Alex Norton - Optimizing Cathartic Response in User Interactions

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Game Dev Brisbane

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Published on April 17, 2015 8:08:47 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjbepy1TjeY

Duration: 1:02:38

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Interacting with any video game inevitably comes down to some kind of user input, be it mouse clicks, button pushes or even physical movements in the case of some of the newer technologies, but how much thought goes into making those inputs generate a cathartic response? How much effort do we put into making those interactions feel really good to do? In this workshop Alex Norton will take you through the design of cathartic response and how you can make your games so addictive to play that people won't be able to help themselves but get in 'just one more level'.

Alex Norton is known in the Australian indie development scene for his somewhat maddening attention to the innovation of video game design. You can often find him boring people to tears at game dev meetups explaining the beauty of the jump cycle in Commander Keen 4, or writing exhaustive technical articles on the psychology of player interactions. His main work which he is known for, Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox, is slated to finish development this year after what will have been 5 years of development.