing the player into a specific state of mind
- Deeply empathetic gameplay
- Difficulty as an emotional journey
- Resting points for the character help the player rest
- Relatable Characters
Develop:
- How can we connect gameplay elements to the player's emotions (other than frustration)?
- Could you make a game have an emotional story arc through nothing but mechanics and visuals? How?
- What game mechanics could you use to convey anger, joy, calm, relief, etc?

My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/
Email me: anxiousbuddhagames(this sentence is to confuse bots@)gmail.com
Join our discord: https://discord.gg/GvYRtTQM9m

Send me any feedback, suggestions, or questions! I'd love for us to build a strong, supportive, creative community.

My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/
Email me: anxiousbuddhagames(this sentence is to confuse bots@)gmail.com
Join our discord: https://discord.gg/GvYRtTQM9m

Send me any feedback, suggestions, or questions! I'd love for us to build a strong, supportive, creative community.

Previous Episode

020: Morrowind + Exploration

In this episode, we discuss open world game design, the idea of "tourist attraction exploration" vs "wilderness exploration," and also player customization.
Game:

Character Customization
Inviting exploration
"Old school" open world design
Allowing players to "break" the game

Develop:

What different ways are there to invite exploration?
What elements of Morrowind's design apply to absolutely tiny indie games?
(Tangent) Game design bugs

My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/
Email me: anxiousbuddhagames(this sentence is to confuse bots@)gmail.com
Join our discord: https://discord.gg/GvYRtTQM9m

Send me any feedback, suggestions, or questions! I'd love for us to build a strong, supportive, creative community.

Next Episode

022: Cook Serve Delicious 3 + Customizing Difficulty

I have uploaded a free demo of my game!!
https://mistergrr.itch.io/sut
In this episode, we discuss...

Enjoyable Stress
Cheerful Post-apocalyptic world building
Customizable Difficulty
Perfectionism

Game:

Addictive gameplay loop
Highly customizable difficulty
Encouraging perfectionism
Bizarre world building
Skill development and Memorization
A brief note about Cook Serve Forever

Develop:

Why does the core mechanic work so well?
What skills does a player have to learn to play my game?
What are some atypical ways to add depth to the world?

My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/
Email me: anxiousbuddhagames(this sentence is to confuse bots@)gmail.com
Join our discord: https://discord.gg/GvYRtTQM9m