Why Sam Barlow says "witnessing" can be a powerful game mechanic
Welcome to Tuesday and a stacked slate of Game Developer stories for you. We're leading with a feature on Sam Barlow's design inspirations: and the idea that "witnessing" can be just as useful and satisfying a mechanic as more traditional verbs like "shooting" or "jumping." We also have a deep dive on Unwording, a game designed to teach positive self-talk, and plenty of news, from the likes of Steam, Microsoft, and much more.
Immortality?game director Sam Barlow discusses his inspirations for making games around "witnessing" key events.
Barlow, himself a designer making games in the chaotic age of Brexit and the Trump administration, wants to make games that come from an equally strong point of view. But more importantly, he fell in love with how players learn about the impact of the Plan.
"It's the idea that the core gameplay is essentially witnessing things," he explained. "It's one of the few sort of hard verbs you have—the ability to record what's happening."
Encouragement, routine, and reinforcement are crucial to retraining neural pathways.
Light on sales numbers, heavy on the loot.
The FTC claims Microsoft has been obtaining and retaining the information of children using its Xbox platform without consent.
Cain looks back on how his experience as a gay man in video games has changed over the years.