Joe Kowalski is no stranger to the games industry. Best known for designing the logos for Guitar Hero and Rock Band as well as the innovative menus for Brutal Legend, Kowalski made the decision in 2011 to move from San …
From Double Fine to the D Train: The Making of Third Rail Read more »
The great thing about numbers is that they go up. For the most part, people love it when their own numbers start to rise: the amount of money in your bank account, the number of possessions you own, the number …
Just Make My Numbers Go Up: Breaking Our Addiction to Points Read more »
Educational games have always carried a certain stigma. Nine times out of ten, if you ask any gamer if they prefer a game developed for educational purposes to a similar title made for the commercial market, the latter will win. …
Who Needs Educational Games When Entertainment Will Change the World? Read more »
Making people care about things in games is hard. Not to say it’s impossible – but when most decisions boil down to ‘save the hostage’ or ‘restart the level,’ it doesn’t exactly fill the player with overwhelming empathy. So it …
Your helicopter touches down on the deck. You’ve arrived at the outskirts of a magnificent city of the future – gleaming skyscrapers pierce distant clouds, flying robots of all kinds swerve in airborne traffic patterns, and a sunset so real …
Nothing says “videogame” quite like a controller. For those of us raised on the early consoles, holding a game controller evokes memories of getting lost in some elaborate fantasy world, made even more wondrous by our young imaginations. With controller …
![Why Aren’t There Games About [Blank]?](https://www.dashjump.com/setup/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/paris-texas.jpg)
There’s a common narrative occurring for people whose lives have been touched by videogames in their formative years. First intrigued by the novelty of interaction and control, you become enamored with the concept of manipulating a digital avatar until you …
Ever notice how nobody ever wants to add more guesswork? The phrase is always “taking the guesswork out” of something, and lately, games are no exception. More and more games these days come loaded with overdone tutorials, excessive pop-ups and …
If you’re involved in the game industry in any way, chances are you share a gift common to most developers: enthusiastic proactivity. The competitive nature and innate complexity of learning how to make digital games all but requires not only …
Everybody likes feeling important. It’s the reason why you’re more inclined to listen to someone if they address you as “Sir” or “Miss” as opposed to “Hey you” or “Listen, schmuck.” It’s the reason why older siblings often feel a …