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
The Daily Grind
Depending on what games we play, we might have encountered the concept of “grinding,” repeating a task over and over to accomplish a goal. Even though grinding is annoying, it is worthwhile to examine it more closely to ask why grinding exists, and how it might be made better for players.
Talking About Games: Difficulty and the “Git Gud” Mentality
Difficult games are easy enough to find, and there are a lot of players who like them. And yet, it’s also easy to find people who use these games and their difficulty as a test of who is a “real” player. In this essay I explore why that gatekeeping mentality is harmful for the video game community as a whole.
The Difficulty Debate
It’s easy to come up with examples of games that are difficult or tough. But when we talk about difficulty, what does it actually mean for a game to be difficult? In this essay we’ll look at different forms of difficulty in games, and analyze what makes particular challenges fair and unfair.
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
