Daddy Long Legs

Daddy Long Legs is a nonsense type of running game created by Set Snail publisher, where you control a bizarre creature with long legs. The hardcore challenge is to control the monster’s steps by tapping on the screen.



If you fail, the monster falls. The idea is to reach further distances each time. Despite the nonsense theme, it’s very fun and has somewhat of a Flappy Bird’s aura in the challenge.

Check a video below with the main idea of Daddy Long Legs:



This kind of game shows us that a strange theme with a bizarre character could be interesting in a first moment, but the “soul” of the experience lives in the gameplay. And about this subject it’s important to remember that gameplay is only one element in the composition of modern games and it means interesting choices (Rollings; Morris, 2004, p.59)

A simple gameplay looks essential in a casual game. Experiences like Daddy Long Legs tend to be forgotten quickly on mobile phones, so it’s important to establish what kind of complexity one game like this one deserves. This kind of thinking is also part of the business model of the game.

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Reference

ROLLINGS, Andrew; MORRIS, Davis. Game Architecture and Design. USA: New Riders, 2004.

Anxiety as a component of game design

Alien Isolation is a big hit this semester. Specialized magazines and websites heavily criticized the game but, regardless of the criticism, I enjoyed the game. I think it’s the first good game of the Alien franchise.



The game tells the story of Amanda Ripley investigating the possible reasons for the disappearance of her mother: the main character from the first Alien movie, Ellen Ripley. Check the trailer below for the plot:



It’s a first person adventure with very interesting cut scenes that create an atmosphere of tension and fear. There’s one true fact about the game: things take longer to happen in the narrative, but that's part of the fear experience.

Maral Tajerian, in an article for the site Gamasutra* entitled Fight or Flight: The Neuroscience of Survival Horror, says that anxiety is a point to highlight in terror/horror games. This author also says that “next to fear, anxiety is perhaps the most prominent feeling experienced in video games. Unlike fear, which is a response to an imminent threat, anxiety is a response to a future potential threat”.

Anxiety is an important game design component in this example. The whole game is based in it, and all fear/horror/terror reactions are derived from it. Alien Isolation is a game to enjoy slowly, a game to be played in the mood of the first movie. An immersive and memorable experience.

*Source: Gamasutra (click here to read the article)

The gaming ecosystem