On today’s episode of Brainlords we explain why games might be better if they were a little “worse”! Jorge gives a history lesson on The Flow State while Kyle explains how it recently became synonymous with the addiction loop of a slot machine. Is fun the only emotion gameplay should strive for or should we want a bit more friction in an interactive art form?

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Kyle - Cute Monster Props

Jorge - JMV

Edited by Kyle

THINGS DISCUSSED:

Should games be fun? (0:04:04 )

Super Mario World

What does friction mean? (0:06:39 )

Dragon’s Dogma 2, Signalis, Bravely Default

What are some instances of a game that had friction that you didn’t like? (0:16:20 )

Stephanie Sterling, Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing Wild World, Street Fighter 6, Blazeblue, FF1 Anniversary PSP

What is the Flow State? (0:24:09 )

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow in Games (2007) - Jenova Chen, Journey, Flow, Sky: Children of the Light, Tears of the Kingdom, Addiction by Design - Natasha D. Schull, Simon’s Quest, Diablo 1, Diablo 2, Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne

How do we tell the difference between deliberate design choices and bad controls? (0:43:20 )

Pathologic, Pathologic 2, Deadly Premonition, Windwaker, Darkest Dungeon, Pseudoregalia, Disco Elysium, Silent Hill 2, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy IX, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Game Ratings: What is the most overrated, underrated, and accurately rated game with Tank Controls? (1:09:31 )

Shadows of the Empire, Resident Evil 1, RE: Remake (Gamecube), Parasite Eve, World of Tanks, Tomb Raider, God Hand, Katamari Damacy

Games as theater - Should games be Dramatic or Epic? (1:15:51 )

Lisa The Painful RPG, Undertale, 1000xResist, Look Back (NOTE: we said Your Name but we meant Look Back), Doom, Doom (2016), Astro Bot, Flinthook

Should the goal of a remake be to eliminate friction? (1:03:17 )

Link’s Awakening Remake, Ocarina of Time, Nightdive Studios, System Shock 1

What are some more concrete examples of a remake that took away some friction and lost something? (1:37:11 )

Super Mario RPG Remake, Silent Hill 2 Remake, RE: 4 Remake

Closing Thoughts (1:47:17 )

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

The Question Zone (1:53:35 )

What is the best objectively bad game? - Francis York Morgan

Altered Beast, Harvester, Evil Zone, Dwarf Fortress.

What is the point of preserving a game after it gets remade? - True Doom Murderhead

Monkey Island, Smash Bros Melee, Mario 64, Metal Gear Solid Delta, MGS3/Subsistence/3DS, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Wizardry

The Rec Room (2:05:59 )

Magical Puzzle Popils, Dragon Crystal, Playing Games randomly for the Steam Nextfest, Angeline Era, Severance Season 2, Hydlide, Ys, Nativshark.