Ben SteinThe games we love, the games we make, and the future games that might someday be bothThis post, unlike my others, is targeted directly at my classmates in Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. I hope…Apr 24, 2020Apr 24, 2020
Ben SteinPlaying fair: where hard games and fun games overlapIt’s very hard not to call this post something like How to make your hard game fun. If I had any number of officially released games to my…Apr 9, 2020Apr 9, 2020
Ben SteinTaking sides: exploring dimensions of asymmetryIn 2019, a market research study by Limelight.com found that, globally, digital gamers spend about 85% more time playing multiplayer games…Mar 26, 2020Mar 26, 2020
Ben SteinExpress yourself | tension between gameplay and theme in character designFor nearly as long as we’ve been making digital games, we’ve been experimenting with how to express ourselves in them. Luigi’s presence as…Feb 19, 2020Feb 19, 2020
Ben SteinHow (not) to reuse an enemy | or “How The Surge broke me”In 2017, I spent a couple of joyfully frustrating weeks playing Deck13 Interactive’s The Surge, a Rise of the Robots-inspired…Feb 6, 2020Feb 6, 2020
Ben SteinSCREWEDA discussion of mana-like resources in collectible card gamesJan 23, 2020Jan 23, 2020