the fallacy ov replay value in video games extra punctuation yahtzee croshaw

The Fallacy of ‘Replay Value’ – Extra Punctuation

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This week on Extra Punctuation, Yahtzee discusses the fallacy of replay value in video games.

The Fallacy of Replay Value in Video Games – Extra Punctuation Transcript

So I did Amnesia: The Bunker in ZP recently, which if you haven’t watched, why the hell not, it’s like five minutes of your time, what else were you gonna do with it? Oh, you want an even shorter version, do you? Look at Mr. Jetsetter here. It’s a very effective horror game doing some interesting things with organic open-ended moment to moment gameplay, in strong contrast to its rather linearly laid out predecessors, but it seems to be very overtly trying to encourage replays. In fact the end credits are barely finished rolling before a big old text box comes up saying “Why not play again?! It won’t be the same! Well it will, mostly, but we’ll move all the traps and first aid kits around!”


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Image of Yahtzee Croshaw
Yahtzee Croshaw
Yahtzee is the Escapist’s longest standing talent, having been writing and producing its award winning flagship series, Zero Punctuation, since 2007. Before that he had a smattering of writing credits on various sites and print magazines, and has almost two decades of experience in game journalism as well as a lifelong interest in video games as an artistic medium, especially narrative-focused. He also has a foot in solo game development - he was a big figure in the indie adventure game scene in the early 2000s - and writes novels. He has six novels published at time of writing with a seventh on the way, all in the genres of comedic sci-fi and urban fantasy. He was born in the UK, emigrated to Australia in 2003, and emigrated again to California in 2016, where he lives with his wife and daughters. His hobbies include walking the dog and emigrating to places.