Severin Brettmeister

Author Archive for Severin Brettmeister

Jan

Designing controller input – the obvious, the reasonable and the extraordinary.

Categories: 5. Designing controller input
Tags: angry video game nerd, consistency and monotony, controller, customizable, habits, input, left handed, non-modality, perception and explicitness

1. The obvious

Playing a video game means perceiving information on-screen, interpreting these information, concluding and finally executing. The controller is the execution-tool of the player. His or her lawgiver. Like the mean but necessary lawgiver weapon in the Judge Dredd movie, the controller has to lie comfortable in the hands of the player, giving him the feeling of total control and power. As I cannot influence the input devices – yet – I will concentrate on the options of giving the player the feeling of control and power with the existing input devices. No matter, which type of controller.

Continue reading ‘Designing controller input – the obvious, the reasonable and the extraordinary.’

Dec

Darwin & Darwinia

By Severin Brettmeister Leave a Comment

Categories: 4. Iterative Design
Tags: agile development, evolution, extreme programming, iteration, motivation, scrum

It was a long way from our not so smart ancestors to us – the super smart uber-brainers. This evolution is attributed to iterative design. Trying to avoid extinction, our ancestors refined themselves step by step. And that’s how complex systems should be designed today. Continue reading ‘Darwin & Darwinia’

Nov

Outside the birdcage

By Severin Brettmeister 2 Comments

Categories: 3. Designing social games

Thinking about social games, I don’t think about the games on Facebook or similar platforms. As Gustav described in his post, those games are not really social. Most of those games are single player games which advertise themselves in the friend lists of their players. Arcade and André has pointed out many types of social games, new ideas and what’s behind them. So what should I write about?

I’d like to look in a different direction: beside the screen. Outside the computer and video game world, there is the real world, and I think we should conquer it, so it becomes our playground as well. Like we’ve played cops and robbers as kids, we should continue playing in the real world. Not only board games and pen and paper games with our friends at home. Playing outside, with other people, and giving spectators the possibility to join, would be a great social game or experience. Continue reading ‘Outside the birdcage’

Nov