5 ms·

I believe the key benefit of small games is not the minimalism or short duration, but the forced condensing of core gameplay. Essentially bundling the fun witho

I believe the key benefit of small games is not the minimalism or short duration, but the forced condensing of core gameplay. Essentially bundling the fun without the excess fluff. I've heard developers constantly note that features will be dropped and your favorite implementation will hit the chopping block when making games. In the case of small games, you're turning this idea into a feature. Finding what can be stripped away to focus on engagement. Not what massive world can I develop to creature a robust experience, but what bits of the world can I shave to make a fulling experience.

bokchoi 6y ago
I feel the same applies to short stories -- with the constraint a lot of fluff is removed. It's been a while, but I used to subscribe to a few sci-fi magazines and loved it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_magazine#Current_magazines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_magazine#Curre...
- pcmaffey 6y ago
  Especially so for sci-fi. As Gibson put it, the short story is the quintessential form of sci-fi.
- jyrkesh 6y ago
  If I wanted to get into these now, could you recommend any particular magazines (title and/or vintage) or time periods that are good starting points?
  - bokchoi 6y ago
    I enjoyed the long running "Asimov's Science Fiction" and "Analog Science Fiction and Fact" the most, but the newer "Clarkesworld" was also quite good. If you'd prefer a large tome, go for "The Year's Best Science Fiction" by Gardner Dozois. Ooh, and can't forget http://escapepod.org/ http://escapepod.org/
    - meheleventyone 6y ago
      The Year's Best Science Fiction and really all the collections edited by Gardner Dozois are fantastic. Sadly he died but there are years and years and years of great selections.
  - chrisweekly 6y ago
    Electric Literature Also Ted Chiang (Your Life and Other Stories, Exhalation, ...)
    - mrec 6y ago
      *Stories of Your Life and Others
      - chrisweekly 6y ago
        whoops! yes, thanks for the correction
silicon2401 6y ago
This is one of the reasons I personally enjoy retro games. Plenty of old games go for volume of features, but IMHO it's a lot easier to find games with a more condensed, focused in older generations. By the same token I think you're right, and small games like Pikuniku and Minit have re-kindled my interest in modern games after almost a half decade of not really keeping up with the scene, thanks to their condensed focus on fun and gameplay.
Tepix 6y ago
The indie game Battle of Polytopia (iOS/Android/Steam) feels like that. It masterfully extracts the core gameplay of games like Civilization. It also has a matching graphics style.

bokchoi 6y ago

I feel the same applies to short stories -- with the constraint a lot of fluff is removed. It's been a while, but I used to subscribe to a few sci-fi magazines and loved it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_magazine#Current_magazines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_magazine#Curre...

pcmaffey 6y ago
Especially so for sci-fi. As Gibson put it, the short story is the quintessential form of sci-fi.
jyrkesh 6y ago
If I wanted to get into these now, could you recommend any particular magazines (title and/or vintage) or time periods that are good starting points?
- bokchoi 6y ago
  I enjoyed the long running "Asimov's Science Fiction" and "Analog Science Fiction and Fact" the most, but the newer "Clarkesworld" was also quite good. If you'd prefer a large tome, go for "The Year's Best Science Fiction" by Gardner Dozois. Ooh, and can't forget http://escapepod.org/ http://escapepod.org/
  - meheleventyone 6y ago
    The Year's Best Science Fiction and really all the collections edited by Gardner Dozois are fantastic. Sadly he died but there are years and years and years of great selections.
- chrisweekly 6y ago
  Electric Literature Also Ted Chiang (Your Life and Other Stories, Exhalation, ...)
  - mrec 6y ago
    *Stories of Your Life and Others
    - chrisweekly 6y ago
      whoops! yes, thanks for the correction

silicon2401 6y ago

This is one of the reasons I personally enjoy retro games. Plenty of old games go for volume of features, but IMHO it's a lot easier to find games with a more condensed, focused in older generations. By the same token I think you're right, and small games like Pikuniku and Minit have re-kindled my interest in modern games after almost a half decade of not really keeping up with the scene, thanks to their condensed focus on fun and gameplay.

Tepix 6y ago

The indie game Battle of Polytopia (iOS/Android/Steam) feels like that. It masterfully extracts the core gameplay of games like Civilization. It also has a matching graphics style.