Penny Arcade Forums› The Penny Arcade Hub
The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

[PATV] Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Extra Credits Season 1, Ep. 18: The Skinner Box

DogDog Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
edited July 2012 in The Penny Arcade Hub
image[PATV] Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Extra Credits Season 1, Ep. 18: The Skinner Box

This week, we talk about Operant Conditioning, and its unfortunate overuse in modern game design.

Read the full story here

Dog on

Posts

  • betrayerkolbetrayerkol Registered User regular
    I actually liked The Godfather game. It was the best use of tower defense type control in a sandbox game. So much better than AC: Revelations.

    The second one was terribad though.

  • Fireemblem123Fireemblem123 Registered User new member
    Bit of an old episode here, but I'm surprised that you didn't mention the game series Fire Emblem. In my opinion, it provides a great example of a majority of the points that were made in this episode. 99% of the time, when you grow stronger after the skinner (is that how its spelled?) method, the enemies will get stronger too, sometimes they'll even be stronger then you! That's where the brain exercise comes in, as you have to think up more strategies as the game goes on. A great example is Fire Emblem 5: Thracia 776, as while you are technically on the same level as the enemy, they always seem stronger. Maybe the "enemy feels stronger" comes from that while the enemy is always well equipped, for you weapons are expensive, but not a lot more then the other games, and how you start with no gold, while in other games you at least have enough for one weapon for each of your starting party. But, in Thracia 776, you can capture your enemies and steal their items, but that halves pretty much every stat the character who captured the enemy has, so you have to decide "Will my weapons last enough, or do I really need that guy's lance right now?" Another great example of Thracia 776's "brain exercises" is the fatigue system, where as a character preforms actions, they gain fatigue, and when the fatigue number surpasses their HP, they have to sit an entire battle out. Not only does that make you use all of the characters instead of just the higher tiered ones, but it gives more tactical depth. You could be forced to think "Is this level really hard enough that I have to take my most powerful character, or can I save him for a future level that is hard enough?"
    Wall of text aside there are many examples from Fire Emblem to use in these subjects.

  • vaendrylvaendryl Registered User regular
    this entire episode screams ONE thing at me.

    DISGAEA. (I lost so many hours on that game... omg)

Sign In or Register to comment.
Penny Arcade Forums› The Penny Arcade Hub