Social Platypus

 Opinion Difficult video games: The resurgence of punishing gameplay  By Josiah Sapp     Games are fun right? They’re made to be enjoyed by an individual, a collective group or an entire community. People play games for all kinds of reasons. High score chase, a means to relax, or even to escape into a whole other world. Recently, however, a specific style of gaming has emerged over the past few years and it’s not the kind that first catch your attention. Difficult games have been on the rise and there are no signs of slowing down this community. These aren’t just difficult titles. They’re punishing. Brutal. So frustratingly hard that it will have you question why you’re playing it even after you’ve tried the same task for hours. Why do gamers put themselves through this torture? The history of challenging games is in our DNA and in the genealogy of game design.  Dragon's Lair Death Screen     Pick out an...

Opinion Microtransactions: An old concept that needs clarification By Josiah Sapp     In today’s world, we’re constantly being sold something. Insurance, clothes, jewelry, new tech. It’s impossible to browse the internet without someone trying to grab your attention and give you a sales pitch. We’ve come to accept this type of advertising as normal in our society. It’s something we just deal with and if something catches our fancy, then we’ll buy it but if it doesn’t pertain to us then we don’t give it a second thought. Microtransactions in video games are no different than normal ads but they get under our skin somehow. The idea that a game (either free or paid for) has smaller transactions built within the game has somehow crossed the line. Why is that different than any other advertisement we encounter in the world? For most people, it feels forced.     Microtransactions have proven to be a very lucrative business stra...

A blast from the past; My arcade cabinet restoration journey. By Josiah Sapp     Your pocket is full of quarters. It’s Friday night and the year is 1983. You’re on your bike with your friends, all heading to your town’s local arcade. You arrive and the place is packed with kids your age all lining up to play their favorite games. Pac Man; Galaga; Centipede; Donkey Kong. This is the only place these games are played and this loose change is burning a hole in your pocket. You stand in line waiting for a shot at the high score. You think to yourself that this place will always be magical. As the years go by, more of your favorite game cabinets go out of order and get carted off. A few years later, the whole arcade has to shut down due to so many of their regulars playing games at home. It’s 1992 and home video game consoles dominate the market. Arcades are closing left and right but those out of order cabinets are finding a new home.     Over the pa...