In this podcast, I discuss the player-author contract. An interactive work sets up a trust between the player and the work’s author. This takes the form of a contract which, when violated, can cause the player to reject the work. The Player-Author Contract The work can be played by the player. Violated by games which … Continue reading Ludus Novus 011: Written in Blood →

Is the illusion of player agency as good as real player agency? Isn’t a video game just a simulated game master? Is the Chinese Room a good game? If the author is dead, what about the algorithm? The music for this episode is “The Acorns. Seedin Time in The Oak Room.” by Loveshadow, and is … Continue reading Ludus Novus 010: ELIZA Is Dead →

Death in games is usually a mistake. In these four indie games, it’s an intended part of the experience. The music for this episode is “Make You Cry” by Jonathan Coulton, and is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 license. References: Passage by Jason Rohrer Psychosomnium by Cactus Seven Minutes by Virtanen Karoshi by … Continue reading Ludus Novus 009: Extra Life →

60 years of video games. How are we doing? The music for this episode is “Brilliant Day (fourstones.net mix)” by fourstones and DeBenedictis, and is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 license. References: Star Wars: Tie Fighter by Totally Games and published by LucasArts Shadow of the Colossus by Team ICO and published by … Continue reading Ludus Novus 008: State of the Art →

Amnesia. Can anyone remember why it’s so common in interactive entertainment? The music for this episode is “Forgettin My Identity” by Jane His Wife, and is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 license. References: Planescape: Torment by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Flashback: The Quest for Identity by Delphine Software International and … Continue reading Ludus Novus 007: Who Am I? →

The game Walking Away: In what ways does it succeed at what it attempts? The music for this episode is “Criminal” by Peter Toh, used with permission. References: Deus Ex by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive Grand Theft Auto III by Rockstar Games Postal 2 by Running With Scissors The next episode will … Continue reading Ludus Novus 006: False Narrativism: Walking Away →

Length of works: is a given game most like a short story or a novel, and how can length affect content? References: Morrowind from Bethesda Softworks Jigsaw by Graham Nelson “Slouching Toward Bedlam” by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster Grim Fandango from LucasArts The Myst series from Cyan Worlds The Prince of Persia: Sands of … Continue reading Ludus Novus 005: Level Cap →

Difficulty and completeness: Why do games have to be hard, and how is finishing a game separate from completing it? The music for this episode is “Big Bad World One” by Jonathan Coulton, and is available under a cc by-nc-sa 2.5 license. This episode, unlike most, is available under a cc by-nc-sa 2.5 license. References: … Continue reading Ludus Novus 004: Hurt Me Plenty →

Variable player experience: What do we mean by interaction, and how can two players have different experiences with the same work? The music for this episode is Enrique Granados’s “Spanish Dance n. 2” performed by Mario Mattioli, and is available under a cc by-nc 2.5 license. This is the first episode in which I’ve talked … Continue reading Ludus Novus 003: Not the Same Thing After All →

The unreliable narrator: how do you use this technique when the narrator is usually the player character? The music for this episode is “Noite de Carnaval” by Code, and is available under a cc by-nc 2.5 license. References: The Silent Hill series from Konami Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem by Silicon Knights and published by Nintendo … Continue reading Ludus Novus 002: Telling It Like It Is →