Cool Steam Game

Precipice of Darkness, Episode One on Steam

This is one crazy fun game! It is a RPG-Adventure game series based on the web comic Penny Arcade, and it is insanely funny.

Enjoy!

Use That Imagination!

Check out Boxer. It’s a dos emulator for mac based on DOSBox.

Very simple install. It sets up a dos games folder and comes with a couple of sample games.

Games today are so dependent on graphics and limited user interaction. It’s nice to get back to the basics and use my imagination.

Got a favorite old text adventure?

Enjoy!

Farmville!

My sister is very into Farmville. I resisted it for quite some time, not wanting to get dragged into the plowing and harvesting that routinely sends otherwise normal people on a frenzied search for wifi because their favorite crop is about to wither.

It’s not gaming, per se, but it does have a certain appeal. Farmville drags you in using the virtual skinner box coined by Nicholas Yee[1]. It boasts easy initial rewards followed by progressively harder and harder quest scenarios.

To be fair, the Zynga folks have hit a very good balance between the challenges, times and rewards in Farmville. The other Zynga games just don’t have the same balance. This balance and reward ratio, talked about by John Hopson in the Behavioral Game Design article on Gamasutra is a key driver. If the variables are off, the players get bored and lose interest.

So what are the drawing factors in Farmville? Is it the social aspect? AJ Glasser, 5 ways social games hook you talks about the “Fake Friend” aspect. That’s a big part of it. There are status rewards for getting more accomplishments than your neighbors.

Also, you get to make stuff. Crafting is a key part of these game experiences. Look at most of the successful MMORPG’s and you’ll find a crafting element.

I’d better wrap this up, I think it’s time to check on my winery and orchards.

---

1. Everquest! I’m just glad the Mac version lacks the appeal of other mmorpg’s.

    ↩