The Ark
^{Video Game, 2020 - 2022}

The Ark is a first-person puzzle game with the essence of a walking simulator. Players take on the role of scavengers navigating a post-apocalyptic world, where they stumble upon a long-forgotten ark. As they search for an exit, they gradually uncover the minutiae within the lost ark, piecing together the stories, relationships, and emotions of those who once inhabited this lost vessel.In the culmination of the game, the player, as the protagonist, carries the core of the ark, stepping into their own future.Game Page
Game Design Document
Demo VideoControl
WASD - Movement
Space - Jump
F - Interact / Pick Up
J - Open / Close Journal
E - Next Page (Journal)
Q - Previous Page (Journal)Tools Used
Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, Zbrush, Substance Painter,
Unreal Engine, Canva

Design Statement
The Ark is a personal project that challenged me across all aspects of game design and production. From early conceptualization and prototyping to character design, modeling, texturing, level design, and final refinements, each phase pushed me to grow both creatively and technically.This project also marked my first deep dive into Unreal Engine and its Blueprint system, making the development process an exciting and innovative learning experience.

• Home

Meta Soma
^{Video Game, 2025}

Meta Soma is a side-scrolling narrative game, where players control a caterpillar jester who awakens in the depths of a hive after a failed metamorphosis — stripped of memory, consumed by hunger, and seen as an outsider by those who once knew them.To escape, they must navigate a world of insect politics, rituals, and fractured relationships — facing old friends, religious figures, and hostile residents of their former home. Through exploration and interaction, players may piece together the truth of who they were… but whether they hold onto that truth depends on the kindness and choices they carry through this overwhelming world.Meta Soma explores the experience of being perceived as “other”—the pain, the violence, and the struggle to stay true to yourself in a world that refuses to see you.Designers
Allison Terry, Mina Guadalupe, Spyridoula Potamopoulou, Vivian ChenGame Page
Meta SomaTools Used
Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Audition, Yarn Spinner, Unity Engine

Design Statement
As the lead programmer and one of the game designers, I implemented the game's core systems — from mechanics and UI to interaction states — while also collaborating closely with the team to shape player flow and level logic. I also built several internal tools to streamline the development process for our artists and writers.As my MFA thesis project, Meta Soma became more than just a collaborative game — it served as a milestone in understanding what game-making means to me. With a background in media design, I’ve long been drawn to the expressive power of interactive media. For me, games are the ultimate form of interaction, blending logic, design, and emotion into one responsive system.Beyond that, I genuinely enjoy coding. There’s something deeply satisfying about working with scripts, even when it’s just me and a debug console at 2AM. While I wouldn’t call myself a “technical expert,” what excites me most is watching lines of code take shape into something alive: something people can play with, poke at, and find meaning in.

• Home

White Bird
^{Video Game, 2023}

White Bird, is a narrative-driven short game controlled by mouse input. It tells the story of a white bird and a plastic bag, exploring themes of relationships, trust, and the transient nature of life.Perhaps we are like the bird, placing our trust in the wrong individuals; or maybe we are the plastic bag, attempting to leave an impact on others' lives, only to realize that we are ultimately just a disposable plastic bag.Game Page
White Bird
Prototype StoryboardTools Used
Adobe Photoshop, GameMaker

Design Statement
White Bird is a deeply personal project—an exploration of game narrative, shaped by my own experiences and emotions.The idea for this game emerged from a poignant reflection on betrayal. In the beginning, I saw myself as both the white bird and the plastic bag. As the bird, I believed I had found companionship, a kindred spirit in a harsh world. As the bag, I thought I had value—that I could provide solace to another lost soul.This fleeting companionship, my unresolved emotions, and a moment of contemplation all took form in this game. Is the white bird, when left on the ground, also an abandoned plastic bag? And when the plastic bag soars through the air, is it, too, a free white bird?

• Home

Wander
^{Video Game, 2023}

Wander is a walking simulator designed to provide a tranquil and soothing experience, allowing players to unwind and relax.There are no set objectives or tasks — just an open world made of hexagonal blocks, inviting players to roam freely and stumble upon delightful surprises along the way.Game Page
WanderTools Used
Autodesk Maya, Unity Engine

Design Statement
Wander was an experimental project where I explored walking simulator design and procedural terrain generation. Built using free resources from the Unity Asset Store for controllers, models, and VFX, I was responsible for concept development, gameplay design, level and environment creation, and programming within Unity.One of the game's defining features is its procedurally generated terrain, which presented a series of challenging programming hurdles. Overcoming these obstacles took countless iterations, sleepless nights, and a lot of caffeine. Yet, every breakthrough was deeply rewarding, reaffirming my belief that being a game designer is ultimately about solving problems.

• Home

Delivery
^{Video Game, 2023}

Delivery is a cozy driving game where players take on the role of a delivery driver, transporting gifts across a small island while enjoying the reactions of adorable animals receiving their presents.Beyond its relaxing atmosphere, one of the game's highlights is its realistic driving physics, allowing players to interact with the environment in a more tactile and immersive way.Game Page
DeliveryTools Used
Autodesk Maya, Draw.io, Unity Engine

Design Statement
Delivery was a personal project where I explored Unity’s physics simulation system and user interface design. While the game's models and animations were sourced from Kenney Assets and the Unity Asset Store, I was responsible for gameplay mechanics, level design, and programming, completing the entire development process within Unity.This project was not only a practical exercise in Unity programming but also my first deep dive into physics-based interactions, working with Collision, Rigidbody, and Physical Materials to create a more engaging driving experience. Additionally, it marked my first foray into UI design, where I used Draw.io as a prototyping tool for early experimentation.

• Home

Pumpkinville
^{Video Game, 2023}

Pumpkinville is a pixel-art 2D game narrating a black cat witch’s encounter with a wandering little ghost in a quiet autumn village.Players take on the role of the black cat witch, guiding the newly arrived ghost on a tour of the town. As they explore, the ghost gradually familiarizes itself with its new surroundings and meets the quirky neighbors of Pumpkinville.Game Page
PumpkinvilleTools Used
Pixelmash, Adobe Photoshop, GameMaker

Design Statement
Pumpkinville was my first venture into pixel-art game development using GameMaker. While the game appears simple, it presented a unique challenge — translating my passion for pixel art, previously just a personal hobby, into a functional and interactive medium.Unlike static drawings, pixel art in games requires careful consistency in scale and resolution. This project taught me the importance of maintaining uniform pixel sizes across characters, backgrounds, and scene elements to create a cohesive visual style. Additionally, working with GameMaker for the first time introduced me to new workflows for sprite animation and narrative logic.

• Home

Garden Galaxies
^{Video Game Proposal, 2023}

Garden Galaxies is a tranquil 2.5D role-playing game that blends farming simulation, magical exploration, and delightful adventure.In a world where magic and nature intertwine, players cultivate and crossbreed plants, gathering their fruits to fulfill the wishes of various characters. Through exploration, they will travel across diverse worlds, uncover rare materials and seeds, and experiment with botanical knowledge to craft potions and unlock new possibilities.Game Page
Game Design DocumentTools Used
Adobe Photoshop, Draw.io

Design Statement
Crafting a cozy, magic-infused game that integrates farming simulation, flora and fauna hybridization, and potion crafting has been a long-standing idea of mine. Garden Galaxies' represents the first step toward bringing this vision to life.This project began as a broad, abstract concept, but through the process of writing the Game Design Document (GDD), it has evolved into a structured, executable plan. Developing a game concept is much like composing a song — it starts with a faint melody, a blurry idea. As it takes shape, layers are added: mechanics, gameplay flow, characters, and environmental elements — like harmonies and chords building upon the initial tune.While Garden Galaxies is still in its conceptual stage, this GDD serves as a guiding blueprint for its future development, paving the way toward a fully realized game.

• Home

Rotating Witch
^{Video Game, 2021}

In Rotating Witch, players take on the role of a tiny witch navigating a magical kitchen. By hopping between spinning teacups, she collects ingredients to prepare whimsical dishes.Designers
Bethany Yao, Nickel Wu, Vivian ChenGame Page
RotatingWitchTools Used
Adobe Photoshop, Unreal Engine

Design Statement
This game was created during Kenny Jam as an early Unreal Engine project. Though simple in scope, it served as a valuable space for me to experiment with level design, object interaction, and blueprint logic — all while developing my own design sensibility.

• Home

Treasure Hunt: Island
^{Board Game, 2020 - 2022}

Treasure Hunt: Island is a competitive 3D board game set in a vibrant world of islands and wildlife. Players take on the roles of unique animal characters, each possessing distinct abilities and attack methods. To win, they must either outlast their opponents as the sole survivor or be the first to reach the treasure atop the mountain.Beyond character abilities, the game simultaneously features a dynamic map with diverse terrains and landmark structures, which, alongside a variety of strategic cards, enhances player interaction and decision-making.Game Page
Game Design DocumentTools Used
Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, Zbrush, Substance Painter,
Unreal Engine, Canva

Design Statement
Treasure Hunt: Island was my first foray into tabletop game design and development, an experience that challenged me to rethink game mechanics beyond the digital realm. The entire process — from conceptualization to prototyping and refinement — became an iterative journey of trial and error, a continuous search for optimal solutions, pushing me to explore new problem-solving approaches.Compared to video games, designing a physical board game presents unique challenges. Without the aid of computers, all mechanics must be represented through physical components, and all calculations must be intuitive. No player enjoys complex arithmetic, so damage values must be easily calculable. Likewise, since players rely on memory rather than data storage, any buffs lasting multiple turns must have clear visual indicators, such as cards or tokens.Even with careful planning, seemingly perfect designs often reveal unforeseen flaws once translated into physical form. Yet, for me, this is what makes tabletop game design so fascinating — it blurs the boundaries between the virtual and the real, bridging the digital and physical worlds in unexpected ways.

• Home

The Game
^{Tabletop Game, 2023}

The Game is a narrative-driven cooperative tabletop game that offers an immersive role-playing experience, inspired by Donald Barthelme’s short story, Game.Players assume unique character roles within a confined bunker, forced to adhere to a strict government-mandated routine. As tensions rise, they must navigate moral dilemmas, collaborate (or resist), and shape the evolving storyline through their decisions.Designers
Antonio Andrade, Dabu Lyu, Nichole Shinn, Vivian ChenGame Page
Game Sellsheet
All Available Printable AssetsTools Used
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Figma

Design Statement
View Full Design Statement

• Home

Cuz I'm a Chameleon
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Cuz I'm a Chameleon is a meditative experiment where players control a chameleon slowly swaying back and forth on a tree branch. Behind it, a contrasting video plays in slow motion or fast-forward, creating a surreal sense of detachment and calm.This project explores the interpretation of the "Paulstretch" prompt and the possible interactions between players and the game world.Paulstretch is an audio processing technique that stretches a sound by slicing it into small fragments and repeating them. In this game, I translate that concept into interaction by asking players to rhythmically alternate joystick rotations — clockwise and counterclockwise — echoing the cut-and-repeat structure of Paulstretch through physical input.Tools Used
Adobe Premiere, Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

Puppy Park
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Puppy Park is a playful, physics-driven game about a puppy with a simple goal — chasing water. Whether flying through the air, tumbling in the grass, or floating in the spray, its journey is nothing but carefree joy.Inspired by a video of "a puppy gleefully chasing a sprinkler," this project is a small celebration of simple joy. As the puppy gets tossed around by water jets, it leaves behind little "messages" — just enthusiastic barks. 🐶✨Tools Used
Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

I Wish It Were Spring
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Inspired by the "Outsourced" prompt, I Wish It Were Spring is a patchwork of borrowed creativity — a collection of code snippets and assets gathered from friends, assembled into a soft, interactive playground of color and motion.At its core, the game is less about mechanics and more about vibing with the cursor. Players control the cursor using WASD, pick colors from illustrations with spacebar, hold to leave behind soft, wandering brushstrokes, and participate in arbitrary quiz, all wrapped in a palette of gentle springtime hues.Asking different people for code and assets was an experience in itself — a process as unpredictable as spring and as scattered as the pieces I stitched together. I told my friends that spring is a vibe, and the fragments they gave me feel like another kind of vibing. Much love to them :]Tools Used
Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

Chop-Chop!
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Chop-Chop! is a physics-driven game inspired by the "Three Ways" and "Chopping" prompts. Set on a potato processing line, players interact with various departments, each simulating a different chopping-related task with its own chaotic physics system.But of course, what's more "chop" than chopping an entire department altogether?The real design challenge of this prompt was not just coming up with three verbs related to chopping, but integrating them into a cohesive gameplay logic. Besides, this project leans into dark humor and satire — gleefully stepping into the territory of dark play. Why settle for small cuts when you can chop the department causing all the trouble? Why micromanage when you can simply delete the problem? ;]Tools Used
Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

A Pigeon Walking on Fresh Concrete
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Inspired by the "Cement" prompt, A Pigeon Walking on Fresh Concrete lets players step into the role of a pigeon walking on fresh concrete — or not. It may leave footprints — or not.
It may shuffle across a discarded newspaper, marking something already meaningless. Or it may simply stand still, unbothered by expectations. If there is a choice, it belongs to the pigeon alone.Though the game invokes the idea of pleasing a so-called Pigeon God, there are no religious elements — only the attitude of pigeonhood.I have mixed feelings about pigeons. White doves are revered as symbols of peace and elegance, yet pigeons are simply scavengers picking scraps off city streets. They embody a unique blend of stupidity and reckless bravery — darting through crowds, dodging cars with last-second turns, never quite bothered enough to take flight. But does it matter? A pigeon does not seek approval. It moves, it stops, it carries on—because it simply can.Tools Used
Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

The Janitor After the Flood
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Inspired by the "Triptych" prompt — "The Shining, Shop Like A Billionaire, and Sweeping" — The Janitor After the Flood puts players in the role of a janitor cleaning up after the iconic elevator blood flood scene. Mop in hand, they scrub endlessly, trapped in a cycle of monotonous labor, slowly losing their mind.But what if there’s an easier way? Why keep mopping when you can just... buy your way out? Instead of cleaning, players can embrace a more modern, more convenient solution: spam-click their way through an endless catalog of luxurious carpets, instantly replacing the mess with something pristine.Beneath the absurdity, this project also draws inspiration from Can’t Help Myself, borrowing its mechanics to gesture at what happens beyond the film’s fourth wall — and behind the silver screen. It’s about unseen labor, and those left to deal with the aftermath — even when the flood was never real.Tools Used
Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

More Trash Can, Less Trash Can't
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Inspired by the "A Game You'd Rather Watch Than Play" prompt, More Trash Can, Less Trash Can't is a local co-op game where two players share a single analog controller, each controlling a different part of an opossum. One player manages the opossum's head and front legs, while the other controls its lower body and tail. Together, they must navigate a chaotic junkyard while keeping all of their babies safe.This game was designed with one goal in mind: to make players suffer (joyfully?). Watching two players physically squeeze together, wrestling for control of a single gamepad while trying to move as one, is just as entertaining as the game itself. The awkward coordination, the accidental sabotage, the frantic shouting, all pure chaotic fun.Tools Used
Adobe Photoshop, Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

Meow-king Biscuits
^{Video Game Prototype, 2024}

Meow-king Biscuits is a cozy, lighthearted game inspired by the "Duet" prompt, where players "help" a cat make biscuits — or at least, make it look like the cat is baking. Through simple mouse interactions, players place tools and ingredients in just the right spots, giving the illusion that the cat is kneading dough, rolling out pastry, or sprinkling chocolate chips.Of course, the cat is just being a cat. It has no idea it's "baking." But that's what makes this a duet — a collaboration between human intent and feline indifference.Cats are good. Biscuits are good.
A cat doesn’t need to know it’s baking. But it’s nice to believe it is.Tools Used
Unity EngineGame Page

• Home

Alphabet: Oreo Time
^{Interactive Art, 2018}

Oreo Time is an interactive art piece created through creative coding, where all visual elements are generated entirely through code.Inspired by everyday life, this project reinterprets food as an artistic medium — using the various angles of cookies to form letter-like compositions. The piece is built upon foundational libraries provided by Tom White and developed using p5.js.Control
Keyboard Keys - Interact by pressing keys when viewing the project on the webpage.Project Page
Oreo Time

• Home

Face Mappings: Foxy Friends
^{Interactive Art, 2019}

Foxy Friends is an interactive art piece that explores face mapping through creative coding. Built upon a framework developed by Tom White, this project focuses on the artistic transformation of facial features, reinterpreting them through expressive, animal-inspired visuals.As an early exploration of my fascination with animal-themed generative art, this project uses code to identify key facial features in photos and reshape them into new, abstract representations.Control
Mouse & Keyboard - Drag sliders with the mouse to adjust visual elements, use arrow keys to switch images.Project Page
Foxy Friends

• Home

AlphaGo: The Instrumentalization of True Play in Go
^{Academic Writing, 2024}

Go, also known as Weichi, is an ancient tabletop game originating from China with a rich historical and cultural background, evolving various cultural facets derived by players. AlphaGo, introduced by Google DeepMind in 2015, is a Go-playing software utilizing artificial intelligence systems (“About Google DeepMind”). Nowadays, Google DeepMind proves its mastery of the ancient and complex game of Go and promotes the exceptional performance of its AI system by showcasing AlphaGo's victories over human players. This essay aims to assert that AlphaGo instrumentalizes the play of Go, based on Miguel Sicart's definition of instrumental play as mechanizing and goal-oriented gameplay, viewing players as tools to achieve predetermined objectives. However, traditional Go, played by humans, through "hand conversation" (Moskowitz 37) and rule negotiations, aligns with Sicart's notion of true "play" — involving player appropriation, creation, and expression (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”).The instrumentalization of the game of Go by AlphaGo is multi-faceted and multi-layered. Instrumentalization, as described by Sicart, entails taking away the importance of play and player in the configuration of the ludic experience, treating the process of playing as a means to achieve other purposes (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”). The external appearance of AlphaGo may resemble Go, a form of play, but it overlooks a crucial point: true play should be a part of players' expression (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”). AlphaGo utilizes supervised learning from human expert games (Silver et al., “Mastering the Game of Go with Deep Neural Networks and Tree Search”), quantifying the process of humans playing Go into data to train its algorithms. In this case, players' actions, strategies, and thoughts in play are no longer considered interpretations of play nor expressions of player subjectivity and personality; instead, they become materials for machine learning. In other words, players and their thinking are no longer important because they are merely data that can be utilized. Everything produced by players is mathematized and systemized, becoming a part of the machine program.When we take a broader perspective and look at the bigger picture, AlphaGo reveals its aspect of instrumentalizing both players and play itself. In October 2016, AlphaGo defeated the human player Fan Hui with a score of 5-0 (“AlphaGo”). Google DeepMind considered this match proof of achieving one of artificial intelligence's grand challenges: winning against a human. However, it also served as further evidence of AlphaGo's instrumentalization of Go and human players. In this competition, both play and players did not serve the ludic experience but rather conformed to "other purposes" unrelated to it (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”) — evaluating the effectiveness of artificial intelligence systems. Sicart believes that “play belongs to players, and the meaning of the game resides in the actions of the players” (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”). Yet, in this match, the significance of the game — to prove the effectiveness of AI — had already been predetermined, completely depriving players of their rights to freely express and create meaning within the play. Whether it's Go, the players, or this competition, all served as means to achieve this other purpose, essentially acting as tools.Nevertheless, the instrumentalization of Go and its players has not yet ended. With the emergence of subsequent updates, such as AlphaGo Zero, AlphaGo took its instrumentalization to the next level, evolving into a complete elimination of players. In AlphaGo Zero, it claimed to have mastered the game of Go without human knowledge (Silver et al., “Mastering the Game of Go without Human Knowledge”). The AI system of AlphaGo Zero was trained solely through self-play reinforcement learning, without any supervision or use of human data (Silver et al., “Mastering the Game of Go without Human Knowledge”) — and this was considered a breakthrough. However, such breakthrough progress eradicates the presence of players, completely expelling them from the play. More importantly, behind this idea is the belief that players and their subjectivity are imperfections in the "perfect AI system," the players’ participation in AlphaGo's play is disgraceful and needs to be iterated and eliminated. AlphaGo Zero conveys an absolute disregard for players, entirely erasing their identity and position in the play. Therefore, it represents the ultimate form of instrumentalization.From quantifying the play process to depriving players of expression and creation, and ultimately eliminating players' presence, AlphaGo demonstrates how it instrumentalized the play of Go. When we shift our focus away from AlphaGo and turn to traditional Go, it's there that players express themselves, interpret the game, and negotiate rules — there is where true play resides (Sicart, Play Matters).Traditional Go play provides a space for players to actively express themselves, with the most prominent and typical example being "hand conversation." Players refer to playing Go as "hand conversation" to emphasize it as a particular form of dialogue, a silent exchange (He). In Go, the stones are black and white, involving two players, each holding stones of a different color, and taking turns placing them on the board. Each move in Go is called a "hand," a move; and "hand conversation" is the process of understanding the opponent's moves, comprehending their thoughts, and responding in one's own next move (Han).Go players construct context and engage in dialogue on the board, using the stones to create "images (Xing)" and "forms (Xiang)" to demonstrate their stream of thoughts (He). As the Qing dynasty Go master Shi Ding'an stated in his book, "The Principle of Go: Preface" (《弈理指归·序》), Go players "understand the steps, understand the moves, understand the intention, and seize the essence" (He). In the play of Go, each move on the board results from players' contemplation, representing the concrete embodiment of what they want to express. Through placing stones alternately, players engage in a dialogue of moves, creating a back-and-forth discussion. Through "hand conversation," intentions, strategies, and thoughts between players can be communicated and exchanged. Players bring their politics and ethics into the game, expressing them within the game, exchanging them with opponents, and creating their unique ludic experience within play (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”).When "Hand conversation" is considered a form of dialogue that allows players to better understand whom they are playing with (Moskowitz 37). At the same time, players continuously adopt new game rules and negotiate rules around "hand conversation," imbuing these rules with various metaphorical implications to create a better conversation environment. This adjustment and interpretation of rules based on subjective desires are also part of their expression and creativity.The basic rules of Go are simple: two players take turns placing stones on the board, striving to enclose larger territories with fewer stones. Yet, from ancient times to the present, players have continually defined new rules around it to make communication smoother and more fluid. In the "Thirteen Articles on Weichi" (《棋经十三篇》), there is a record of the insights of the Song dynasty scholar Zhang Ni on the etiquette rules for playing Go, "Win without boasting, lose without complaining" (Zhang), which is regarded as graceful, showing respect for the opponent and the game; while regretting moves, on the other hand, is considered shameful and should be prohibited — because deemed as trying to retract the spoken words. However, in the Ming dynasty literary awards, Wang Si Ren expressed a more tolerant attitude towards regretting moves in his work "Yi Lu" (《弈律》), "Allow one regret, as an act of compassion" (Wang), which signifies a negotiation of rules spanning across centuries.Whether it's Zhang or Wang, they represent Go players discussing and negotiating rules, and by playing around with rules, they express their thoughts and attitudes towards Go, towards play, and the meaning of play. Go players demonstrate to us that traditional Go is a form of free, flexible, and negotiated activity, just as true play should be (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”). In contrast, AlphaGo’s AI system, regardless of how sophisticated its algorithms or how precise its mathematical models are, remains a passive recipient of rules, unable to actively negotiate or change them — because it has been "designed" that way, everything is built upon mathematical and logical functions. Compared to play, AlphaGo is closer to a scientific experiment than human activity, with every element being externally defined, predetermined, and rational (Sicart, “Against Procedurality”).AlphaGo describes its AI system's algorithm as being closer to how humans play the game of Go (Silver et al., “Mastering the Game of Go with Deep Neural Networks and Tree Search”), or in other words, closer to the true essence of the play of Go. However, true play, as defined by Sicart, is creative and finding expression (Sicart, Play Matters). It affords players varying degrees of expression inherent in the activity of play itself, through which players express to be in the world (Sicart, Play Matters). Go players create strategies through their moves, express their political and ethical views through "hand conversation." They play around with rules to interpret the game, express their needs, and reflect on the meaning of the game. On the board, players understand their opponents, influence them, and convey their vision. Therefore, their actions have meaning, and their existence is meaningful, which is what AlphaGo is missing. For AlphaGo, players are instruments and tools; their subjectivity and existence are experimental parameters that need to be excluded, and their best existence property in AlphaGo is that they do not exist. Thus, based on Sicart's perspective in "Against Procedurality," with its deprivation of players' subjectivity and neglect of the importance of players to play, AlphaGo is merely an outcome of instrumentalizing play.

Bibliography:^{Google DeepMind. “About Google DeepMind.” Google DeepMind, deepmind.google/about/.Google DeepMind. “AlphaGo.” Google DeepMind, deepmind.google/technologies/alphago/.HanFei (韩斐). “The Imagery of Go in ‘A New Account of the Tales of the World’ (《「世说新语」与围棋意象》).” Education and Cultural Materials (文教资料), vol. 36, no. 1, 2015, pp. 78–80, cnki:SUN:WJZZ.0.2015-36-027.HeYunbo (何云波). Yijing: Go and the Chinese Literary Spirit (《弈境——围棋与中国文艺精神》). BEIJING BOOK CO. INC., 1 Jan. 2006.Moskowitz, Marc L. Go Nation: Chinese Masculinities and the Game of Weiqi in China. Berkeley, University of California Press, 2013, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=632490&site=eds-live. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.Sicart, Miguel. “Against Procedurality.” Game Studies, vol. 11, no. 3, 1 Dec. 2011, gamestudies.org/1103/articles/sicart_ap.Sicart, Miguel. Play Matters. Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press, 2014.Silver, David, et al. “Mastering the Game of Go with Deep Neural Networks and Tree Search.” Nature, vol. 529, no. 7587, Jan. 2016, pp. 484–489, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature16961. Accessed 15 Apr. 2019.Silver, David, et al. “Mastering the Game of Go without Human Knowledge.” Nature, vol. 550, no. 7676, Oct. 2017, pp. 354–359, www.nature.com/articles/nature24270, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature24270.WangSiren (王思任). YiLu: Volume One (《弈律·一卷》). Jinan: Qilu Shushe (濟南 : 齊魯書社), 1995.ZhangNi (张拟). Thirteen Articles on Weichi (《棋经十三篇》). 第1版 (1 Dec. 2016) ed., Huayu Publishing House (华语出版社), 2016.}

Special Thanks to:^{Karina Popp, for inspiring this topic, and for her ongoing suggestions and guidance.Diane Wang, for offering writing advice.}

Links:^{Academic Writing - AlphaGo: The Instrumentalization of True Play in Go}

• Home

Anthropocentrism in Stray
^{Academic Writing, 2024}

Stray is an adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive in 2022. The game places players into a simulated perspective of a cat, witnessing the chaotic and dystopian future of a humanoid robot society. Based on the notions of communication study scholars Loretta Rowley and Kevin A. Johnson, Stray conveys concerns about "humankind being consumed by anthropocentrism." As defined by the American moral philosopher Gary Steiner, anthropocentrism is "the view that human beings are primary and central in the order of things" (Steiner). This essay aims to showcase the anthropocentrism present in Stray, pointing out how the game paradoxically expresses and applies anthropocentrism itself through its portrayal of the cat protagonist, narrative, and underlying design ideology, despite the concern about anthropocentrism it conveys.There are no real human lives in Stray, yet it tells a story about humankind itself. In the context of Stray, true humans have long been extinct, and the roles once occupied by humans are now filled by robots imbued with human-like characteristics. These robots are non-human but are endowed with human traits; they possess self-awareness and individual consciousness, mimicking humans drinking in the bar, even though the game describes "their original design didn't have a digestive system" (Stray). The story of Stray revolves around the suffering of this society of humanoid robots, but as we ascribe human qualities onto non-human species and continually tell these anthropomorphic stories, "we are reminded that those stories are equally, if not more, about us than they are about those non-human species" (Rowley and Johnson). Stray tells a story of the robot society reeling under the threat of Zurks, a bacteria created by humans for waste decomposition, a product invented initially to serve humans themselves but now capable of decimating robots effortlessly. Meanwhile, it is equally a story about human society, anthropocentrism, and its outcomes. The robots dread being destroyed by Zurks, which is also a metaphorical expression of the game's concern and apprehension about "humankind being threatened and destroyed by the products of anthropocentrism." However, the game's mechanics, including the utilization and reinforcement of stereotypes about cats, demonstrate humans' complete dominance over cats as non-human entities, revealing that Stray itself also contains the expression of anthropocentrism.By simulating the behavior of a cat, Stray demonstrates the marginalization of non-human entities to highlight the primacy of humans. The simulation of cat behaviors in Stray is shallow, based on human stereotypes, and reflects human arrogance and control over non-humans. The description on the Stray Steam page states: "See the world through the eyes of a cat and interact with the environment in playful ways" (Stray on Steam). It places players in the perspective and body of a cat, simulating the experience of acting as a cat. Gonzalo Frasca describes "simulation" as a process where a different system models an original system while retaining some of the operational behaviors of the original system (Frasca). In Stray, players can indeed control a cat's actions, such as scratching carpets or curtains by alternately pressing the left and right mouse buttons. Such a system appears to be a legitimate simulation, but one crucial aspect has been overlooked: all the behaviors of the cats designed in the game are the results of human subjective interpretation; in other words, they are based on human perceptions. Players manipulate a cat, arbitrarily scratching fabrics just because the players want to, reflecting a human perception that cats are creatures that will idly scratch fabrics or furniture for no reason, depriving the contextual background and motivation behind a real cat's clawing behavior. Humans are interpreting non-human behavior through their own stereotypical lens. They believe they can understand everything about a non-human entity better than non-humans do themselves, and thus, this human power to seize control from non-humans. In other words, humans are placing non-humans on the margins, diminishing their power, and making them secondary beings, all to highlight human authority and primacy.The essence of simulating a cat in Stray is a representation of human stereotypes; on the other hand, Stray further defines "what is a cat" by applying stereotypes to create an image of a cat that aligns more with human perception, thereby taking away non-human entities' right to self-interpreting and emphasizing human dominance over external entities. In Stray, when a robot encounters a cat approaching them and rubbing against their legs, a heart is displayed on the screen of the robot's face, portraying a blissful and cheered expression of joy, describing their happiness and inability to resist the presence of a fluffy creature like a cat. Through the robots' reactions, Stray expresses a human-created label and definition of cats as fluffy creatures that seek to please humans and bring them joy and pleasure. This is a top-down definition, imposing a human understanding onto cats; it is a "human gaze" that defines the qualities of non-humans from a human perspective. While Stray utilizes stereotypes towards cats, it also reinforces them. Cats, as non-human beings, exist within the confines of human imagination and definition, conforming to what humans expect them to be like. In this process, humans position themselves in a dominant role, shaping non-human roles into images that please humankind themselves, which is a true manifestation of anthropocentrism.Through the simulation and mechanic design of the cat, Stray showcases its anthropocentric nature, which paradoxically is also what Stray is concerned about. Stray illustrates human arrogance, marginalization, and fabrication regarding non-human beings. Ironically, this is also what the game intends to convey as the fundamental reason for the threat posed by Zurks to the robot community. In the background setting of Stray, garbage and sewage continue to pile up in the human territory. To address this issue, humans created Zurks. Thus, humans believe they have complete understanding and control over Zurks, defining them as harmless and efficient janitorial figures. However, Zurks, in the game, ends up running rampant in the world, devouring everything in its path. Humans in the game create and utilize non-human entities to serve themselves, believing they are omniscient and omnipotent. Yet, these very non-human entities almost destroy the humanoid robot society. As robots are endowed with human characteristics, the stories of these robots are essentially stories about humanity; these robots serve as avatars for humans in the game. What Stray seeks to express is the concern about anthropocentrism potentially ruining human society and consuming humankind. Nevertheless, it also perpetuates the cycle of humans assuming a complete understanding of non-humans, defining them, and creating non-human avatars to please themselves. Stray has never escaped from anthropocentrism; this human-centric ideology continues to be represented in the game.Zooming out from the mechanics, Stray approaches and applies anthropocentrism by portraying the cat in the game as a character serving humans and human civilization through its narratives. The game depicts a closed, backward, and crisis-ridden underground city settlement of robots, where individuals are constantly at risk. This depiction demonstrates – the game’s concerns about the future of humanity. Through its narrative, Stray also offers a solution for this situation – the cat will save this society; in other words, non-humans will save everything for humans. In the game’s story, the cat, under the request of the robot with human cognition, Momo, collects materials and repairs the signal receiver, traverses areas heavily infected by Zurks, reaches the rooftop to assist Momo in receiving signals; and later, guided by drone B-12, who housed the human consciousness in its machine chip, the cat sneaks through the heavily guarded city, evading surveillance drones, and steals an atomic battery. The reason and outcome of all these efforts are revealed in Stray's grand finale — to open the sealed gates and dome of the underground city, let sunlight shine upon the city, and free the robot community (Stray). However, such a story with a cat rescuing the humanoid robot society is problematic due to its inherently anthropocentric narrative.The identity and virtues of the cat in Stray are used by humans to narrate a story where the cat serves humanoid robots, who are essentially humans. The cat's presence in the game is meant to save the humanoid robot community. In other words, non-humans are designated in human works as destined to save humanity. It reflects the vision that humans believe non-humans will willingly sacrifice for their own service and salvation. This story is essentially an anthropocentric tale, with the core theme being the cat serving the interests of humanoid robots. In other words, Stray expresses the belief that non-human entities serve the interests of humans. At the same time, the cat is granted multiple positive qualities by humans, such as being stealthy and nimble, and also with some seemingly negative but endearing qualities in human stereotypes, such as being silly and annoying (Stray on Steam). Yet, these qualities serve the anthropocentric narrative in Stray, where the story and its conclusion are paramount. It implies that the virtues and behaviors of a cat are only meaningful within the context of humanity (Mills); they only hold value when non-human qualities serve human interests, which is an embodiment of anthropocentrism.Moreover, extending from within Stray's magic circle (Johan Huizinga) to beyond it, whether within the game or outside it, the image of the cat remains that of a servant to humans. In the game, the cat is tasked with the responsibility of saving humanity, while the concept of cats outside this magical circle (Johan Huizinga) is shaped to fit human habits of playing videogames through a controller, bending towards human customs, and being at the mercy of human manipulation. A real cat walks on four legs, but in Stray, the cat's movement is simplified to WASD controls – because players have habitualized this form of control, changing it would require a re-adaptation of human perceptions (Keogh). Similarly, a real cat's perspective is colorblind (Meyer et al.). Yet, the game's camera is filled with vibrant neon colors – because the human designers behind the game decided on the game's visual style and color palette. All features and elements related to this non-human entity are either flattened or entirely ignored to accommodate human habits and preferences. This is placing humans at the core of everything, thus, this is anthropocentrism. Even when we step completely outside the magic circle (Johan Huizinga) of Stray and look back at it as a game, the concept of the cat as a non-human entity is designed by humans as the protagonist, woven into a story and placed in a game, like Stray, for the entertainment of human players. Humans fully instrumentalize the cat, which epitomizes the ultimate form of anthropocentrism.Stray is a game about humankind, anthropocentrism, and its outcomes. By adopting a cat's perspective, the game showcases not only a robot society on the brink under the threat of Zurks but also expresses concerns about humankind being destroyed by anthropocentrism and its creations. However, Stray itself also expresses and applies anthropocentrism. The simulation and definition of cats in the game based on human stereotypes signify human control and assertion of dominance over non-human existence; the instrumentalization of cats inside and outside the game portrays humans viewing non-humans as tools for their service and pleasure. Therefore, even though it expresses worries and concerns about anthropocentrism, they do not prevent Stray from also walking down the path of anthropocentrism.

Bibliography:^{Frasca, Gonzalo. “Simulation versus Narrative: Introduction to Ludology.” The Video Game Theory Reader, edited by Bernard Perron and Mark J.P. Wolf, New York, N.Y., Routledge, 2009.Huizinga, J. Homo Ludens Ils 86. Taylor & Francis Group, 2003. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nyulibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1639138.Keogh, Brendan. A Play of Bodies: How We Perceive Videogames. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 2018.Meyer, Donald R., et al. “Absence of Color Vision in Cat.” Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 17, no. 3, 1 May 1954, pp. 289–294, https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1954.17.3.289.Mills, Brett. “Jaws, Anthropocentrism and Cinema as a Monster-Making Machine.” Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance, vol. 16, no. 1, 1 June 2023, pp. 21–36, https://doi.org/10.1386/jafp000871. Accessed 12 May 2024.Rowley, Loretta, and Kevin A. Johnson. “Anthropomorphic Anthropocentrism and the Rhetoric of Blackfish.” Environmental Communication, vol. 12, no. 6, 6 Apr. 2016, pp. 825–839, https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2016.1167757.Steiner, Gary. Anthropocentrism and Its Discontents: The Moral Status of Animals in the History of Western Philosophy. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010.“Stray on Steam.” store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com/app/1332010/Stray/.}

Ludography:^{Stray. Version 1.0, BlueTwelve Studio, 19 July 2022.}

Special Thanks to:^{Karina Popp, for inspiring this topic, and for her ongoing suggestions and guidance.Ezreal Ye and Alvan Lai, for offering thoughtful feedback and writing advice.}

Links:^{Academic Writing - Anthropocentrism in Stray}

• Home

Easter Eggs: More Than an Extra Content
^{Research Paper, 2023}

When we disconnect from the internet, open the Google Chrome browser, and come across that adorable, pixelated little dinosaur, we're gazing at an "Easter egg"—an undisclosed feature placed within a medium, typically concealed from the public eye until revealed by a user (Rodenberg).Easter eggs in games come in a multitude of forms and often have little to no impact on the main gameplay or mechanics. Nevertheless, players have long been enthusiastic about uncovering the hidden content within games, relishing in discussing and sharing their discoveries. Why do gamers find such seemingly inconsequential features so appealing? What are they drawn to about these "extra" functionalities?When it comes to these questions, the instinctive answer is always that Easter eggs are a form of "surprise" within games. Players often find these intentionally concealed elements by game developers to be intriguing because they generally differ from our regular expectations and experiences. This sudden, accidental find disrupts the routine pace of the game, injecting dynamism, and arousing the curiosity and desire for exploration. Easter eggs offer a sense of freshness and excitement. However, once the initial rush of discovery subsides, when we focus on the content of the Easter Egg itself, it may be a vessel for a tribute to other works, a hidden narrative, or perhaps a commemoration of a particular person. Alternatively, it could simply be a playful joke from the creators. Nonetheless, it is these underlying layers that truly captivate players beyond the initial thrill.As a profound movie scatters subtle details throughout the film, inviting the audience to revisit and discuss, Easter eggs serve as one of the narrative aids tucked away in the corners of video games. Their presence renders the game's world more comprehensive, enhances the persuasiveness of the storytelling experience, and adds flavor to players' gaming journey. The story fragments carried by Easter eggs provide additional details to narratives, enriching the game's mood. Particularly in games with expansive worldviews like Blasphemous, more detailed elements bring forth greater authenticity and credibility, thereby convincing players of the world's background and ongoing events, fostering immersion and resonance with the storyline. An Easter egg exists in
Blasphemous I where the player, as the "The Penitent One," can pet a randomly appearing dog in scenes—a seemingly adorable detail. The same dog appears in Blasphemous II, set centuries after the conclusion of Blasphemous I, near the coffin where The Penitent resurrects. Yet, as the player attempts to approach and pet it once more, its phantom dissipates in the wind.For players familiar with Blasphemous I, this performance is a callback and reference to the previous game. More importantly, it echoes the passage of time within the game world and implies the inexorable passage of time and the transience of existence, which directly accentuates the tragic undertone of Blasphemous's story.Easter eggs help the narrative, such a vital component within the magic circle, to express the principal themes of a game. Moreover, through Easter eggs, game developers bridge between the fictional and real worlds, propelling the game's core ideas to greater heights. They are the mediums carrying the essence of the game in and out of the magic circle. Take, for instance, the Overwatch map Lijiang Tower, where there's a set of space suits labeled "Hongyu" on the chest, with the background displaying "Heroes never die." This Easter egg commemorates a university student named Hongyu Wu, who valiantly sacrificed himself on May 23, 2016, while bravely intervening to stop car thieves (Sarkar).Heroes in Overwatch are characters who save others, and so does Hongyu. The game's tagline states, "The world needs more heroes!" Perhaps due to its nature as a competitive game, players often focus more on winning rather than pondering the game's implications of heroism. This particular Easter egg and the discussions it sparked within the community have prompted players to pause and contemplate the meaning behind this phrase. It encourages reflection on the game designer's definition of "heroism"—that even if we are all ordinary individuals, as long as we selflessly dedicate ourselves to others, we are heroes. At the same time, Blizzard, within a world brimming with fictional heroes, honored a real-world hero with this Easter egg. It not only stays faithful to the core ideals of the game but also signifies the developer's stance on its community: a compassionate, humanistic gesture that extends empathy and care for the community members.Of course, sometimes Easter eggs aren't always so "serious." Some of these Easter eggs, which also exist beyond the magic circle, are born out of the creators' playful jests. A representative example is in the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the witcher Geralt of Rivia can stumble upon a quest somewhere, seemingly aimed at finding a missing chicken. The quest description reads, "Find this chicken, seems like it ran into a cave in a certain village." As players reach the indicated location, they find the cave does exist. However, upon entering it, instead of a chicken, they encounter an unexpectedly enormous goose! Certainly, the Easter egg here is an innocuous, teasing humor from the developers. It indeed brings joy and surprises to players, but what else? Beyond the players, as game creators, why should we pay more attention to the Easter eggs?Within the realm of games, we, as designers, utilize everything at our disposal—be it conceptual ideas or tangible assets—to craft our creations. We incorporate these whimsical or nonsensical elements to infuse a sense of novelty, encouraging players to explore and delve deeper into the game world. Nevertheless, we mustn't forget that games are not only created for players; they also bear and encompass the hearts of us. As we study the impact of Easter eggs on players, we shouldn't overlook their greater potential for us, the developers. Easter eggs, with their informal stance and relatively independent nature from the game itself, offer us a more significant potential for self-expression.Easter eggs can be a designer’s signature to their works. The inception of the widely recognized first Easter egg in gaming history was a creator's statement of their "copyright." In 1978, Warren Robinett developed a game, "Adventure." In this game, he designed a hidden level that, when found by players, triggered a flashing message on the screen displaying "by Warren Robinett." Robinett included this Easter egg because he was dissatisfied with Atari, the company he worked for at the time, prohibiting the inclusion of credits for game developers. After pouring so much effort into the game, Robinett couldn't let his work go unrecognized. Hence, he chose to leave such a stunning "signature" accompanying the story and personalities belonging to the designer "Robinett" (Lu). Players witnessed, through this Easter egg, a game developer who stood up to defend the rights of creators despite being in a position of disadvantage against the powerful.At many times, Easter eggs possess the ability to break the fourth wall, providing game developers with a direct channel to communicate with players (Huang). They allow players to look into the minds of the designers, feeling a closer connection with people behind the scenes. Another example is the story of the developers of the game Dying Light and their unwavering dedication to "chickens." During the development of the DLC "The Following," designers aimed to add chickens to compensate for their regret of not including animals in the initial game release in 2015 due to an overhauled engine. Unfortunately for them, the idea was ultimately abandoned as studio executives found animating chickens and developing their AI too costly. Yet, this wasn't the end; the setback didn't deter these designers; it transformed into what became known at Techland as "Chicken Gate," a running joke to add chickens to The Following wherever the designers and artists could. Graffiti of chickens can be found in various game scenes, and players could even discover a blueprint to craft a chicken-shaped weapon (Hester).When players uncover the story behind these chicken elements, even if they're not consciously aware, they can sense the production team's dedication to "chickens" and perceive a real human touch. As Piotr Pawlaczyk, the lead level designer at Techland studio, mentioned, "We’re all human after all and we see the value in Easter eggs for both the players and for us as a team" (Hester).As players stumble upon the first Easter egg, perhaps triggered by an unexpected encounter, they initiate a dialogue that transcends the boundaries of the game settings and characters, engaging not only with the role of "game creators" but with the creators themselves. Designers have diverse thoughts and intentions, possessing their own personalities and spirits; thus, Easter eggs are born, carrying these sentiments and delivering them to the players. Whether in images, models, or texts, Easter eggs remain assets within the game. However, their significance far exceeds this role.While Easter eggs may be optional extras in games, they are an indispensable part of expressing the personality of the creators, as CD Projekt Red game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz stated—a way for designers to manifest who they are and to appreciate the things they like, love, and that inspire their creativity (Hester).

Reference:^{Hester, Blake. “The Costs of Developing Easter Eggs.” Polygon, 20 Jan. 2017, www.polygon.com/features/2017/1/19/14318984/the-costs-of-developing-easter-eggs.Huang, Sibai. “‘第四面墙’这个概念在游戏之中的实践与可能性都有哪些？(Translated as: ‘What Are the Practices and Possibilities of the Concept of the “fourth Wall” in Games?’).” Zhihu, 25 Apr. 2023, www.zhihu.com/question/596748438/answer/3000240884.Lu, Xinyu. “真正的通关，是找到游戏中的所有彩蛋 (Translated as: ‘True Completion Is Finding All the Easter Eggs in the Game’).” Zhihu Column, 3 Mar. 2022, zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/475206825.Rodenberg, Brendan. “Gaming: What Is a Video Game ‘Easter Egg’?” KX NEWS, KX NEWS, 8 Aug. 2023, www.kxnet.com/news/state-news/gaming-what-is-a-video-game-easter-egg/.Sarkar, Samit. “Blizzard Pays Tribute in Overwatch to Fan Killed in Tragic Accident.” Polygon, Polygon, 1 July 2016, www.polygon.com/2016/7/1/12081430/overwatch-memorial-wu-hongyu-blizzard.}

Special Thanks to:^{Miaka Lee, for assisting me in brainstorming and organizing my thoughts.Jiwen Ding, for providing suggestions about the Easter eggs in the game Blasphemous.Diane Wang, for offering writing advice.Chapin Boyer, for ongoing suggestions and guidance.}

Links:^{Research Paper - Easter Eggs: More Than an Extra Content
Presentation Slides}

• Home

Game and Feedbacks
^{Manifesto, 2023}

Introduction

In the world of gaming, the symbiotic relationship between feedback and game design is the heartbeat of player engagement and design innovation. “Feedback” is one of the fundamental cornerstones of gaming, yet this manifesto will assert that feedback is not merely a response mechanism; it is intricate language through which players communicate with games and engage in dialogue with developers.

Feedback as a Dynamic Tool

From a design perspective, "Feedback" emerges as a dynamic tool, enabling games to engage and communicate with players. Games rely on "feedback" to form the most essential interactive experience with players. Take video games as an example; controllers, mouses, and keyboards are ports exposed to players. The players input actions, the ports are triggered, and the character actions and camera movements in the game serve as the game responds to the player.This is the most basic mechanical feedback of the game, but it is by no means the full extent of its capabilities. Feedback is also a conduit for games to communicate with players. The camera is more than just the player's eyes; it can convey more than game graphics. In games like The Last of Us, designers use camera language extensively to create a cinematic storytelling experience. Similarly, in Bound, when players control the character in the game, the way she moves and dances, including her body language, affects the player's mood. In these examples, games utilizing visual feedback deliver messages to the players and communicate with them silently.Yet, the communication between the game and the player can gain further depth through intuitive and efficient components – interfaces. The feedback brought by the interface can be the process of revealing the card in traditional physical games, or it can be buttons and graphics in digital games. Designing buttons is exciting. They have different states like normal, hover, pressed state, etc. The designer develops different visual expressions for the various states of the buttons to provide feedback on the different stages of the user's interaction with them.Similar to buttons, the icons in the game also change visually when the player uses potions or skills, telling the player the cooling time or the effects of the skills. The feedback brought by the interface is not only a mechanical response to the player's input, but it also carries the game’s subtle information and delivers it to the player, fostering a deeper connection with them.When we designers think about game development from the standpoint of "feedback," we focus more on approaches and methods. We consider more about "how" to deliver than "what" to deliver. For instance, the unique charm of audio design in games is not limited to “when” but depends more on the usage of tonnes of sound effects to express different emotions. We employ cheerful sounds to celebrate the player's leveling up or descending melodies to render the player's frustration when they fail. In games such as Final Fantasy XIV, designers will fade in a chaotic crowd sound effect, including people talking and laughing, to better integrate the player into the game society and create a sense of immersion when there are more than a certain number of other players near the player's location.Likewise, we design choice branches for narrative, predict player activities, and provide different storylines as feedback for the player's choices. In games like Detroit: Become Human and Mass Effect series, narrative branches enrich the content and replayability of games, as well as acknowledge and respect the player’s agency. "Feedback" is the response games give to players, but it also extends beyond the surface, expressing the core gameplay and essential design intention to them through these branches.

Feedback as Critiques

A well-crafted feedback system is not just a response mechanism but a language, a dialogue between the game and the player, shaping their interaction and immersion. Yet, when this conversation falters, when the feedback is lacking or poorly designed, players notice. They feel the absence keenly, and what emerges is often a critique, a verdict that a game falls short, which, in other words, is “feedback” to the game overall.Examining games like Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing serves as an example. One of the primary reasons Big Rigs is criticized is its absence of feedback mechanisms. Essential elements like collision detection, realistic physics, and opponent AI are virtually nonexistent. Players receive no meaningful feedback about their actions, leading to a disconnected and unsatisfactory gameplay experience and, ultimately, the collapse of the game's reputation.Players are enthusiastic to evaluate and rate games through various media. Even if they don't publish authentic critical reports, they constantly generate ideas and reflections while playing the game.What's even more interesting, however, is that while players are continually providing feedback on the game, the game is also criticizing players regularly, either subtly or openly. This detailed critical evaluation operates across gaming genres, from the gentle nudges of KDA systems in shooting and MOBA games to the harsh trials of Souls-like adventures. More obviously, in rhythm games, such as Cytus and osu!, intuitive visual and auditory cues guide players, meanwhile demanding extreme precision in their every response. With each click, the game scrutinizes the player's performance, offering real-time critiques. In the process of playing a song, players often find themselves facing hundreds or even thousands of judgments from the game. It is not uncommon for players, confident in their flawless performance, to be met unanticipatedly with the game results summary report filled with “miss” and “bad,” reminding them that perfection remains a rare feat.Nevertheless, take a closer look at the design intent; beneath overt critiques lies an exchange, an unseen conversation through reviewing between game design and player experience. From a design perspective, we, as excellent game developers, craft these challenges purposefully. We understand that in the face of adversity, players discover resilience. Every missed beat and every unachieved goal becomes a stepping stone, encouraging players to persist, practice, and eventually conquer the challenge. These evaluation criteria are not arbitrary; they are carefully designed to guide, motivate, and inspire players to push their boundaries and attain mastery.

Feedback as the Bridge

At the same time, from another aspect, as players keep engaging with games, their playthroughs and feedback become the foundation upon which a bridge between developers and gamers is constructed. The player's reaction to game mechanics, their gameplay style, and their critiques form a multifaceted lens through which game designers perceive their creation.By keenly observing how players interact with the game, developers gain valuable insights into not just player preferences but also loopholes and shortcomings within the gameplay and mechanics. With this understanding, game designers can refine games further, ensuring a more satisfying and sustainable gaming experience.For example, there was a loophole in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that in White Orchard, players could effortlessly kill cows and get hides for gold, which had been exploited to obtain a lot of gold in a short time, destroying the game's economic system and causing players quickly lose interests of the game. To fix this, the team first added a tax collector to the game who would visit the player and ask if the player had ever engaged in the wholesale trade of rawhide in the White Orchard area as a gentle reminder. Yet, most players ignored this and still slaughtered these cows for profit. Hence, the production team later added the "Cow Guardian," a high-level monster named "Chort" would rush out from the bushes to attack the player, which is lethal for most average players. Eventually, such a solution effectively prevented players from farming gold in the game.In this case, game designers are problem solvers, with the help of the player’s feedback, identifying the most efficient and suitable method for solving the glitch. The player, in this context, became an active participant in the game's evolution, their actions and responses serving as vital influencing factors that shape the game's development trajectory.As game designers, we thoroughly playtest our games and value player feedback before release. Equally important is our continuous scrutiny of how players engage with game mechanics and experience gameplay during widespread play. It's crucial to actively seek player input, adapt dynamically, and closely observe their responses. Above all, never underestimate the intelligence and creativity of your player base.In essence, players, as they dive deeper into the game, co-create the game world with game designers, infusing it with their originality, emotions, and unique interpretations. The feedback loop intertwined between players, games, and game designers extends beyond technical aspects and involves more emotional engagement and imaginative exploration. Therefore, “feedback” constructs a two-way bridge between players and game developers and paints a vivid picture of collaboration, where developers and players weave intricate stories, crafting not just games but shared experiences.

Special Thanks to:^{Miaka Lee, for assisting me in brainstorming.Chapin Boyer, for ongoing suggestions and guidance.}

Links:^Manifesto

• Home

Dance, Gaming, and Narrative
^{Critical Play Report, 2023}

Within the realm of gaming, an intriguing convergence unfolds at the intersection of performance and expression when discussing games and dance.The marriage of dance and games is not a new concept. Dating back to 1998, games like Bust A Groove introduced the idea of controlling characters to dance through button presses, rhythm, and on-screen arrow cues. Yet, at this point, these interactions were limited to finger movements, creating a gameplay experience reminiscent of traditional button-mashing mechanics rather than genuine dance. However, during the same era, the evolution of dance games like Dance Dance Revolution marked a significant shift. Players were encouraged to engage physically by incorporating bodily movements.Just Dance, a later addition to the genre, revolutionized the experience by utilizing motion controllers to capture players' movements. From my personal experience, it provided a refreshing experience not only due to its novel method of motion capture but also because it discarded the "classic" abstract visual cues of arrows in favor of concrete video guidance, which provides a more "natural" dance experience akin to following a personal coach. From a design standpoint, Just Dance was crafted for “amateur dancers” to experience dancing with less burden. Players were spared the frustration of missteps as their figures and movements were not visible in the game. This absence of visual feedback enhanced players' confidence, allowing them to focus more on the music and the act of dancing. At the same time, unlike professional dancing, which demands breaking down and memorizing complicated moves, the game employed video and symbol guidance, enabling players to dive into the dance swiftly and effortlessly.However, there was a downside. Just Dance's scoring system, a typical gaming feature, affects and overshadows the player's dance experience to a certain extent. In the movie Ready Player One, Parzival's initial reaction upon entering the gravity-free dance floor, "I don't think this is it, no scoreboard, no obstacles," echoed traditional gaming expectations. Just Dance, unfortunately, did not break away from such expectations. Implementing motion capture and movement evaluation added a competitive edge, shifting players' attention toward the game's scoring. Moreover, a mistake or a misjudgment by the controller's sensor could induce panic, disrupting the dance rhythm and spoiling the overall experience. True dance, in my perspective, entails engaging the entire body, not just hands. Therefore, I find myself more drawn to the controller-free experience, which allows me to immerse myself entirely in the music, connect with my inner rhythm, commit myself to the dance, and feel more “expressive.”In essence, Just Dance prioritizes "dance," utilizing "games" as a medium. Conversely, several other games emphasize "games," incorporating "dance" as an element or mechanism. For instance, in Bound, the protagonist's balletic movements create a unique visual presentation and express a feeling of the character inside the game performing for the player, the audience beyond the screen. Yet, my disappointment and regret arose when the dance element in Bound remained detached from its deeply moving narrative. In my belief, dance is more powerful than an external appearance. Dance possesses an inherent storytelling power. Music and dance, intertwined, own the ability to influence moods and emotions, forming a compelling narrative. In films such as Singin' in the Rain, taking the iconic scene featuring Don Lockwood's performance in the rain as an example, music and dance seamlessly blend into the narrative, conveying the character’s overwhelming joy as he embraces his true love and evoking profound emotions in viewers.Regrettably, my search for games seamless interplaying with music, dance, and narrative led to sparse findings. Most games treat "dance" as a social or mechanical element while overlooking its potential as a narrative technique. One imperfect exception is Beauvoir, the diva character in NieR Automata. Beauvior has her own musical theme within the game. When engaging in battle with her, she moves and acts like an opera performer and attacks following the rhythm of her music. During the battle, the player will gradually uncover her life stories. Nevertheless, these narratives are presented through cutscenes and dialogues rather than being integrated into gameplay interactions.

Links:^{Critical Play Report}

• Home

Disability Studies, Mental Health, and Games
^{Critical Play Report, 2023}

In the paper by Dunlap, K. & Kowert, R., they introduced the concept of the multidimensional expression of mental illness in games, which includes the 2D portrayal, described as a defining element, often used to explain a character's behavior or backstory; and the 3D portrayal, fully realized and an essential component that reflects authentic experiences. In my view, the 2D portrayal leans towards using mental issues as a means to narrate another theme. This reminds me of the mystery movies that use dissociative identity disorder as the core of the puzzle to engage the audience and reveal the answer at the end. Yet, the essential idea of these movies is usually not to discuss mental issues itself.In a medium like games, due to its unique interactivity and ability to deliver engaging experiences, it appears to have more potential to utilize 3D expression, immerse players in the journey of being a patient, and engage in more serious discussions about mental health itself. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice seems to fulfill this expectation. The game's use of Binaural Audio technology mimics the paracusia, and the level design simulates hallucinations, which are both common symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia. Simultaneously, through its narrative, the game tells the story of a “patient” with mental illness seeking self-acceptance. However, from my perspective, expressing mental health subjects through games is highly challenging, and game design inherently has limitations in such creative endeavors.From a design standpoint, I believe the most crucial questions are "why" and "who." What is the purpose of introducing mental illness into games? And who is our audience? Mental health issues are extremely complex, and people's mental states are not binary. If we consider mental states as a parameter, where 0 represents complete health, and 10 represents severe illness, I believe the majority fall somewhere in between. When we design a game aiming to simulate symptoms of an illness, to educate those closer to 0 on this parameter about mental illness, and to draw their attention, we face the challenge of balancing accuracy with entertainment value. While games can simulate certain symptoms or experiences associated with mental illness, accurately capturing the full complexity and reality of these conditions is difficult. Games like Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice often receive acclaim for their attempt to depict mental health issues authentically. Yet, even in such games, the experiences depicted do not represent the entirety of schizophrenia accurately, such as bypassing the disorganized thinking commonly associated with schizophrenia, due to the constraints of gameplay mechanics and narrative pacing. Game developers created a character, but this character's traits cannot represent all aspects of the illness. Meanwhile, faced with such challenges, we opted to simplify and systemize the concept of mental illness in games, leading to another problem: we've missed some depth and scope. Mental issues encompass a wide array; even within anxiety disorders alone, there are generalized anxiety disorders, social anxiety disorders, separation anxiety disorders, etc. Their symptoms vary widely, and their causes are diverse. They cannot be simply categorized as merely fearing "being harmed," "being unloved," or "being a bad person," as portrayed in the game Adventures With Anxiety. As a result, games of this nature may not be comprehensive in an educational context.When we shift our focus to those closer to the 10 end of the parameter, intending to make them feel understood and cared for, we seem to easily overlook individual uniqueness. Every person dealing with a mental health condition has a different situation. Not only do their symptoms differ, but more importantly, they come from different backgrounds and have different causes for their conditions. In other words, when it comes to “understanding” and “care,” they have different needs. At the end of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, the voice says, “Never forget what it is like to see the world as a child.“ Perhaps for many, childhood represents the most innocent and beautiful times. However, as someone with childhood trauma, hearing that statement did not evoke relief but rather my unbearable memories.Admittedly, a single game cannot encompass all aspects of such a complex topic as mental illness. However, I still anticipate more games designed with the theme of mental health, whether as medical models to arouse individual players’ awareness or as social models fostering a more inclusive understanding of mental illness within our broader community. The coverage of a single game is limited, but when enough games exist, as long as one game can touch, inspire, or even change someone's perspective on mental health, then its existence holds significant meaning.

Reference:^{Dunlap, K., & Kowert, R. (2021). Mental Health in 3D: A Dimensional Model of Mental Illness Representation in Digital Games. Loading, 14(24), 122–133.
https://doi.org/10.7202/1084842ar}

Links:^{Critical Play Report}

• Home

Incremental Games
^{Critical Play Report, 2023}

Incremental Games, a unique game genre, are often overlooked in game design discussions but hold substantial market influence. More importantly, it can bring us deeper consideration about game development.Incremental games represent a distinct gaming category, standing apart from most other games. As Mr. King highlighted, the gameplay and mechanics of incremental games maintain an "extremely minimalistic" design. A simple input—just a click—and an even simpler feedback—representing an increase of 1 in resources—that's it. In some mid-to-late game stages, resources within the game auto-generate, transforming the player's click from producing 1 resource to making 1 decision. Still, the gameplay only requires this simple click from the player. However, it's this most minimalist game design that often ensnares players, leading them through countless sleepless nights.Why? Why are incremental games so appealing, even addictive? In my view, it's because these games, through the simplest means, the most straightforward game logic, precisely tap into human nature. The operation in incremental games merely requires one click, which is extremely simple and accessible. Regardless of who the player is, their educational background, life experiences, or even whether they comprehend the textual instructions in the game, as long as they understand that the button is "pressable" (which, I believe most people cannot resist—a sleek, slightly 3D-ish button), and they press it, something appears or increases, and they've already stepped into the game. This immediate feedback aligns perfectly with human nature. We humans enjoy seeing our efforts acknowledged and relish feedback for our endeavors. In such games, with minimal effort, players receive a "seemingly decent" reward. In Universal Paperclips, I clicked a button, and a paperclip was manufactured. I received a "reward," even if this reward is merely a concept, something "illusory," not existing in real life. Yet, my brain tells me, "Hey, you changed something; see this number change? It's bigger now!"From a design perspective, in games like Universal Paperclips, the game deliberately avoids friction. It doesn't ask you to craft iron wires or bend an actual wire. From nothing to something, the designer streamlined all the steps and "reduced dimensions" of all intermediate processes. Perhaps you can see the length of your wire, but all you need to do is click, and then a paperclip, conceptually, is born. You've created something, so you receive some joy and satisfaction. Human nature tends toward simplicity and relishes making minimal efforts for decent rewards—much like how most of us have, to some extent, thought about finding a job that demands less but pays well.When these tiny paperclips come together to form a larger picture—a narrative— the game ascends to another level. It's not just about the narrative being an "added reward"; more crucially, all the paperclips now have "meaning." Players aren't only making paperclips but engaging in a story through this means. With Universal Paperclips, players break through repeatedly, propelling the game to the next stage and advancing the narrative to the next chapter, and as a result, they find greater satisfaction. Is this satisfaction fake? Perhaps, because these "achievements" are only conceptual, they don't really exist.But what is real? Must everything be serious? Is all joy without meaning a kind of vice? Or, is it that sometimes life doesn't need to be "meaningful"?In my view, for game designers, creating a game for storytelling, expressing a quirky point, or an absurd idea is enough. I've expressed myself and influenced others—that's meaningful. Even if my game is a joke, seeing the audience's reactions—whether they laugh loudly or furrow their brows in confusion—elicits a response to my work, and that's the most significant meaning for me. Because I've accomplished something, impacted some people, and added a bit of "me" to this world.As for players, in their brain-less moments, repeatedly clicking, observing the numbers on the screen grow larger, watching a more bizarre story unfold, maybe they're stealing a moment in their busy lives, taking a breath, or embracing a period of relaxing. As long as they enjoy their time playing, these incremental games hold meaning. Most of us are already busy enough, and educated extensively—human bodies need rest, and so do human minds and hearts.Perhaps to serious individuals, such games seem like a waste of time, but if the players are finding respite, and pleasure, then it's not a waste. Incremental games are a peculiar presence; they remind us that being not-serious is fine, and having fun is not a sin.

Links:^{Critical Play Report}

• Home

Games and Spectatorship
^{Critical Play Report, 2023}

When talking about the theme of "Games and Spectatorship," it took us into the more peripheral aspects of "games" — focusing more on the behavior of the game's audience, or in other words, the cultural impact brought about by games, rather than just the games themselves.When audiences watch game livestreams and competitions, what are they really enjoying? Why do they enjoy watching? I've heard various responses like "It looks cool" or "I like watching the competition," but from my perspective, one of the reasons why esports is referred to as a "sport" is due to its audience having a similar viewing experience to traditional sports matches. People enjoy watching soccer matches for many reasons, and one of the most significant reasons is the sense of belonging and identification. Esports spectators feel the same way. In such an environment, the communal atmosphere often nudges you to develop a bias towards the team you support. When you support the same team as those around you, it creates a strong sense of collective identity and belonging. You understand that you're part of a group; your comrades may come from different backgrounds and have diverse experiences, but they've made the same choice as you. They understand and embrace you, and together, you share a common goal – supporting your mutual choice.Furthermore, when people support a team in competitive matches, they often project their ego onto the competitors and the team itself. Psychologist Robert Beno Cialdini introduced the theory of Basking in Reflected Glory, a self-serving cognitive process where an individual associates themselves with successful others in a way that the winner's success becomes the individual's own achievement. This psychological phenomenon leads us to seek an enhancement of our self-esteem, intertwining our sense of self-identity with the victory and glory of the collective we've chosen. Even though our impact on the match beyond cheering is minimal, we still perceive the team's triumph as equivalent to our own success.Moving beyond esports, there are some dynamic shifts within game live streaming. Even though it's all about streaming games, each streamer possesses a unique personality. This diversity adds more influencing factors and answers to the question of "Why do people enjoy watching." When a streamer showcases exceptional skills and prowess in the game, we appreciate their impressive performances. However, there are also streamers whose technical abilities might be average—or even poor—yet they gather a substantial audience due to their distinctive personalities. Some employ clumsy maneuvers that are comically entertaining, while others exaggerate expressions and actions when things go awry. Overall, even if their streams lack technical brilliance, they are by no means lacking in entertainment value. This kind of lively and entertaining broadcast, filled with theatrics, attracts a specific audience seeking amusement and entertainment. Thus, for this segment of the game live stream spectators, when the streamer wins, it brings them joy, yet even in defeat, they can witness the streamer's humorous reactions. "They" never lose anything; regardless of the game's outcome—win or lose—these spectators derive pleasure and fulfillment from the experience.Watching others playing is intriguing, yet ultimately, it's an indirect experience of games. This prompts contemplation on another question: "Why watch instead of play?" I believe the statement attributed to Martin Seel – "By watching sports, we can enjoy, in our imagination, certain lives that we have neither the talent nor the time to live," offers a compelling answer. We all live within various constraints, and spectating games provides one solution to breaking through these limitations. Perhaps we lack the innate talent or have limited time to hone specific skills, yet by supporting esports teams and projecting ourselves onto them, we compensate for our deficiencies to some extent. Maybe we lack the appropriate equipment or the energy to invest ourselves entirely in gaming, and so, live streaming grants us an almost firsthand window into experiencing gaming content. Alternatively, we might be constrained by human inertia, simply enjoying this entertainment mode that provides enjoyment without personally exerting effort.Regardless, spectatorship forms an integral part of gaming culture. It stands as evidence of our love and passion for games and demonstrates the diverse ways in which we engage with and appreciate them.

Links:^{Critical Play Report}

• Home

• Home

• Home

• Email
• Itch.io
• Instagram
• Bluesky
• Bilibili