Blog Post 4: Video Game Lab

I find that there is a connection between "Horai" and "Nothing to Say". Mechanically, these games are very different, but also have a striking similarity in that they are both games meant to be replayed with slightly more information each time. Neither of the games have instructions, but after a round of each one, you likely learn something that can be applied to the next run. In "Horai", you might learn how to save your flower from one particular threat, and in "Nothing to Say" you may learn what letters you need to dive into a certain branch of the dialogue tree.

During the lab, it became clear that watching a game and playing a game are very different experiences. Many of the games we played were about figuring something out, like a puzzle, and playing such a game feels like you're discovering something. It feels like you have to figure out exactly how to play and how to understand something. While just watching, its hard to understand what kind of thought process goes into playing the game. Of course, you can try to solve puzzles while watching, but with the delay between having an idea and seeing it enacted, it can become quite unenjoyable to watch a game being played.