2021 has been for me the perfect year to return to Magic: The Gathering. COVID, in some strange ways, made me bond and spend more time with my friends in more secure spaces, just chatting and playing tabletop games. Many of my mates played this amazing game mode for Magic called Commander, in which …
My card for the HMDDTMCG Jam
In November of 2021, designers Osama Dorias (@osamadorias), Liz England (@lizardengland), and Samuel Boucher created How many designers does it take...to create a card game, a game jam where a hundred designers each create a tiny part of one game, in this case, a card game. I was one of 100 lucky …
Disempowering fantasies in videogames
Understanding how the design tool known as emotional engagement can make the player enjoy harsh and disempowering experiences Originally featured on GameDeveloper. This article is only the first part of the study I have recently written about how Reed Hook developers used the player’s emotional …
Emotional engagement and Darkest Dungeon
Videogames are evolving as a medium, so in order to reach all kinds of audiences games with very different types of gameplay and metaphors are being made. One of these new types of titles is disempowering fantasies, in which the player experiences a metaphor that has the objective to make him or …
Chris Bourassa Interview
Hi everyone! This interview about game design with Chris Bourassa, Founder of Red Hook and creator of Darkest Dungeon, has its questions based on the knowledge gathered in Disempowering fantasies and Emotional engagement in Darkest Dungeon. Check it out first to fully understand how the whole …
Level design for The Last of Us II
The thought process of The bus station, a new level for The Last Of Us II that explains how Abby and Lev got to the cinema through the flood in the last part of the game. Currently, I'm working on it, so this page will be updated (soon). In the meantime, here are some screenshots.Streets filled …