Making Loss Matter

by Jon Gill

Everyone knows that feeling — you die in a game, you respawn, you try again, you die again. You keep attempting the same section, frustration mounting until you shut the game off in disgust.

Are there better ways to handle failure in games? (Yes.) Can improving your fail states make players engage more with your game? (Absolutely.) Will we manage to explain how in an hour-long podcast? (Doubtful.)

Correction: The Just Cause series is developed by Avalanche Studios, not Frictional Games.

Questions? Comments? Want to share your own failures or complain about ours? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on iTunes!

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Header image from Darkest Dungeon by Red Hook Studios