Game Design
Why the Screen Scrolls Before the Player Reaches the Edge
Why the screen scrolls before the player reaches the edge: see how camera timing shapes anticipation, reveals level…
The reading shelf
All stories
A growing collection of close reads on classic games, the machines beneath them, the histories around them and the ways people keep playing.
Hardware
D-Pad or Joystick: Two Different Feelings of Control
D-pad or joystick: understand how their shapes and movement affect classic-game control, so you can choose the input…
Game History
When Home Computers Became Game Machines in the 1970s and 1980s
When home computers became game machines in the 1970s and 1980s, cassette and disk games helped turn general-purpose…
Play Culture
The Manual Is Not the Tutorial
A game manual explains controls, but seeing how rules connect to rooms, items, and obstacles helps you understand what…
Player Craft
A Return to an Old Game, Without Chasing Completion
Replay an old game without chasing completion: choose one curiosity, set a comfortable stopping point, and enjoy a…