Games can evoke empathy in its players in ways unlike any other medium. But as we discuss this week, that’s not always a good thing.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

The Limits and Strengths of Using Digital Games as “Empathy Machines”:

https://bit.ly/2NfqvyE

Ubisoft says avoiding messages is part of making "more mature games":

https://bit.ly/2LbCv6y

This week we discuss accessibility in video games, both in terms of what we can do to improve gaming experiences for disabled gamers, and the merit of games that are so difficult that not everyone can beat them.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Contest Info: Win one of two copies of Return of the Obra Dinn! Follow us on social media and send us some feedback about the show – something we do well, and something we can improve at – on Facebook or Twitter to be entered.

Show Notes:

Should Dark Souls Have An Easy Mode?

https://bit.ly/2MxdMM2

Game Maker’s Toolkit - Accessibility:

https://bit.ly/2K4pfAH

Game Not Over: Accessibility Issues in Video Games:

https://bit.ly/31mDZR4

Carlos Vasquez Playing Mortal Kombat X Blind:

https://bit.ly/2MABcAi

Amy Henning - Gamemaker’s Notebook:

https://bit.ly/2I5VH3G

Color Blindness:

https://bit.ly/2EZcy68

Shelby and Aidan discuss the Souls games, how they spawned an entire gaming genre, and how they contradict what we think we know about game design.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Amr Al-Aaser - Picture in a Frame:

https://bit.ly/2VQFEu6

Mark Brown - Do We Need a Soulslike Genre?

https://bit.ly/30JLj8H

Shelby goes rogue in this episode, explaining her research into the social issues behind historical accuracy in video games, and how accountable we are as game designers for the history we choose to depict.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Shelby’s TEDx Talk:

https://bit.ly/2IbCVoU

Behind the Curve:

https://bit.ly/2qzorrV

David Holmes - Methods and Implementations of Historically Accurate Game Design for First Person Shooter Video Games:

https://bit.ly/2ViNkVy

Robert Rosenstone - The Historical Film: Looking at the Past in a Postliterate Age:

https://bit.ly/30fJ7G3

Judith Butler - Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory:

https://bit.ly/2JgiTxK

This week we discuss operant conditioning in video games, AKA the psychology behind why we all played Farmville about 30 hours past the point it was fun.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Extra Credits - Arbitrary End Points:

https://bit.ly/2GDG9lE

Storytelling in video games is as difficult an endeavor as it is in any other medium. This week, we take a look at some games with excellent stories and talk about what made them work.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

No show notes this week!

After years of research, analysis, and discussion, we have concluded that board games DO in fact have a narrative. We explore this shocking discovery and discuss some heuristics designers should consider when designing narratives for their board games.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Nerdlab Podcast - Emergent Narrative & Storytelling in Board Games:

https://bit.ly/2I00cNr

The AIAS Game Maker’s Notebook:

https://bit.ly/2QK56Qp

The Clockwork Game Design Podcast:

https://bit.ly/2uJUwiV

Narrative and Atmosphere in Boardgame Systems:

https://bit.ly/2WBTeT0

Development Blog - Boardgame Narrative:

https://bit.ly/2CLocAB

This week we take a look at analysis paralysis - what it is, what it does, and how we should handle it as game designers. This episode is more or less a love letter to any and all of us who have been overwhelmed by the overly-complicated process of creating a character in D&D.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Extra Credits - Choice Paralysis:

https://bit.ly/2o8UMoe

TED Talk - The Paradox of Choice:

https://bit.ly/1m46n1T

GDC Talk on Overcoming Analysis Paralysis as Developer:

https://ubm.io/2HlsKBu

We're back with more applied game design! This week we're examining classic card games like War, Go Fish, and Poker under the scrutinous lens of modern game design theory.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

War (the card game, not the battlefield one) Strategy:

https://bit.ly/2tRNIyV

Crib Strategy:

https://bit.ly/2XCmg5Z

Crazy Eights Strategy:

https://bit.ly/2NE4w5O

Canasta Strategy:

https://bit.ly/2EsfkzB

Basic Strategy for Blackjack:

https://bit.ly/2VyPilg

Detailed breakdown of Texas Hold’em Starting Hands:

https://bit.ly/2VvzQ9u

Cheat Sheet of Playable Poker Hands:

https://bit.ly/2HfdgOn

Effectively communicating with your player is a key component of any game’s design. This week, we take a look at how to communicate with your players without them even realizing it.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

No show notes this week!