What exactly about the Mah Eliya shrine in Breath of the Wild makes it one of the most refreshing dungeons of the entire game? In this episode of Forging the Level, I’ll talk about how Secret Stairway incorporates the psychology of divergent thinking. If you haven’t played it yet, or are struggling to complete it, perhaps this will give you some inspiration on how to clear it!
What can we learn from 2017's game of the year? As you can imagine, this game is as full of wisdom as it is fun. Get comfortable a be prepared to be motivated and entertained!
Mario's 2017 comeback is packed full of great lessons that we can all be encouraged by. The colorful antics are just just the beginning of what this game has to offer. Be prepared to be motivated and entertained!
Tests and exams are a real pain, but what if they were as easy as your favorite game? In this episode of thought burst, I'll explore how the psychology of the generation effect can help you become a better student and give you more confidence heading into exams.
The Mirror Temple in the mountain climbing platformer Celeste is an fantastic example of how a game can tell a story through its gameplay. It's easy to create cut-scenes and direct a game like you would a movie, but the brilliant part of video games is that they are a medium to experience the story, not just watch it. The mirror temple illustrates this brilliantly, and its the topic of today's episode of Forging the Level.
Bosses are often the final test of skill at the end of a level, but I think Koloktos from Skyward Sword serves as something different. Instead of a hearty challenge, he gives the player a change to unwind from the critical thinking needed to complete the Ancient Cistern. What do you think?
Auto-Scrolling is one of the most divisive mechanics in all of gaming. Some love the challenge it provides, and others see it as little more than an annoyance. Regardless of where you stand, since 1983 Nintendo has seen it as a dynamic way to spice up their platforming design, and continue to use it today. But in 3D platformers, it's much more difficult to implement. In this video I'll explore how autoscrolling has evolved and how Nintendo could take it to the next level by taking a page out of Fortnite: Battle Royale.
It's often said that if you're holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail. There is psychological research that suggests there is a lot of ground to this cliche. In this episode, I'll explore what functional fixedness is, why it matters in video game design, and how overcoming it empowered Long Hat House to craft 2018's Dandara.
Super Mario Odyssey gave us the chance to experience a vast lineup of captures, but none stood out to me quite as much as Pokio. This little guy's mechanic is one of the most fun ways to move around in a game I have experienced in a long time. But what is going on psychologically when we use him or any of the other satisfying mechanics in gaming? In this episode, we'll spend some time breaking down Pokio and what makes him so special.
What gives a game “good pacing”? How do you make moments in a game “memorable”? When is less information, actually more? These questions are all something that video game developers should be asking, and I would recommend looking to the psychology of primacy and recency for the answers. The human mind has a natural desire to process the stimulation in front of it, and in this episode of Psych of Play, I’ll take a swing at explaining how you can play with levels of color and sound to make your video game memorable.
Ah E3, possibly the most emotionally charged event of the year for gamers. During the weeks leading up to it, we as people absorb a lot of information to prepare for it. Expectations are high, hype trains are loaded, and subreddits are salty. But what makes people behave the way they do during this event? And why is it both incredibly fun and heartbreaking? Today, I’ll be talking about how priming, social psych, and developmental psych all influence our thoughts and actions during E3. Thanks for joining me on this Special Edition of Psych of Play!
Since the early days of console platformers, run and guns, and arcade fighters, most games have operated on a 2d axis for the sake of visual perception. Its easy to judge distance on a flat image when that image is on that 2d plane. However when games make that transition to 3d, suddenly visual perception gets a little more tricky. Today on Forging the Level, we will be taking a look at the fighting game, how its made the transition to 3d and 3rd person, what is lost and gained in this change, and some creative ways to create new fighting game experiences.
That skin crawling feeling of being under a microscope or being observed can make even the most hardened gamers feel uneasy. Disembodied eyes, masks, and disfigured faces all give us the creeps. But what exactly makes these things..weird? And how can game developers use the perception of being watched to add challenges and atmosphere to their games?
Adaptive music in video games is one of the greatest innovations to come to the industry, and its use is far reaching. But what exactly makes dynamic music effective? Why do some sound effects and soundtracks seem to “fit” any given moment in a game? It turns out, musical frequency has quite a significant effect on that “fit”, and if used well, can actively play a part in shaping the player’s thought. In this video, I’ll dive into psychological research on the frequency of music, and how its utility in marketing can make games a much deeper experience.
What do elite pianists, world record speedrunners, and Tiger Woods all have in common? Performing their craft is completely second nature to them. Zoning out and allowing muscle memory to take over helps them make incredible performances look easy. In this episode of Psych of Play, featuring interviews from Mario Odyssey speedrunner Nicroeda and Celeste runner Msushi, we'll take a deeper look at the psychological phenomena known as automaticity.
If you haven’t seen it already, the Tetris Effect Trailer that Playstation dropped back in June is one of the most moving advertisements in a long time. It mentions a study about amnesiacs who can’t form new memories, and how they dreamed of playing Tetris hours and even days later. So today on Psych of Play, were going to take a look at that study and what is actually going on.
The goal of pro wrestling, if you happen to run a wrestling promotion, is to create something called “the pop”, a moment when the crowd loses their minds and gets excited all at once. And although wrestling is fake, it manages to do that on a consistent basis. But what factors go into creating those spectacular moments? How can you hold the audience in the palm of your hand like that? Pro wrestling is good at making those moments, but so is Super Smash Bros. The anticipation, the history, the buildup, the timing; these are just a few things that make smash reveals so special and how Smash bros makes a few pops of their own, just like pro wrestling. This, is the smash effect.
Welcome to the channel!
If you run into a thunderstorm in a game, you might begin to think about how you should adjust your play-style. Maybe you should find shelter, or avoid using metal weapons. On a surface level, this is all we think about when we run into adverse weather in a game. But one of the things we don’t often consider is the effect in-game weather has on mood. In this episode of Psych of Play, we’ll talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder, and a recent study that suggests bad weather can actually play a key role in regulating emotion and mental health. In-game weather may be more powerful to us than we previously realized.
My wife is not big into video games, but I can always convince her to play a few levels of Pode with me. Pode’s puzzles are challenging, its story charming, and its visuals stunning. But all that aside, there is something about it that really relaxes you and, if you’re like my wife, may help your OCD. So on this episode of Psych of Play, were doing to look into the main mechanic of Pode and how it gives you a clever way to avoid something called the Zeigarnik effect.
Tetris 99 is wildly addictive and loads of fun. For Tetris players new and old, it provides a new challenge unlike any Tetris we’ve ever seen before. The level of multitasking needed to master it is frustratingly difficult to attain, yet so tantalizing within our grasp. In this episode of of Psych of Play we’ll take a look at the cognition behind multitasking, and why it makes Tetris 99 such a frantic yet refreshing experience.
Very few feelings cut so deep and are as robust as failure. Nothing makes you want to quit more that getting rejected, losing after you've given your all, or making a tremendous mistake that costs you big time. But I think losing is necessary, and with the right perspective, we can learn to love it and learn from it. #GFTH❤
Have you ever been playing a game and something happens that reverses your controls? Moving up makes you move down, moving left makes you move left, and you’re suddenly thoroughly confused? Or has your screen ever flipped upside down on you or blocked your view of the action? If so, you’ve come across something called an interface screw. These create some of the strangest feelings you’ll experience in a game. And today on Psych of Play, we’re going to take a look at how these mechanics make you feel absolutely silly.
Twilight Princess has one of my favorite moments in gaming history. It’s not an overblown exciting sequence or anything that revolutionizes the gameplay, it's a quiet, melancholy, grim scene. A small segment of gameplay that isn’t “tough” to beat, but is remarkably memorable because of the feelings it conveys. Today on Psych of Play, we’ll take a look at Midna’s Desperate Hour, and how that sadness affects your gameplay through the lens of Hedonistic Discounting Theory.
To me, Celeste's Core C-Side is the most iconic level in the game. It recaps some of the biggest mechanics from your journey through Celeste in one long menacing sequence and the finale of the stage is both a nail biter and a controller smasher. So for my first Mario Maker level ever, I thought it would be the perfect way to hop in and immediately learn a lot about making courses by challenging myself big time. Here's what I learned, I hope you enjoy! And be Sure to play the stage if you have Mario Maker 2!
Mario, the Kart. The game series of a generation. Almost everyone has picked up a controller and thrown shells at their buddies whilst riding go-karts through a volcano, but have you truly played Mario Kart?
Have you ever found yourself torn on a decision? If so it’s entirely possible that the reason for that was loss aversion, the human tendency to value avoiding a loss much higher than acquiring a gain. And dead cells is a game full of decisions that really exploit that desire to “play it safe” by teasing you with opportunity. But there is more to the story than that, which is what we’ll be exploring on this episode of Psych of Play!
Everyone loves a good challenge, but some folks are willing to go above and beyond their normal level of patience to beat games with extreme levels of difficulty. Celeste, Sekiro, Cuphead among others are games designed to push players to their limits. And when those limits are hit, a choice is presented. Persevere? Or Quit? For those that persevere, something special happens cognitively, and that’s what we’re here to discuss on this episode of Psych of Play.
One of the first videos I made on this channel was called “Why You’re Bad at Exams, but Great at Video Games”. I talked about the generation effect and how video games use this well to teach you how they work, but how school doesn’t always do that. So in this video (which is long overdue) I’ll be doing a followup to that video and how to implement the generation effect into your studying. After this, you should be able to prepare to take down exams as well as you prepare to take down bosses!
You aren't alone, please talk to someone.
Music is a profoundly powerful thing. At the right time, a melody from a game or a movie can stir up memories of the past, even in those with severe memory disabilities like Alzheimer’s Disease. Today on Psych of Play, we’re going to dive into how memories are encoded into long term memory, and how music is deeply entwined to those connections in your long term memory.
Gris is an experience unlike most games you’ll find in that it gives you an intimate glimpse into the psyche of someone dealing with grief. And it’s through this game’s dynamic use of color that it does so. In this episode of Psych of Play, we will be taking a truly deep dive into the world of Gris and how it uses its colors and in game mechanics to illustrate the complexities of loss and bereavement.
Animal Crossing. Learn it, live it, love it, or run from it. Depending on the type of person you are, this game could either be a wholesome and relaxing experience, or an endless pit of indecision and trying to maximize your options. Today on Psych of Play, were diving into the intricacies of the maximization paradox, and how Animal Crossing (might) keep you from experiencing it…. oh who am I kidding go buy this stupid game.
How many times have you felt just a little spooked when the 4th wall was broken in a game or a movie? Today on Psych of Play, we’re going to be dissecting WHY that feeling is so bizarre and how deindividualization, the dual function of gaze, and the power of anonymity all play a part in making 4th wall breaks such a visceral sensation.
Out there on the far horizons of YouTube, there is a strange little video with no description, no annotations, and seemingly no real purpose. However if you happen to be recommended it by the youtube algorithm, you’ll be welcomed by an ethereal soundtrack, a strange feeling of familiarity, and a comment section unlike anything you’ve ever seen. This is the story of one of the most bizarre hidden webpages on youtube and the psychology behind the uniquely human stories left behind in the comments. This is the psychology of the internet checkpoint.
Is there a “wrong” way to solve a puzzle? And if there is, and that way still gets the job done, is it really wrong? Today on Psych of Play, we're diving into divergent thinking, puzzle design, and creativity. Oh and we might talk about Minecraft at some point.
2011. A year when the Lavender Town creepypasta is brewing and getting ready to take over the internet. Coincidentally, also the year when several girls in Le Roy New York began to experience a bizarre illness that seemed to come out of nowhere.... And as fate would have it, both incidents share a disturbing thread when you look at the psychology behind what was happening. Today on Psych of Play, we’re talking Nocebo, Mass Psychogenic Illness, and Illusory Truth. Strap in, this one is a bit spoopy.
Does a story need words? Does a tale need specifics? Does a picture need color? The brain does a good job of noticing patterns and filling in the blanks when it’s running low on information. And because of this, fan theories and speculation can be every bit as engaging as the content itself. But why are humans so naturally talented at explaining the unclear? That’s exactly what we're here to discuss today.
Getting lost is a sensation that may cause a bit of panic in the real world, yet somehow in a game is one of the most rewarding, refreshing, and strangely peaceful things you can experience. Today on Psych of Play, we take a deep dive into how that feeling of being lost and then finding your way again affects our psyche, how games capitalize on our natural curiosity, and what games can do to make their environments truly captivating. Get cozy... and enjoy the ride :)
Have you ever gotten furious at a game, quit, taken a break, and then came back to the game and felt silly because the boss was somehow super easy this time? Today on Psych of Play, we take a look at why on earth this happens, what extinction bursts are, and why you’ve been “Rage-Quitting” since you were literally in diapers.
Choose to see the good, it's up to each of us #GFTH❤
A lot of us simply refuse to go digital, and in fact I’d go as far as saying it hurts to buy digital games for some folks. What is it about holding a game in your hand before you pop it in your console of choice that gives you so much peace? Why does it feel like you can only truly own a game if its physical? What are companies doing to make digital more enticing? Today on Psych of Play, we take a look at exactly that.
Ah yes. Stockings hung above the chimney, snow on the ground, rampant Steam sales draining my wallet. It’s that time of the year folks. It’s time to talk about gaming in the context of pro-wrestling. Get cozy for this one, we’re talking about storytelling through combat systems and through choice of offense. I think this one might be something special.
Deepnest sucks. Let's get dramatic about it and shoehorn in some psychology.
How does who we are affect what we play? Is there some underlying connection between our personalities and our gaming preferences? Today on Psych of Play, we’re gonna dive into exactly that.
▯▯▯▯▯ is a game you can't remember playing
Do you think it’s possible that something so sickeningly horrible can happen to you that you simply… won't remember it? Today on the longest damn Psych of Play ever we are going to take an extremely deep dive into OMORI and talk about how it portrays trauma and dissociative amnesia. And also how it made me feel… Every. Single. Emotion. At once.
Have you ever finished a game and then suddenly felt just… empty? Alone? Depressed? Unsure of what to do next or how to move on with your life? If so, I have too, and so have several people around the world. Humans are wildly empathetic creatures and the relationships we build with in-gamer characters are a lot more real than you think. Let’s talk about Parasocial relationships.
Do you ever get tilted when gaming? I know I certainly do. But even if you don’t, how does your personality affect your likelihood to express that anger? Do you have inherent personality traits that make it more difficult to resist being salty? In short, you could. Those traits do exist. In long, well... see the vid above.
Would you call yourself a binger? Do you storm through games at full speed and furiously knock down your backlog? Or are you a drifter? Do you take your time and accept that you’re going to play this game very slowly over an extended period of time? Today on Psych of Play, we’re talking about how each playstyle affects the experience, and why you might prefer one pace over another.
Parries in gaming are an absolute gift. Being able to suddenly shift the momentum with a well timed input is satisfying in a way that most of us simply can’t get enough of. Today, on Psych of Play, we’re dissecting the prairie, the psychology of what makes it feel so good, and how it is the absolute perfect illustration of a momentum swing in competition.
As a gaming creator, my love of sports is not something I often advertise. But just once, I want my best buddy Spencer and I to gush about about one of our favorite things to exist in sports... or at least, our favorite thing that used to exist. The NCAA Football Video Game Franchise.
This is easily one of the strangest Psych of Plays I have ever done. And yet, I’m extremely proud of it. It’s spooky and I ask some strange questions. I hope you enjoy it.
Deltarune Chapter 2 is a delight in every way, but it deeply troubled me that there was a separate darker route involving easily my favorite character in that chapter. In this episode of Psych of Play, we’ll take a deep dive into the psyche of Noelle Holiday, analyze her behaviors, why she is the way she is, why her character works, and how you the player affect her growth.
You will regret opening this door.
Be honest, you like seeing things go wrong, don’t you? Bloopers, gafs, glitches. They all tickle your funny bone just right and because of this, glitches will probably always be a barrel full of monkeys. What’s the closest we can get to a real life glitch? Can something in the real world strike the same chord of humor as an absurd glitch? I’d argue yes. Less talk about it.
There are a lot of… places in gaming. A lot of spaces. But the one space that I think is so often thought about but rarely talked about is the space between the respawn point and the boss or even where you are currently stuck at. Today on Psych of Play, let’s dive into that gap and talk about how our minds handle when that space is small and when it is vast.
Inscryption is a normal game… until it isn’t. Today on Psych of Play, we’ll be discussing the deep dish madness of Inscryption, a concept known as the magic circle, and how inscryption plays with what a “normal” game is to create something truly feverish.
Until 2 months ago, I was a stranger to souls games. As an outsider looking in, I understood two things… they are extremely difficult and they change you as a person. Time after time I saw people say that Miyazaki’s work, in one way or another, has saved them. Depression, anxiety, and the like are something that we all often deal with, but how could such a brutally unrelenting series remedy the mental health of so many? Today on Psych of Play, we dive into the psychology of how exactly this happens.
Here it is, after all this time ;)
Have you ever gone shiny hunting before? Have you ever caught a shiny Pokemon? If so, you’ll know that it’s an absolute adrenaline rush like no other. Shiny hunting, to some people, might seem like an incredibly strange way to spend one’s time but to others, it is worth every single reroll. Today on Psych of Play, we’ll look at the weird psychology of shiny hunting and video game collectibles.
Losing is not fun. It is not sexy, it is not exciting, it is not what you want . We admire winners, losers are forgotten with time. Losing is an activity we will all do on NUMEROUS occasions in our lives but the response to these losses is what sets us apart from those around us. What is the psychology of losing? How do we respond to a loss on a cognitive level and does our personality affect how we bounce back or IF we bounce back from a loss? Let’s dive in :)
13 years ago, I began a journey that I often wondered if I would ever finish. Along the way, I played a lot of games and began to notice that whether or not a game ends is actually a huge factor in my gaming preference. Today on Psych of Play, we’ll talk about that journey I took and how it is oddly intertwined with a need we all have to some degree, a need for closure.
Are you a fan of being told “No”? Do you like it when a person keeps you from doing what you want to do, do you enjoy when a game limits your options? Probably not. In fact if anything, being told no likely makes you want that thing even more. Today on Psych of Play, were going to take a look at Psychological Reactance and how it affects our time with a game. And more specifically, we’ll take a look at how it influences your time with open world games. Buckle up, this is gonna be a good one.
Anime is a source of media that I rarely talk about. But one thing that has always struck me as strangely unique about it is how emotions manifest. We’ve all seen a character be sad in movies and television, we’ve all seen characters affect each other through grand acts of love, hatred, jealousy, desperation, etc. But in most cases, only anime has those emotions, whether they be positive or negative, physically manifest in the real world. Today on Psych of Pl… Psych of ANIME, we’ll be discussing the Conversion Disorder, the ideas of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung and Japanese psychologist Hayao Kawai in a video that frankly… I’ve been both deeply longing to make yet afraid to make for quite some time now. So… thanks for being here for it :)
Hey, the clock is ticking. No time for a description, just watch ;)
Video games provide a unique opportunity in bad endings because very rarely does a story in any other medium allow for the chance to receive an alternative conclusion based on how you influenced that story. Today on Psych of Play, we will be talking about what makes these bad endings so fascinating, why we find ourselves watching them out of curiosity, and how we use a similar cognition in our everyday lives.
Everyone's days on earth are limited. The amount of video games out there, however, are seemingly unlimited. And for those of us that are obsessed with the medium, this causes a bit of a problem. A weird existential dread that comes from a looming video game backlog. How will we ever beat it all? Should we beat it all? And if we were to actually try to do it in a timely manner, how would we? That’s the type of question I approach today and in fact… the very challenge I’ll be taking on in 2023.
As the years have gone by, I have aged and the wonder of Pokemon battles has dissipated. Strangely, this same wonder for sports has not. And after doing a LOT of watching Pokemon battle film from pretty much… every 3D Pokemon game created… I think the reason for this change is less to do with my age and more to do with camerawork. Today, we’re talking cinematography. Today, we’re talking about why older pokemon games seem to hit harder.
Elevators are unsung heroes in games. They are strange little places that we all find ourselves for a brief moment in passing. In some cases they just hide a loading screen or move us from floor to floor, but today, I want to send a big weird love letter to the elevators in games that go above and beyond. And hopefully, by doing so, I can convince you that I am not insane for being oddly obsessed with them…
For months now, a great many of you have been asking when I would finally play Outer Wilds. After a lot of milking it to gain interest- I MEAN, after a lot of eagerly anticipating giving it a go, I finally sat down to play it. Here is my experience with… a game that I only started to enjoy when I stopped treating it like a game.
Time travel is usually used in fiction to mystify and captivate the audience by taking advantage of situations that are not possible in reality. What if you met yourself? Can the future be changed? Will multiple timelines be created? But if a narrative makes that time travel irreversible and in many ways, unwelcome… you might see something completely and totally heart wrenching that will only plant the seeds for something much more profound. Why yes, I am going to convince you that an Adam Sandler comedy is actually deep using anime.
The hype just before a new game release is one of the most spellbinding parts of being a gamer. There is nothing quite like grasping at every little piece of information leading up to that release date, every trailer, every rumor, every theory. But despite how fun that song and dance is, is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Let’s talk about your brain on new game hype, appropriately, one week before the long awaited release of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
What game is this for you? “I hate this game so much…” proceeds to play for hours It seems we all have at least one title that we simply cannot pull ourselves away from despite our distaste for it. Maybe it’s that you have to prove something to yourself about that game, maybe it’s that you have to prove a point to someone else. Maybe it’s that you just want to understand the buzz and maybe… it’s because you feel like you’ve sunk too much time into it to walk away. Whatever the case is, you probably have a game like this in your life and today, we’re gonna talk about why exactly that is.
Tears of the Kingdom makes me feel like I’m cheating. I want to like that about it, but something in me just won’t allow it. So I made a video exploring why I feel this way, how I got past this feeling, and perhaps, how you can too if you feel the same.
What game is this for you? “I hate this game so much…” proceeds to play for hours It seems we all have at least one title that we simply cannot pull ourselves away from despite our distaste for it. Maybe it’s that you have to prove something to yourself about that game, maybe it’s that you have to prove a point to someone else. Maybe it’s that you just want to understand the buzz and maybe… it’s because you feel like you’ve sunk too much time into it to walk away. Whatever the case is, you probably have a game like this in your life and today, we’re gonna talk about why exactly that is.
I’m going to be honest. This was one of the most difficult videos I’ve ever written or edited because I’m trying to describe a particular sensation that I get when I wake up some mornings. This is a video about that sensation, how the game Soma started it, and how a few other pieces of media made it worse and then… somehow helped me come to peace with it. It’s taken me about a year to finally write this and that’s because it is deeply personal and esoteric. I hope you enjoy it.
Video game reviews and opinions are practically inescapable these days and frankly, they have become a massive part of the overall experience, to me. But what exactly does that do to our perception of games and is it a bad thing? Let's take a look at some psych studies on the topic and discuss how reviews really affect your time gaming.
A year ago, I made you all a promise. I told you that in one year’s time, for better or for worse, I was going to have given my absolute best effort on finishing my backlog. And in this video, I’ll take you through everything that happened… and didn’t happen. This was a journey. Thank you for coming with me.
Something I run into often is getting caught between enjoying a game and analyzing a game. And it happens for TV and movies as well. It’s like I can’t turn my brain off and just enjoy things for what they’re worth, and instead can’t help but critically think about all of the details behind how it was made/developer decisions/writing directions, etc. Let’s talk about that.
Today, I want to talk about language barriers… And more specifically, how games and other media can use them to terrify you in some truly gut wrenching ways. Because when it is used in a story like this, it’s rarely as black and white as just “oh this is spooky”, there is a deep tragic sorrow in not understanding another and feeling as though fear or violence is the only answer. Nier Replicant especially, portrays this beautifully. Let’s talk about it.
I have a weird handful of friends that… even if they don’t explicitly say it, are less likely to play a game if it’s too “popular.” And strangely, I get it. I’m like that often as well. So naturally, it was time to dig into the psychology behind this.
Many of the games we play nowadays work because they are bombastic, colorful, endlessly packed with wonder. And generally, all of the things that give them those qualities are placed right before our eyes in the form of big moments, big boss fights, big plot points. But there are a handful of games I played recently that make that wonder in the subtext… games that craft their horror in the little things… that create the Devil in the details.
I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist, but when I play video games… somehow I really start to feel like one. It’s so tough for me to just… play the damn game without feeling as though I have to do every side quest, get every weapon, and play things as optimally as I can. That gets old real quick, and maybe it does for you as well. Let’s talk about why this is and maybe, how to fix it!
Almost 5 years ago, I uploaded a video called “How Toby Fox Put Sans Over”. I remember being extremely proud of it and it really taking off in views! Unfortunately, a year later, WWE copyright struck it into obscurity and you can no longer watch it on YouTube. Fast forward to now. People are asking me what ever happened to it, why I took it down, etc. So in a world where EVERYTHING is being remade, why not make my own remake? So please, enjoy the only Sans analysis video that uses pro wrestling to make a point!
I might have discovered a new obsession… Space Elevators, Dyson Spheres, Hanging Cities, there are so many larger than life megastructures in games and other media that have captivated me recently. But among all of that wonder… There is something haunting and dreadful about them. A truth hidden in their concept that chills me to my bones. Let’s talk about it.
One thing that has always perplexed me is damage values in video games. Sometimes they’re single digit, sometimes they’re in the millions. But they all do the same thing, describe how devastating an attack is. Let’s talk about why in a lot of cases, less is somehow more.
We’ve all heard it before, maybe because we said it or someone around us said it… The phrase “I wish I could forget this game so I can play it for the first time again” … It’s a lovely thought, albeit an impossible request, to be able to re-experience your favorite game again completely blind. But IF we could… how would it be done? And realistically, what is the closest we could come to it? Let's take a look at a mountain of psych research that might give us as close of an answer as we can get.
Video games go to a great many lengths to subvert our expectations as players. But there is one way games do this that I find to be particularly evil. Let’s talk about it.
It’s that time of year again and surprise surprise! We are BACK with another iteration of the backlog. Turns out, I like doing these... Why not make it an annual thing? Enjoy the 2024 journey and be sure to help me get ready for 2025 by casting your vote for the fan pick games!
We’re all drawn to masterpieces, but I think there is something to say about pieces of non-masterpieces that are, in and of themselves… masterpieces. Today I want to show you some of my favorite flawless sequences in flawed games.
Stories have the unique ability to make you feel one way while simultaneously telling you that you should feel a completely different way. These games, uniquely, all do exactly that. They break your heart only to then tell you that you can’t stay and wallow in that sadness. They pull you down to rock bottom to teach you that the only way you can go now is up. These are games that… much like many of us, are afraid to let go.
I’m weirdly obsessed with dream sequences in fiction. Hallucinations, fever dreams, insane mental imagery. There's something fascinating about how stories use them to explore a character’s psyche. In this video, we’ll dive into what makes a GOOD nightmare sequence. What film, animation, and games all do best when it comes to crafting a good hallucination. This is the anatomy of the fever dream.
Falling in love with a fictional character is not abnormal. Neither by societal standards based on just how many people do and by psychological standards. It is a normal thing we sometimes do as humans; become attached to someone who doesn’t really exist. Let’s take a journey into the mountain of psychological research and real life pandemonium of fictophilia.