A shelf of the journal
Success stories
Games that made the medium feel larger, read from their own records.
Stories on this shelf
Why crosswords, jigsaws and sliding puzzles endure
Puzzles have outlasted every craze around them. What research on crossword solvers, jigsaw puzzlers and the aha moment says about why they stay with us.
Video game nostalgia: why old games still feel so good
Why the games of your childhood still pull at you, what nostalgia research says it does for mood and connection, and why remakes and retro play keep selling.
Does gamification work? What the meta-analyses actually say
Points, badges and leaderboards were meant to make everything engaging. Here is what reviews of hundreds of studies found, and where the evidence runs thin.
The Sims and the stories systems tell
A long-running success story about player authorship, playful resistance, and the value of a game that does not write every line for you.
Hades and the run that keeps learning
What Supergiant’s Early Access success teaches about iteration, narrative momentum, and making another attempt feel meaningfully different.
Stardew Valley and the craft of gentle progress
A success story about patient craft, visible progress, and why a game can feel generous without becoming frictionless.
Minecraft’s early lesson: let discovery build the next layer
How an open-ended beginning grew through creation, survival, crafting, multiplayer, and platform expansion.
Monument Valley and the power of making less feel complete
A closer look at ustwo’s “less game, more experience” idea—and what OutBrick borrows from it.
What Angry Birds teaches about the long road to a hit
Rovio’s own history is a useful reminder that iconic games are often the visible tip of a much longer practice.
Topics on this shelf
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