Month: May 2025

How Simple Mechanical Systems Convey Narrative Allegiances and Combat Logic In tactical RPGs, few systems are as deceptively simple—and as symbolically rich—as the weapon triangle. Popularized by the Fire Emblem franchise, this mechanic functions much like rock-paper-scissors: swords beat axes, axes beat lances, lances beat swords. A humble triangle. But behind this triad lies an…

Examining How Games Balance Empowerment and Struggle to Shape Player Experience Video games often promise players the extraordinary. Whether through lightning-infused swords, demon-slaying shotguns, or the ability to manipulate time, the fantasy of power—over enemies, systems, or fate itself—has always been central to gaming. But alongside this seductive empowerment lies an opposing and equally vital…

A Study on Emotional Attachment Through Permanent Character Loss In the tactical RPG genre, few mechanics are as defining—or as psychologically complex—as permadeath. Unlike traditional RPGs, where defeat is a temporary setback and fallen characters can be revived with a phoenix down or reload, tactical RPGs with permadeath make mortality matter. Once a unit falls,…

In traditional media—novels, films, essays—rhetoric is the art of persuasion through language. A thesis is argued, a moral is presented, and meaning is delivered primarily through words and images. But in games, something profound occurs: the system speaks. This is the core premise of procedural rhetoric—a concept introduced by Ian Bogost in his 2007 book…