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Video: How (and why) to create discomfort through game design

At GDC 2016, independent designer Dietrich Squinkifer took the stage to share techniques you can use to create a more varied emotional palette in play experiences, in video games or otherwise.

Throughout history, the lion's share of games have been designed to foster emotions along a pretty narrow spectrum: feelings like excitement, fear, satisfaction, or jubilation.

At GDC 2016, independent designer Dietrich Squinkifer took the stage to share techniques you can use to create a more varied emotional palette in play experiences, in video games or otherwise.

More intriguingly, they talked about why it can be important to unsettle or sometimes upset your players in order to create a compelling game. 

It was a unique and intriguing talk that's worth watching, so if you missed it in person don't miss your opportunity to now watch the entire talk for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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