Mario’s Mojo: the Gold Standard for Game Design - Theory of Gaming. By Nick Olsen In 1985, Nintendo released Super Mario Bros., a two dimensional (2D) platform game in which the player guides Mario through a series of increasingly difficult levels to rescue Princess Toadstool from the evil clutches of Bowser.
Built with a mass audience in mind, Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka utilized simple and intuitive game design allowing players of varying skill to play and enjoy the game. The game was a resounding success, eventually selling more than 40 million copies; in 2005, IGN would name it the number one game of all time. This design would establish the foundation for the Super Mario Bros. franchise as well as the 2D platformer genre that still resonates with gamers and developers today. Presentation: Radiant Story - Bruce Nesmith.
Game Design Theory. Articles/Tutorials. Game Mechanics. Motivation. Sociology in Gaming. Writing branching Game Conversations the easy way - approach from my indie game. Here’s my approach to writing complex, branching, and meaningful conversations in my indie adventure game Postmortem: one must die.
Took many attempts to figure out a good way so sharing the lessons! Our Game got often complimented for its intricate dialog: “… example of how to write nuanced characters with a reach into complex late-game branching narratives … which happens little elsewhere in videogameland.”