Approaching the game/Observation/Instructions

Games are designed to be played, but many are not designed to be played by beginners –
implicitly requiring both a dexterity and knowledge of interface/command conventions. Taken
together with technological prerequisites (computers, tablets, consoles, phones), these qualities
can make games challenging object for analysis. This gives rise to a practical question, to what
extent do you need to play a game in order to productively analyze it?

Numerous scholars have described gameplay as an ongoing loop:

1) the machine renders information,
2) the player interprets that information and acts upon it,
3) the machine reacts to the player... and the cycle continues.

In that second movement, the player judges her surroundings and, based on her prior experience,
selects one of many finite actions -- taken together, these finite actions create more complicated
strategies (enacting plans and whims alike). As a researcher, there is great value in directly
participating with the game in this manner, as it allows you try, fail, succeed, and experiment --
discovering the options you have in a given situation (e.g. killing the guards; sneaking around
them; or abandoning the mission, going home, and playing with your dog). What are the limits of
observation without play? If I (silently) observe a game, it often limits what I can discover: I can
see what another player did, the strategies they employed and so forth, but this doesn’t allow me
to explore the other possibilities the game might offer. To the contrary, observation without play
could leave me with the impression that a situation had a single solution, or that the game must
be played a certain way. (Of course, if I could sit in a room with the player, ask them to try
certain approaches, or ask them why they’re doing something, then I’d be able to extend that
experience of observation by experimenting, trying, failing, playing the game---albeit through
another’s hands.)

Turning the previous question on its head, what are the limits of playing
without observing?
If play a game casually, I usually settle on a strategy that works; although I arrive at this strategy
through direct experimentation, I do not have with any final or complete understanding of the
game. In a complex game, there will always be decisions I don’t make and strategies I don’t
employ. Consequently, I can’t base my analysis of the game solely on my own, subjective,
experience of casually playing that game, but need to extend that experience by purposefully
exploring the game, formulating critical questions that guide my play in order to answer specific
questions about what the game is like and how it is designed to shape the way players engage
with it.

Your tasks are:

1) Identify your expectations and assumptions prior to play (no word limit):
2) play the game alone (if possible), learn its mechanics, and immerse yourself in its world (no
word limit):
3) watch a stranger play (online is easiest) and see how she handles it all (no word limit);
4) Bring it all together through a 1000-word research synthesis/ analysis.
Above all, be honest about the research you conducted and proportionate with the claims that
you make.
Read before playing!
Use this online tool to record your experiences with the game you’ve chosen. This is an exercise
in guided, reflective play: it is different from the kind of gaming you might do in your free time
and has more in common with how you might study a novel or movie for other classes. The
online form is structured to help you organize and reflect upon your experiences, making it easier
for you curate and analyze these experiences later.

In the field notes you begin: i) highlighting key commonalities and differences between what
you’ve noted throughout your play session/s; ii) honing in on certain details about the game (a
scene, a mechanic, a character) that you want to focus on in your research synthesis; and iii)
identifying specific concepts and readings from our course syllabus (or outside it) that will help
support your analysis (where possible). The end result of this exercise is a set of fieldnotes (with
images) from each of the three sessions, and a summative synthesis of your analytical
observations from all three sessions drawn together into a critical analysis of the game. The goal
of this assignment is not a review of the game, or a statement about what you liked or did not
like about it: it is an empirically-driven, theoretically-grounded analysis of the game based
solidly on evidence documented in your fieldnotes, including, but not limited to, how that game
represents gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and/or violence, how it connects to Bogost
and Taylor and if and where possible, what “learning” the game depends on and/or develops.

Session 1: Before Playing | 15-30 minutes

Each of these question aims to get at a general notion, “what expectations (about this game) am I
coming in with?” The goal in this reflection is not to test the accuracy of your predictions; rather,
the goal is to identify and reflect upon the assumptions and biases you, as an observer, are
bringing into the experience, as catalyzed by the games’ promotional material, introductory
screen, any other descriptive or suggestive information.

Answer the Questions

With this in mind, respond to each of the following questions:
What will I like / dislike about it?
What will I find interesting about it/boring or tedious about it?
What will I need to do in it?
What will I need to learn within it?
What will it be like / similar to (other games I have played)?
What will I like / dislike about it?
- I think I will like the puzzle challenges, because I enjoy doing small puzzles such as
crosswords and Sudoku and solving riddles. I think I will dislike playing it solo,
because I always thought it was developed to be played as a multiplayer game first,
but with the option to play it single-player as well; I guess I'm making the assumption
that games are typically designed for single-player first, sometimes with a multiplayer
option added. Playing it alone might make me feel as though I missed out on
something special that multiplayer may have added.

What will I find interesting about it/boring or tedious about it?

 - I think it will be interesting to enjoy a 'space' game, even though I typically don't
enjoy space exploration. I think that this game's storyline takes place on a spaceship,
based on the few images I've seen and the trailer that I watched (I will play a space
robot I think?)

What will I need to do in it?

- I will need to learn the specific keyboard controls, how to move my character within
the space, what the overarching objective is and how long it may take to complete it. I
will need to understand how to maneuver my character throughout the puzzles. I will
need to complete a number of puzzles to unlock the next level and proceed to the
'end'.

What will I need to learn within it?

- I will need time to be able to think logically (hopefully a pause button or no time
limit). I will need a certain amount of freedom to try risks (unlimited lives or an easy
way to restart a level with no overly frustrating consequences, like starting the entire
game over).

What will it be like / similar to (other games I have played)?

- It may be similar to small challenges that comprise larger missions in Fallout 4 (for
example, clearing out mole-rat infestation at the Starlight Cinema; this challenge
manifests like an immersive game of Whack-a-Mole).

Session Fieldnotes
At the end of your fieldnotes for session one, craft one or two sentences (no more) that, for you,
summarize your expectations prior to playing, and what these expectations are based on. Include
one image that catalyzed and/or supported your expectations.

I expect to play a robot on a spaceship who must open up 'portals' or doors by solving
puzzles. There may or may not be a threat to account for on this journey; perhaps my
character is attempting to escape from something or someone.

Image 1
Session 2: Solo Playthrough | 45 to 60 minutes
Play the game on your own: familiarize yourself with the controls, mechanics and interface; get
an initial understanding of the game’s narrative and its aesthetic. Your goal is to “get a feel” for
what it is asking from you, in terms of: inputs, emotion, and attention.
Note: If you use outside help at any point, make a note of that. The effort here is not to do
anything “correctly”, but to diligently record whatever you do as you try to get a ‘handle’ on the
game.

a) Descriptive Notes
Just write as you play -- write anything descriptive, records of objectives, hints, fragments of
ideas, anything. You may elect to write as you play (i.e. pausing the game) or right after you
have completed a play session. Try to get at least 60 minutes of play time.

Cold open: I followed along the instructions in to figure out basic controls (how to walk
forward, how to look up and down, how to jump). I am a bit worried that the instruction
to "speak" was displayed as the "Space" button, but when I hit the spacebar, nothing
happened with my character’s voice; instead, they jumped. Is this a mistake? Are my
key bindings wrong? I continued on anyway, and the robot guiding this tutorial made a
joke about me at least knowing how to jump; perhaps this was meant to be a bit of a
joke that I can't speak but I can jump. I hope there isn't a puzzle that requires
speaking IRL that I won't be able to complete.

5-15 minutes: The first segment of gameplay was very basic play, with a lot of
repetition and guidance (this was good!). I was able to explore the area and take in
the surroundings (more of the deteriorating building) while still having a sense that I
was moving in the right direction (there were only so many places to go). It was just
enough time to become comfortable with moving the character around and becoming
familiar with the space. The rooms are empty of anything living, which alleviated any
fear I had of potential threats – I could keep my focus solely on the puzzles. However,
the game also manages to convey a great sense of loneliness as I realize I am truly
walking around an abandoned space that at one time must have had a lot of life in it.
No ominous or tense music, just light background noises as I moved around.

15-20 minutes in: I know how to move around now, and I solved the first two puzzles
by picking up the cube and placing it on the red button to trigger a door opening. I
learned that the blue portals carry me through to come out of an orange portal. I made
it through the first or second floor and found the portal gun, allowing me to blast my
own blue portals. Now I feel like I'm stuck - I keep looping around and around in the
same area and I'm starting to get annoyed. I can see the door I am supposed to open
and go through, but I can’t figure out how to get to it since it is on a raised platform
that is too high for me to jump. The tutorial robot is gone so he isn't offering any
guidance. The one ‘new’ thing that I experienced during this portion of frustration was
that I was blasting so many portals around and jumping through them, desperately
searching for the answer, that I caught sight of my character (looking through one
portal that is lined up with another portal allows you to see your character jump
through it); I was surprised that I am a female human character, not a robot at all
(though I guess I might be a humanoid robot). Appearance is a white female of
average height, slim build, brown ponytail, wearing basic white tank and pants – kind
of Lara Croft-esque, but less overtly sexualized.

30 minutes in: I was stuck wandering around for so long not knowing what to do I
finally googled for help. Even reading 'tips' and walkthrough prompts were difficult to
decipher, though, and I toggled through a few webpages before finally understanding
what to do. I didn't want to pull up a video playthrough since I knew I would be
watching a VOD later and making notes on that. I finally realized that I could aim my
portal gun and blast a portal quite a long way away; so, I created a portal up on the
raised platform and was able to move to that higher space. I don’t know why I didn’t
try that right from the beginning, I swear I tried to blast a portal on every other flat
surface in the level but for some reason I didn’t even try to aim it that far distance up
above me.

40 minutes in: The last 10 minutes were WAY easier. As soon as I figured out how to
get out of where I was stuck last (blasting a portal far away from where I am), I was
able to easily deduce how to solve the next few puzzles. I also realized that every
time I finish a level, or floor, the elevator spits me out in front of a sign that tracks my
progress. I am currently on level 6/19, so about a quarter of the way through the
game.

45 minutes in: I got stuck once again, but this time I didn't have to google what to do. I
finally realized there were built in hints on the floor that showed how to move through
difficult spaces by the way of simple diagrams.

45 to 55 minutes: I continued to make good progress and reached a large cut scene
 that seemed to be setting the stage for higher stakes in the next part of the game. I
received more backstory between the original tutorial robot, and parts of my
character's backstory was filled in as well (apparently I had defeated a 'bad' robot who
was now back online and out for vengeance). Also, it is confirmed that I am not a
robot character, I am indeed a human character. This seemed like a good place to
stop my playthrough as it neatly concluded chapter 1 of the gameplay.

b) Analytic Notes
After playing, consider your experience more holistically -- What problems did it present me
with? What options did it give me (to address those problems)? When and how does the game
invoke gender, class, race, violence in ways that might be problematic? What about learning?
Does anything stand out as a ‘defining’ or ‘unique’ feature of the game?

The game does not give any choices for your character, and even though you are
mostly inside the character's viewpoint (looking through their eyes), you can catch
glimpses of yourself jumping through portals - and what you see is a slim, white,
female with a brown ponytail. This is similar to my own appearance, albeit I am
blonde and not brunette, but I recognize that this might be problematic for other
people. Class or violence does not appear to be part of the game (so far, anyway).
Learning is actually a big part of the game! The entire premise is that you must follow
pathways and unlock doors by listening to instructions being told via robots and pre-
recordings, and finding clues via symbols on the ground/walls. You are constantly
learning via scaffolding, picking up tips and tricks to carry from each puzzle to the
next. So far it is unique that there are no enemies to watch out for or run from.

c) Affective Notes
Playing and analyzing games are subjective activities -- as you played, you were likely: engaged,
irritated, startled, sympathetic, angry, bored, etc. Identify the affective responses you had while
playing, and do your best to account for the in-game circumstances that gave rise to them (i.e.
where, when, intensity, etc.) Don’t worry about being exhaustive, just mention what you think
matters.

First impression: immediately interested when the opening scene cuts to a dilapidated
version of the same room (similar to Fallout and other post apocalyptic settings).

Engaged: I want to see more of the space - I don't think it's a spaceship necessarily,
it's more like a giant facility/building/campus.

Frustrated: when I couldn't figure out how to move from one space to the next. It felt
like I was in an endless loop.

Bored: I started to get bored of the repetitiveness of each puzzle level. Luckily, right
about this time is when the cut scene kicks in that sets the stage for the next chapter
of the game - and presumably, higher stakes or a change in scenery or methods at
least!
Session Fieldnotes
At the end of your fieldnotes for session two, craft one or two sentences (no more) that, for you,
summarize your experiences of learning this new game, and what specific elements/skills/etc.,
based on your experience of solo play, to be the most important in getting a ‘handle’ on the
game. Include at least one image that demonstrated this/these crucial game
elements/skills/characteristics.

Learning how to play this new game required me to pay attention to my surroundings,
either by listening or viewing. All instructions were provided to me, sometimes cryptic
and sometimes obvious, to succeed. (image below shows the diagram hints or
warnings that I finally picked up on)

Image 2

Session 3: Video observation | 45 to 60 minutes

Watch an online video of your game, either via live-streaming (Twitch.tv) or conventional video
(YouTube). Get a sense of how an expert plays that game: see how they understand and react to
the game and how that differs from YOUR playthrough; see what it is like to watch the game not
just as a viewer, but as a mass media spectator. Again, organize your account into three kinds of
notes.
a) Descriptive Notes
Document what the player is doing, paying attention to, ignoring, prioritizing, but also what they
are talking about (i.e. what they verbally frame as important during the playthrough). Make notes
of what the player is paying attention to, prioritizing, and/or ignoring and if and how that is
different from your play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gg8Z2aBOP8

Cold open: this player is a streamer, so they are not paying a lot of attention to the
story/information that the tutorial robot is giving to the character. She (the streamer) is
shouting out to subs and chatting about her life, her cat, thanking someone for a raid,
etc. She seemed to know which buttons to use before the tutorial prompted her, and
wondered aloud where this Portal 2 game fits into the timeline of the original Portal;
so, I know this is not an entirely new experience for her.

First puzzle(s): "this is so interesting. I like the nature. This is definitely an upgrade. Is
this place destroyed b/c of us? " She presses some buttons to test what they're doing
in the space first. "I wonder how many puzzles it will take me before I'm not knowing
what I'm doing". "I want to be careful the cube doesn't glitch out in the portal, if that's a
thing". So she isn't completely sure how to do the puzzles but solves them faster than
I did. She is very intrigued by "what happened" (why is this place
destroyed/dilapidated). She wants to know the reasons that led to this destruction.
Like me, she loves the deteriorated/dilapidated look of the space. She thinks the robot
talks a lot. She pays way more attention to the graffiti on the walls than I did - she
wonders if she is the robot’s God now that she set them free (in the first game –
spoiler alert for the overarching Portal story I guess!). It’s a really beautiful game so
far, but she thinks the greenery will go away soon (the nature). She figured out the
part that I got stuck in (for 15 mins) in seconds, so she is progressing much faster.
She's a bit confused by the layout of the building/elevators ("is this the same place we
came in?"). I didn’t make note of it at the time of my play, but she’s right – I can see
now that each floor is very similar looking when you step on and off the elevator.

20 minutes in: She notes "see they make it easy at the beginning - gotta make it so I
don't quit right away! But don't worry, we'll get there". This makes me think that she
has also experienced frustration with not figuring out the puzzles (in the first game)
and quitting in frustration. I would have stopped playing earlier when I couldn't figure
out what to do... if it hadn't been for an assignment! She notes that "it's going to get so
much harder from here on, I know it!" "I love looking for the little secret rooms in this
game!" (I don't think I found any secret rooms, but I can’t be sure)

30 minutes in: She notices the "05/19" on the floor 5 sign and remarks, "oh is there 19
[levels] just like in the first one?" (I only noticed the x/19 on the floor 6 sign). In the
room where I finally realized that there are hints in little diagrams on floor or wall
signs, she also mentions immediately upon seeing one, "ok so a cube drops out...". I
wonder if she had been following these hints all along but just hadn’t said anything
aloud about them. She looks around the room and steps on a red button, "hmm what
 does this do? Oh it makes that staircase over there. Ok now what does this button do
(presses small button and follows the marked trail of blue lights), oh no do I have to
jump off of that?? (said as she notices the diagonal piece of floor) Noo, I mark this is
the first death" (so I guess you can die or lose a life in this game?). She continues,
"now I should see what these buttons do first... OH! I see now! Now I see why that
was important (does the thing) ahaha, I love feeling smart!"

On floor 6 she finally pays attention to the images on the sign - she recognizes the
diagrams right away and knows what to expect. This is the same floor that I started to
pay attention to the whole sign as well. "physics, ahh we love physics! I took physics
in highschool. I'm nervous though! These are so simple but I'm scared where it's
going to get harder". "oooh I can jump AND hold the cube! I thought I would have to
throw it through, that there would be fall damage or something. I'm learning!!"

When going through the secret tunnel she immediately ducks underneath a red laser
beam, whereas I didn't know how to do that (I just risked running through it).

She got confused when the robot guide goes off the rails and is leading you through
the tunnel. She says she likes the robot though because he "panics like me" (he has a
British accent and does a very good job of imitating the bumbling nervous Brit). She
recognizes the dead female robot right away as the one she killed in the first game,
so this scene is a big reveal for her - it didn't have as much of an impact on me
though b/c I had no idea of the relevance.

50 - 55 mins (the end of Chapter 1) - I didn't notice that the female robot threw our
British robot guide away like garbage, but she did and was noticeably upset about it.
She is nervous about this turn of events. "I don't like herrrrr" "I don't wanna talk to
you". There was a subscription pop up that interrupted the final scene and she picked
up a maraca to shake and address the new subscriber, which took away from the
somberness of the moment.

So even though she started off quicker than I did, she somehow took the same
amount of time to finish Chapter 1. The rest of her VOD continues for another 2.5
hours, but I'm not sure if she finishes the game.

b) Analytic Notes
Review your descriptive notes and consider the problems the player encountered and the
strategies/ solutions that they enacted. Furthermore, consider how the player
navigated/commented on issues/ structures of race, gender, class, and violence. What did you
notice about the game when you watched, as opposed to when you played? Hold off on making
any big conclusions for now.

The strategies that the player used were similar to mine, but on a smaller scale. She
was already familiar with the game so she didn't need to adapt to any key binding or
control issues. Even though the game does not have much violence in the first
chapter, she did notice that the large 'boss' robot tossed away the smaller tutorial
 guide robot and essentially killed him. Somehow I had missed that when I was playing
it; even when she pointed it out, though, I wasn’t too concerned. I wonder why that
part didn’t make a huge impact on me? Was it because he is ‘only’ a robot and not a
human? I just assumed he would be OK and reappear at some point – this could be
something I’m preconditioned to understand from other video games with robot NPCs.
I also paid much more attention to the details on the background (the design aspects)
which was nice to be able to take in and appreciate.

c) Affective Notes
What affective responses did you observe the player having while playing? What evidence did
you have of their affective response/s? What did they choose to focus on? How were they
different from responses and focus/foci you had? Pay specific attention to instances where you
were surprised by something the player said or did. And if possible, reflect on how affective
responses impacted the ‘learning’ or ‘engagement’ you think can be recognized and documented
from this observed play session.

First impressions - she was immediately excited by the dilapidated and run-down
atmosphere. She was also excited to play the game based on her previous
experience with the first Portal game.

Annoyed - there were a couple times when the robot guide and the boss robot were
speaking to the character (monologuing) when she became annoyed they were
continuing to speak and she just wanted to move one. I think this is because of the
prior knowledge she came into the game with (she wanted to speed it up to reach
new and more challenging aspects), whereas those moments were necessary
learning moments for me.

Nervous - during the final scene that revealed the boss robot coming back to life (from
the first game), she was visibly nervous about progressing and was much more
cautious as she moved through the space. I would guess that this was also from prior
knowledge, but she had previously learned to beware of this particular robot and so
she became more engaged in the game during this time.

Session Fieldnotes
At the end of your fieldnotes for session three, craft one or two sentences (no more) that, for you,
summarize your observations of a more skilled player playing this game. Include one image that
supports your conclusions.

This player seemed to be one step ahead of my own progress the entire game, yet
somehow took the same amount of time to finish Chapter 1. She was excited but
more nervous of the final boss robot's awakening. (image below is the player realizing
the levels and hints are on the floor signs, one floor before I realized the same thing)

Image 3
The final "bridge" is to put all that together in an analytical and summative "case study" of the
game that should be no more than 1000 words. Make sure you make careful and direct
connections to both Bogost and Taylor.

Introduction
The game I chose for this exercise is Portal 2 by Valve. It is a game that I have had in
my Steam inventory for a long time but for some reason have never gotten around to
playing, so this was the perfect opportunity to undergo a mostly blind gameplay test.
For the observation portion of this assignment, I was lucky to find a VOD of a
streamer’s first playthrough of the game. Halie, known by her streaming name as
Musicalways, is a small variety streamer on Twitch who “strive[s] to spread positivity
and laughter in an inclusive and cozy environment for anyone who stops by” (Halie,
n.d.).

Design and Setting

My immediate affective response was interest and engagement, due to the imagery of
the setting: dilapidated buildings and apocalyptic scenery is where I feel most at home
in gameplay. Similar to myself, Musicalways’ immediate affective response was
excitement due to the setting and her prior experience with Portal 1; likewise, moving
through the tutorial level was a calm experience for us both, as there were no
apparent threats to be wary of and there was no time limit put upon puzzle
completion. The repetition in this section is reminiscent of the recurring nature of
many Zen relaxation games, which as Bogost (2011) points out, “emphasizes the
repetition of simple tasks as much as, if not more than, their outcomes” (p. 93).

Learning through Puzzles

Although it is true that all instructions were provided in-game, sometimes cryptic and
sometimes obvious, it took me awhile before I noticed where they were located and
how to interpret them; about halfway through my gameplay I had the affective
response of frustration as I got stuck for nearly 15-minutes and ended up turning to
Google for help. Musicalways was able to identify the hints as soon as she reached a
level that was a bit tricker than the previous ones, knowledge she most likely brought
from her prior experience with the game. My next affective response was boredom, as
the puzzle tasks became repetitive and there was no overarching threat; the only goal
at this point was just to move “deliberately and actively” through one continuous
space to the next (Bogost, 2011, p. 48). Although Musicalways expressed an affective
response of irritation during some scenes, she was never bored; I would attribute this
once again to her prior knowledge of the game and an implicit understanding that
there were higher stakes still to come. The entire first chapter of gameplay was
essentially a continuation of drills in the form of cube puzzles. As Bogost (2011) says,
“[d]rill in games has traditionally been understood as the digitization of skill exercises”
(p. 145). What sort of skills do the Portal puzzles impart upon players, though?
Clearly, they are not direct replications of any sort of real-life scenarios, “[b]ut they are
still complex enough to recommend consideration as processes rather than as simple
sets of instructions (p. 145). Indeed, the most important takeaway from my own
gameplay was that I had everything I needed to succeed within the game, and had I
paid better attention to my surroundings I might not have gotten stuck for so long on a
seemingly simple task.

Observed Play
Musicalways’ VOD begins with a lot of small talk as she welcomes her viewers to the
stream. Even though she is a small streamer, you can immediately tell that she cares
about her community and makes a point to welcome everyone by name and ask
questions about their personal life. As Taylor (2018) notes, “[p]layers regularly
encounter people from outside their own social worlds, and construct networks and
online lives in concert with these systems” (p. 11). As she moves through the space,
she talks a lot to and with her viewers, paying attention to the game half-heartedly.
This type of casual gameplay reinforces Bogost’s (2011) notion that some games
construct habitual experiences so the player can converse with friends and move
“beyond the phase of learning the basics” (p. 130). In fact, at several points during the
game in which NPCs deliver lengthy monologues, she expresses the affective
response of annoyance because it directly interferes with her ability to pay attention to
the stream chat while continuing to proceed through the game. Twitch streamers “are
creating new entertainment products that mix together gameplay, humor,
commentary, and real-time interaction with fans and audiences”, which is precisely
what Musicalways’ does through this gameplay VOD (Taylor, 2018, p. 9).

Final Thoughts
The Portal franchise seems to be largely unproblematic in its design choices, though I
did notice that there is no player character choice at all. As soon as the game begins,
you automatically inhabit the body of a slim, white female. Both myself and
Musicalways are similar in appearance, which is most likely why the character choice
did not stand out as an issue to either of us; however, I recognize that it may present
 as problematic for other players. Still, the character’s image is not hypersexualized,
which leads me to believe that the game developers wanted to avoid alienating half of
the population from playing the game. As Lynch et al. (2016) point out, women
actively express a dislike of video games when the content generally panders to a
heterosexual male audience (p. 566). Overall, the game was well-suited for a
beginner as it scaffolded the puzzles and learning opportunities thoroughly while
guiding the player through the game’s environment. I would describe this game as
somewhere in between a “lean forward” and a “lean back” medium, since it requires
you to pay attention to a certain degree while still affording the ability to divert your
attention to other, non-game related things like conversations and commentary
(Bogost, 2011, p. 89). Although Musicalways seemed to be one step ahead of my
own progress for the entire playthrough, we still took the same amount of time to
finish Chapter 1, demonstrating that the developers put a lot of thought into the pacing
of challenges and the difficulty level of the game.

References

Bogost, I. (2011). How to Do Things with Video Games. Minneapolis: University of

Minnesota Press.

Halie [@Musicalways101]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved June 28, 2021,
from https://twitter.com/musicalways101?lang=en

Lynch, T., Tompkins, J. E., van Driel, I. I., & Fritz, N. (2016). Sexy, Strong, and
Secondary: A Content Analysis of Female Characters in Video Games across 31
Years. Journal of Communication, 66(4), 564–584.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12237

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