Level Up.pdf

318 LEVEL 11 They All Want You Dead
progress. For example, SimCity features a Godzilla - like monster that stomps
through the player ’ s city leaving destruction in its wake.
Tormentor. This enemy challenges and taunts the player throughout the
course of the game, but never directly confronts or attacks them. The
alien overlord of Space Fury and Portal’ s sentient computer GLaDOS are
examples of tormentor enemies. In the case of Portal, the player can
“ defeat ” GLaDOS by tearing her apart but it is implied that - SPOILER
ALERT!! - she is “ still alive ” at the end of the game.
Time. “Time pressure makes people think something is a lot more
complicated than it really is 18 .” Found primarily in skill - based games like
driving/racing and puzzle games, a ticking clock is a great way to unnerve
the player, creating pressure without using an enemy. Some games will
allow the player to extend or slow the clock for temporary relief. If the player
doesn ’ t achieve the objective or finish the task within the allotted time, the
player either loses a life or the scenario is reset. Time can also be used
as an endgame, where the player has to escape a base before it blows
up.
Human competitor. Player vs player, competitive or cooperative —
regardless of the gameplay mode, I find the best and worst thing about
multiplayer games is … the other players 19 . Your friends (and complete
strangers) will always find new ways to torture, torment, and humiliate you
during a game. As a designer, never underestimate the power of one ­
upmanship and revenge. Just give the players the tools they need to act on
these and sit back and watch the fun unfold. As the old saying goes, keep
your friends close and your enemies closer, because sometimes they are
the same person.
How to Create the World ’ s Greatest
Boss Battle
Video game BOSS (n): a large and/or challenging enemy that blocks a player ’ s
progression and acts as the climax/ending to the game ’ s environment, level, or
world.
18 A succinct quote from Portal designer Kim Swift from GDC 08: Portal Creators on Writing,
Multiplayer and Government Interrogation Techniques , Chris Faylor, Shacknews.com ( http://
www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=784 ).
19 I am reminded of Jean - Paul Sartre ’ s famous quote: “ Hell is other people. ” As Sartre died
in 1980, we ’ ll never know whether he would have appreciated a good deathmatch.