This is the sixth entry in a multi-part essay covering board game “Player Experience” or “PX”. We’ll reference a few earlier installments below, so maybe peek back at them before coming back here! During early research of this topic (the Player Experience / PX) I discovered an earlier research paper by a group out of…
PX 5: Determinism, Information, and Hedging Against the Future
This is the fifth topic in a multi-part essay covering board game “Player Experience” or “PX”. This entry references several key concepts from earlier installments, so you’ll either want to start at the beginning, or else drop back as they’re linked! Beyond all the things we’ve discussed so far, players will all be…
PX 4: Neuroscience and the Thinky Bits
This is part four in a multi-part essay covering board game “Player Experience” or “PX” The earlier posts aren’t prerequisites for this one, but I recommend checking them out anyway 🙂 This week, we’re going to tackle brain chemistry, neurotransmitter hormones, and some of the deeper psychological aspects of what’s going on…
Player Experience is Other People
This is the third topic in a multi-part essay covering board game “Player Experience” or “PX” You don’t have to read the others first, but it does reference several concepts from before, so I highly recommend it. [pullquote] “L’expérience, c’est les autres” — with apologies to Sartre[/pullquote]When designing a game, there is one major factor…
PX #2: The Familiarity Spectrum
This is an installment in a multi-part essay covering board game “Player Experience” or “PX” I highly recommend you start at the beginning, but it’s certainly not required 🙂 The experience a Player has with your game is going to vary based on a lot of factors. Imagine someone brand new…
Player Experience (PX) Series #1: A Primer on User Experience and Interface Design
This is an installment in a multi-part essay covering board game “Player Experience” or “PX” feel free to start at the beginning, or just jump right in! To begin our exploration of Player Experience (PX), I feel it’s important to take a step back, and understand some underlying concepts. Luckily, there have…
Designing the Player Experience (PX)
When designing, it’s easy to get hung up on the details in front of us — the mechanics, the theme, the components. But ultimately, the point of designing games is for others to play them. And why do they play them? In my view, it’s to facilitate a rich human-human interaction,…
Yearly Goals 2015 Roundup
A few folks have been harassing me about the open loop I left from last year’s goals, and want to know where things landed. Seems appropriate that this should come out in February, given that the original post didn’t make it out until February either :). Valour Monthly subscriber updates. Signed with…
Lots of games this weekend!
Big weekend for gaming! I hit the trifecta on Sunday: Worked on my game, Valour; tried out a new game; taught an old favorite. Got all the components for Valour uploaded to The Game Crafter, so now I’m ready to start sending out blind test prototype copies to those far-flung…
Announcing “The Wackiest Race” — Short Story RPG Adventure #1
It’s finally here. The first adventure in the Short Story RPG library: “The Wackiest Race” is on sale now! Graham Elliot of Denver weaves a nostalgia-soaked adventure through a world born out of love for 80s cartoons. One player takes on the role of ‘StoryMaster’, facilitating a collaborative storytelling experience with four…