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Eric Schwarz's Blog
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My name is Eric, and I'm currently working at Toronto-based Wicked Interactive Ltd. This blog is where I post my articles on game design. I appreciate constructive feedback, so please feel free to interrogate my work ad comments as thoroughly as you desire.
At present I am actively developing an extensive Dragon Age campaign mod, Thirst, and am a contributing writer at GameBanshee. More recently I've been making a few Portal 2 levels, which will hopefully provide some head-scratching fun. I also make music, if you like death metal! I can be contacted at searanox@gmail.com at any time. |
Expert Blogs
BioShock Infinite: On the Importance of the Authorial Contract  |
| Posted by Eric Schwarz on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EDT in
Design,
Console/PC
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| BioShock Infinite has produced volumes of discussion, but how does it actually stand up as a real story? |
| Read More... | 8 Comments |
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BioShock Infinite's Combat Mechanics Regression |
| Posted by Eric Schwarz on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:00:00 EDT in
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| Although BioShock Infinite is a visual masterwork, mechanically speaking it represents a major step back from previous games. In this piece I discuss how the game's biggest component - combat - has been made far less entertaining than past games. |
| Read More... | 57 Comments |
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Fallout 3 is the worst game of all time |
| Posted by Eric Schwarz on Sun, 31 Mar 2013 05:00:00 EDT in
Design,
Console/PC
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| A long-winded, pointlessly analytic rant about the "plot" and "writing" of a game I hate. Enjoy! |
| Read More... | 7 Comments |
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Professional's Paradox: Hitman: Absolution's Scoring System |
| Posted by Eric Schwarz on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 04:00:00 EDT in
Design,
Console/PC
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| Hitman: Absolution is a departure from past games in the series, but the changes to its scoring system had the biggest impact on how I played, and how much I enjoyed it. |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
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PlayStation 4: Here We Go Again |
| Posted by Eric Schwarz on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:17:00 EST in
Production,
Design,
Business/Marketing
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| My thoughts on the brand-new PlayStation 4 announcement. |
| Read More... | 7 Comments |
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Don't Waste My Time |
| Posted by Eric Schwarz on Sat, 16 Feb 2013 11:33:00 EST in
Smartphone/Tablet,
Social/Online,
Console/PC,
Design
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| Gameplay isn't always fun, and it's never made more fun by forcing the player to do even more of it. |
| Read More... | 23 Comments |
[More Eric Schwarz Blogs]
Eric Schwarz's Comments
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Comment In: Skyrim's Modular Approach to Level Design [Blog - 05/01/2013 - 09:15]
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I really don 't think ... I really don 't think tiling is much of a weakness provided you have sufficient variety in assets. It 's how you use those assets that matters. Compare Oblivion to Skyrim and you will see a huge step up in level design variety between those games. |
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Comment In: The Problem with Game Reviews (And Why Games Are Like Restaurants) [Blog - 05/02/2013 - 09:15]
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Good thing I write for ... Good thing I write for a site that doesn 't do review scores. r n r nI personally think giving scores for games is broken, anachronistic and completely unnecessary. It 's not so much a legacy as it is for an easy way for publishers to bribe and coerce publications ... |
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Comment In: Why the Next-Generation Will Change Games Forever [Blog - 04/23/2013 - 08:35]
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With all respect, I don ... With all respect, I don 't think the problem you are highlighting is one of gaming metaphors no longer being sufficient to represent the games that we play, and I do not think it comes down to some fundamental problem with the language of gaming versus narrative convention. r n ... |
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Comment In: BioShock Infinite: On the Importance of the Authorial Contract [Blog - 04/30/2013 - 08:00]
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Oh man, I think my ... Oh man, I think my brain had blotted out that fight with the ghost. You have no idea how hard I rolled my eyes at that part. |
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Comment In: 7 things that have to work together in a game story [Blog - 04/29/2013 - 02:56]
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This is quite a nice ... This is quite a nice article. More than anything it 's important to take away the fact that a story in a game is dependent upon how successfully it is able to channel and relate to the gameplay elements that the player will be taking part in on a regular ... |
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Comment In: Get Your Dream Job: 5 Secrets to Writing a Killer Cover Letter [Blog - 04/29/2013 - 12:01]
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In other news, water is ... In other news, water is wet and the sun came up this morning. I 'm not saying these suggestions are invalid or anything, but I 'm pretty sure they teach this in junior high school career studies. As others have said I 'm also not sure your cover letter is ... |
[More Eric Schwarz Comments]
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