Critical Analysis Quest
First, watch this:
Critical Analysis
What is a critical analysis, and why do we care?
A critical analysis is not just a game review. We are not concerned with how many out of five stars, or any numbers from 0 to 10, or whether or not a game is “fun” (whatever that means to you). It also does not just mean a list of things that are wrong with the game. The word “critical” in this context does not mean “fault-finding,” but rather a thorough and unbiased look at the game.
Analyzing a game in this way is useful when discussing or comparing games. You can say “I like the card game ‘Bang!’ because it’s fun” but that does not help us as designers to learn why it is fun. We must look at the parts of games and how they interact in order to understand how each part relates to the play experience.
It is also useful when examining our own works in progress. For a game that you’re working on, how do you know what to add or remove to make it better?
Quest Instructions
To complete a Critical Analysis Quest, write a paper (probably at least 3 pages, single spaced) that does the following:
- Give a high-level description of the game, game’s history, or other introductory information you think is appropriate. (Probably roughly a paragraph or so - enough to get your point across, but doesn’t go too deep into details.)
- Describe what the game actually is. Example: How would you describe the gameplay of Super Mario Bros. Wonder to someone that had never played it before? You want to tell them enough so that they get a good enough sense of the game and gameplay that when you go into deeper detail about aspects of it, they can follow what you are saying.
- Pick one (or two) main “interesting” aspects of the game and describe why and how they are interesting in the context of the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics and the formal elements of the game.
- Example: What about the wonder flower mechanic in Super Mario Bros. Wonder sets it apart? What aesthetic is it drawing on? How does it change the mechanics of the game?
- Try to understand why the designer chose those elements and not others. Why this particular player structure, and why that set of resources? What would have happened if the designer had chosen differently?
Basically, prove to me that you have some thoughts as to why this game does what it does, how it is executed, and why it is interesting to consider. Comparing and contrasting how this game did something versus another is another way of approaching this question, but shouldn’t be the only thing a paper utilizes.
Quest Submission
Note the due dates in the syllabus for each of the Critical Analysis submissions.
Submit a PDF of your paper to the appropriate assignment in Gradescope.
You will complete this assessment twice:
- once for either A Short Hike or Portal
- once for a game of your choosing (including the other option of A Short Hike or Portal)
If you choose your own game, it can be a game you have already played, although you may need to refresh your memory. If you need some thoughts on what games to play, I’m happy to offer suggestions.
Update for Critical Analysis 2
Format: Single-spaced, any reasonable font, 11-12 point size, justified. You can also use the ACM conference format. This can also be found in Overleaf if you want to use LaTeX.
Some content here used with permission from Game Design Concepts by Ian Schreiber.