Welcome to Abstracting Games!
A blog devoted to looking at games a little more closely.
Peruse essays on the intersection of gaming and philosophical inquiry.
Latest from the Blog
Player Motivation
What happens when a game doesn’t really help you feel motivated to play it? What can games do to help players feel engaged? In this essay I explore how sometimes developers can miss the core question of why a player should want to keep playing their game.
Talking about Games: The Sequel Paradox
Sequels are everywhere. And just like with anything else, we like to engage in criticism of sequels. But what does it mean to properly compare a sequel to its predecessor, and what kinds of pitfalls can we fall into when trying to critique sequels in particular?
On Storytelling: Narratives through Teamwork
When we experience narratives in games, we tend to experience them alone. We can share that solitary experience with others, but the original process of engaging with the story is something we do on our own. But what happens to the narrative as a concept when a game requires us to collaborate with others to construct the story?
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Abstracting Games 