Ludus Novus

What does Stardew Valley say about the world with the rules of its simulation, and how does it compare to another Transcendentalist game, Walden, a game? Transcript: Transcript for this episode I...

https://ludusnovus.net/2019/01/12/ludus-novus-030-transcendentalism-gentrification-and-the-procedural-rhetoric-of-stardew-valley/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-030-transcendentalism-gentrification-and-the-procedural-rhetoric-of-stardew-valley

What do people actually mean when they say “walking simulator?” Bernband by Tom van den Boogaart doesn’t even seem to have a goal. But then why do you keep playing it? Bernband: https://gam...

https://ludusnovus.net/2018/09/11/ludus-novus-029-the-goalless-path-of-bernband/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-029-the-goalless-path-of-bernband

What is a “game?” It only matters in context. When we examine things as games to learn from them, what does that mean? Any useful definition of game used as a critical lens must encompass Soc...

https://ludusnovus.net/2018/09/04/ludus-novus-028-candyland-game-as-critical-lens/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-028-candyland-game-as-critical-lens

In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast: Prey 2017. The lie of a power fantasy is that power over others is something you deserve. Prey is a consequence fantasy: to take agency, you must incur...

https://ludusnovus.net/2017/06/07/ludus-novus-027-imposition-of-order-results-in-escalation-of-disorder/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-027-imposition-of-order-results-in-escalation-of-disorder

In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast, I discuss the election and GamerGate and how we can make a difference with games. I start with an excerpt from Austin Walker’s recent, amazing piece ...

https://ludusnovus.net/2016/11/11/ludus-novus-026-reflection/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-026-reflection

In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast, I discuss incremental games, also known as idle games or clickers. How did a formula that started as satirical jokes from people like Ian Bogost yield ...

https://ludusnovus.net/2016/02/09/ludus-novus-025-idle-incremental/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-025-idle-incremental

This podcast is supported in part by my Patreon. You can help support it by pledging a monthly donation. In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast, I discuss the decisions we make as game design...

https://ludusnovus.net/2015/04/27/ludus-novus-024-decision-point/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-024-decision-point

In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast, I discuss the search for the perfect game and the creation of universes. When I search through my Steam library and I look for that game, that perfect...

https://ludusnovus.net/2015/04/17/ludus-novus-episode-023-searching/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-episode-023-searching

In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast, I present a new game, "Countdown," in spoken word form. Trigger warning for self-injury.

https://ludusnovus.net/2015/03/19/ludus-novus-022-countdown-a-game-for-two-players/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-022-countdown-a-game-for-two-players

In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast, I discuss achievements and how there are a lot more aspects to them than are immediately apparent. Games discussed: Alan Wake by Remedy Entertainment �...

https://ludusnovus.net/2011/03/17/ludus-novus-021-tin-medals/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-021-tin-medals

In this episode of the Ludus Novus podcast, I discuss the basic minion summoning and equipment mechanics of Overlord, and how they both encourage tactical gameplay and maintain the characterizati...

https://ludusnovus.net/2010/08/23/ludus-novus-020-acceptable-losses/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-020-acceptable-losses

This podcast episode is about an unreleased game from 1990 that a guy showed me at GDC. It’s called Awesome Zone, and it was created by developer Theodore Alby for a company called KnowSoft ove...

https://ludusnovus.net/2010/03/19/ludus-novus-019-false-narrativism-awesome-zone/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-019-false-narrativism-awesome-zone

This podcast episode is about three games that should have been named Half-Life 3: Episode 1, Unreal Tournament 4, and Star Wars Dark Forces 3: Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast: Jedi Academy.

https://ludusnovus.net/2009/06/28/ludus-novus-018-sequelitis/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-018-sequelitis

In this podcast episode, I present and discuss my definition of the word “game.” In short, a game is an interactive simulation that provides metrics which allow a user to track progress towar...

https://ludusnovus.net/2009/05/17/ludus-novus-017-the-rules-of-the-game/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-017-the-rules-of-the-game

This week’s episode is a special False Narrativism piece, discussing the obscure but visionary Polish game Oszustwo, or Incongruity. I can easily envision a world in which this game never exist...

https://ludusnovus.net/2009/05/08/ludus-novus-016-false-narrativism-oszustwo/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-016-false-narrativism-oszustwo

What do we look for in digital game sequels, and why is it different than in other forms of media? Why don’t we see more sequels that give us more of the same good stuff? References: Spider-Man...

https://ludusnovus.net/2008/10/12/ludus-novus-015-curse-of-ludus-novus/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-015-curse-of-ludus-novus

The classic Super Mario Bros. Let’s take a look at its influence and its gameplay. References: Super Mario Bros. by Nintendo The Legend of Zelda by Nintendo Final Fantasy by Square Bubble Bobbl...

https://ludusnovus.net/2008/09/27/ludus-novus-014-from-side-to-side/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-014-from-side-to-side

In this podcast, I talk about exploration games. Exploration games, as I categorize them, are games with an open world that offer an array of paths at any one time. They’re awesome because they...

https://ludusnovus.net/2008/09/13/ludus-novus-013-over-the-next-hill/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-013-over-the-next-hill

In this podcast, I discuss digital games genres and how I think they’re silly. They’re arbitrary niches based on a few popular games, and using them to describe games limits the way we think ...

https://ludusnovus.net/2008/09/06/ludus-novus-012-genre-fiction/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-012-genre-fiction

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 ...

https://ludusnovus.net/2008/06/09/ludus-novus-011-written-in-blood/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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...

https://ludusnovus.net/2008/03/13/ludus-novus-010-eliza-is-dead/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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 u...

https://ludusnovus.net/2008/03/05/ludus-novus-009-extra-life/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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 Attribu...

https://ludusnovus.net/2007/08/26/ludus-novus-007-state-of-the-art/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-007-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 Commo...

https://ludusnovus.net/2007/08/19/ludus-novus-007-who-am-i/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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 publ...

https://ludusnovus.net/2006/10/14/ludus-novus-006-false-narrativism-walking-away/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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 B...

https://ludusnovus.net/2006/09/27/ludus-novus-005-level-cap/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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 ...

https://ludusnovus.net/2006/08/29/ludus-novus-004-hurt-me-plenty/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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 Da...

https://ludusnovus.net/2006/08/20/ludus-novus-003-not-the-same-thing-after-all/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=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 c...

https://ludusnovus.net/2006/08/05/ludus-novus-002-telling-it-like-it-is/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-002-telling-it-like-it-is

Cutscenes: when are they appropriate, and when do they take away from the game? Correction: In the original version of this episode, I attribute Nothing But Mazes to Stephen Granade, but it is ac...

https://ludusnovus.net/2006/07/29/ludus-novus-episode-001-press-enter-to-continue/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=ludus-novus-episode-001-press-enter-to-continue