MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Asking customers to use real money to purchase extra game content is not compatible with creating an atmospheric experience, says Supergiant Games’ creative director Greg Kasavin.
As reported by Eurogamer, the Bastion dev said that basing a game around in-game transactions and downloadable content can harm user immersion.
"I think that’s really tricky and a really tough problem," said Kasavin.
"If your business goal is to make many bits of content and have in-games stores and stuff like that, I don’t know how compatible that is to having an atmospheric experience. I think it’s pretty tough.
"I think when the game asks you to pay real money it’s hard to make it atmospheric. In fact I’ve never played a game that has achieved that."
Kasavin went on to criticise mobile and browser games such as Mafia Wars 2 in particular, stating that design decisions such as in-game advertisements can “shatter the fourth wall”.
"Certain design decisions make achieving atmosphere virtually impossible,” he said.
“I can’t imagine how somebody could have an atmospheric experience playing something like Mafia Wars 2. Because this is a game that is constantly prompting you to go and play a completely different game."
—
GDC – LIVE! Breaking news, latest news and up-to-the-minute developments: HERE
iPhone owners should download our free app (iTunes link). It puts Develop’s daily must-read online news content – including all the stories from GDC – in the palm of your hand.
