During this in class lab, I played 5 games along with my partner Ryan. The first game I played was “This is the Only Level,” a platformer. I then watched Ryan play a dating simulation game where the player dates a dinosaur called “Jurassic Heart.” “Dodgeball” was a game made by students from the same class in a previous semester. It was pretty much a 2D version of what the name implies. “Canabalt” was another platformer. “Don’t Shit your Pants” was a text based adventure and “Starcatchers” was a game where you could interact with a 8 bit handheld console.
“This is the Only Level” and “Canabalt” shared the most characteristics out of all the games. Firstly, the main aesthetic of both the games was challenge. They were both quite difficult and had many obstacles for the player to avoid. They were also mechanically similar in that both of them employed running and jumping as the main mechanic.
My two favorite games Ryan and I played were “Jurassic Heart” and “Don’t Shit your Pants.” I watched Ryan play “Jurassic Heart” and he watched me play “Don’t Shit your Pants.” This really showed me the similarities and differences between experiencing playing a game yourself and watching someone else play.
The two games were similar in that they were both used text to allow the player to make decisions. The main difference was that “Jurassic Heart” gave premade choices, while “DSYP” made the player type out their own. While playing “DSYP” I felt pressure to do well in the game, because whatever happened was up to me. While watching Ryan, I felt a similar pressure, but not because I was responsible for whatever happened in the game. Watching Ryan’s reactions to the game in real time made me feel empathetic towards him as another human being. I wanted him to do well, because I was emotionally invested in him as a player.
Matt Slade's Game Studies Blog 