flOw
Streaming, ebbing state of immersion in a singular task that accompanies complete devotion to the moment. That is a paraphrased definition of the state of Flow from psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Basing their thinking in this idea, Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark created a Flash-based web game. Developed in part as a portion of Chen’s thesis work, the game’s popularity soon prompted the creation of a game company to sell the rights to the game. The game eventually found its way to the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable systems.
Play takes place on a series of levels. Starting as a worm-like creature the player must guide this organism to consume other microorganisms around it. As it eats more and more the creature grows in length and develops other attributes. To proceed to the next level the creature needs to eat one of two different colored cells. Eating the red cell causes the creatures to proceed down a level while the blue cell directs upward. Climbing down the levels causes each progressive area to get darker and introduces greater sized microorganisms to ward off or eat. Once the player has caused the worm to eat the final microorganisms on the bottom level, the game restarts with a jellyfish-like creature on the top most bright level. Play then continues as each series of levels is completed and the game restarted with a new creature.
The length of time needed to complete the game changes to a degree for each new player. The game adapts to the style of play and adds or subtracts new organisms on each level. For more leisurely players the game can take relatively longer than for more serious players.
Cube
Designing puzzle games must be quite an interesting job. Finding that compromise between intuitive play and challenging sequences can only be described as a tough. Adding to that the idea of forcing people to think in three dimensions and a great idea is buried in the mechanics of exposition instead of extracting fun. Cube, unfortunately, suffers under this problem.
The premise is that the player controls a cube, a six sided square solid, and must proceed to the exit, the highlighted side on a certain surface, in as little time as possible. Gameplay consists of moving along one of the sides of a greater shape. As long as that greater shape has a side to move to the cube can rotate onto it and thus change the orientation of the puzzle. Obstacles such as spikes, which explode the cube and thus end that session, and one-way sections fail to extend the play but instead add greater frustration.
Along with standard play, in several different sections of difficulty, Cube comes along with a level editor. While far from intuitive, it nonetheless allows the player to create their own puzzles with the possibility of sharing them with others.
I do things.
Hello. I'm Dan. I write things.
Contact:
dan.cox [at] videlais.com
Contributor:
Nightmare Mode.
Co-host/Producer:
The School of Athens Podcast (Site)
Co-host/Producer:
We Were @Play Podcast (Site)
