{"id":122873,"date":"2021-01-06T18:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-06T18:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/view\/news\/375867"},"modified":"2021-01-06T18:04:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T18:04:00","slug":"blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2021\/01\/06\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog: An empathy-driven way to design games"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gamasutra: Chris Solarski’s Blog – 2020 Relief: An Empathy-Driven Way to Design Games<\/title> <!--[if lt IE 9]> <a href=\"http:\/\/html5shim.googlecode.com\/svn\/trunk\/html5.js\">http:\/\/html5shim.googlecode.com\/svn\/trunk\/html5.js<\/a> <![endif]--> <!-- CSS --> <!-- link href=\"https:\/\/twimgs.com\/gamasutra\/css\/minified.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" \/ --> <!-- Mobile Specific Metas --> <!-- Start Visual Website Optimizer Asynchronous Code --> <!-- End Visual Website Optimizer Asynchronous Code --> <!-- Start HeatMap.me Code --> <!-- End HeatMap.me Code --> <!-- Start: GPT Sync --> <!-- End: GPT --> <!-- Twitter universal website tag code --> <!-- End Twitter universal website tag code --> <!-- Facebook Pixel Code --> <!-- DO NOT MODIFY --> <!-- End Facebook Pixel Code --> <!-- Eloqua tracking code --> <!-- End Eloqua tracking code --> <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <!--Cookie banner code starts here --> <!--Cookie banner code ends here --> <!-- Informa Branding code goes here--> <\/p>\n<div id=\"iribbon-container\" class=\"content-body-wrapper\"> <button id=\"iribbon-title\" title=\"show\/hide\" class=\"inactive\">Informa<\/button> <\/p>\n<div id=\"iribbon-detail\" class=\"ribbon-hide\">\n<div id=\"iribbon-left\">\n<p>Gamasutra is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"iribbon-right\">\n<p>This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. 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calendar--> <!--begin about--> <\/p>\n<div class=\"bottom2\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/advertise\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games.jpg\" alt=\"Sponsor\" border=\"0\" class=\"whiteTop\" width=\"177px\" height=\"60px\"> <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!--end about--> <!--begin network--> <\/p>\n<div class=\"leftnav_network bottom2\"> If you enjoy reading this site, you might also want to check out these UBM Tech sites: <\/p>\n<hr>\n<hr>\n<p> <br class=\"clear\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <!--end network--> <!--begin store--> <!--end store--> <\/div>\n<p><!--end leftcol--> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"span-16 last\">\n<div class=\"content_box_middle\"> <!-- InstanceBeginEditable name=\"BodyContent\" --> <\/p>\n<div class=\"page_item\">\n<div><a name=\"twitter_share\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com?status=RT @gamasutra: 2020 Relief: An Empathy-Driven Way to Design Games http:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/blogs\/ChrisSolarski\/20210105\/375756\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-1.gif\" alt=\"Share on Twitter\" border=\"0\" height=\"20\"><\/a> <span id=\"edit_post_link\"><\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/blogs\/rss\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-2.gif\" width=\"15\" height=\"15\" border=\"0\" alt=\"RSS\"><\/a> <\/div>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"item_body mobile_image_transform\"> <strong><i><small> The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra\u0092s community.<br \/>The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. <\/small><\/i><\/strong> <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>The <em>Interactive Empathy and Embodiment<\/em> (<em>IEE<\/em>) framework is an innovative, sensory design approach to game design and interactive media that uses traditional craft techniques to heighten the player-audience’s physical experience of gameplay. <\/p>\n<p>You can think of sensory design as working inside-to-outside, whereby the design process starts by defining the player\u2019s <em>kinaesthetic<\/em> state (referring to physical activity-based aesthetics) before orchestrating external solutions that evoke this predetermined experience. Approaching the game development process from a sensory perspective\u2014as opposed to a rules, objectives and mechanics-driven approach\u2014enables readers to actively explore solutions to the following ideology:<\/p>\n<p><big>What if empathy, not conflict, was the organizing principle of game design?<\/big><br \/> <\/p>\n<p>2020 was a challenging year for everybody, which is why the 2-part book is unreservedly FREE (with the possibility of giving a donation), since the need for interactive experiences that promote empathy and reconciliation is at an all-time high. The <em>IEE<\/em> framework therefore hopes to nudge the industry in a more conscientious direction and provide game design in a format that is accessible to everybody. <\/p>\n<p>The following is an extract from the Introduction of <em>Volume 2: Framework Walkthrough<\/em>. Volumes 1 and 2 are available as a <a href=\"https:\/\/gum.co\/RHZVpM\">FREE download on Gumroad<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Coming from a traditional figurative art background, my perspective of game design has always been at odds with convention: as a process that starts by the definition of rules, objectives and game mechanics for generating gameplay. The aesthetics of such a game design approach are treated as a byproduct of the rules and mechanics and have the lowest priority in the development sequence known as <em>M-D-A <\/em>(mechanics > dynamics > aesthetics). Many developers feel that this is the only way that interactive experiences can be produced.<\/p>\n<p>As discussed in <a href=\"https:\/\/gum.co\/RHZVpM\"><em>Volume 1: Shape Language and Composition Fundamentals<\/em><\/a> (<em>IEE Fundamentals<\/em>) of this framework,<em> <\/em>a common conceptual error is to define the \u201cA\u201d for aesthetics to mean <em>visual<\/em> aesthetics. Video games are inherently an interactive medium and their artistic structure is rooted in player-activity, which requires movement. So could aesthetics be approached from a different angle to upend the established M-D-A structure?<\/p>\n<h3>Gesture drawing<\/h3>\n<p>My personal approach to game design is greatly informed by <em>gesture drawing\u2014<\/em>the practice of drawing a live model within a limited time, which can be as short as 30-seconds or 1-minute (examples below). The relevance that gesture drawing has to interactive media is that it similarly involves a person (player) observing a dynamic subject (gameplay) and making split-second decisions before reacting with corresponding pencil strokes (controller inputs). Just like a player reacting to on-screen activity and directing their avatar\u2019s movement via an analog stick, an artist captures life and movement using a minimalist set of lines of varying aesthetic quality. In both cases, the artist and player have a unique and personal opportunity to <em>embody<\/em> the aesthetics that they perceive visually\u2014physically channeling the subject\u2019s energy through the act drawing\/playing.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-1.jpg\"><br \/>The aesthetic quality of every line in these 1, 2 and 5-minute gesture drawings, by Chris Solarski, must convey the dynamic energy of the model.<\/p>\n<p>My gesture drawing experience\u2014more than any other artistic practice\u2014has led me to develop a methodology that approaches the game design process with an emphasis on aesthetics over rules and game mechanics. Titled <em>Interactive Empathy and Embodiment<\/em> (<em>IEE<\/em>), the framework promotes a high-level <em>sensory design <\/em>approach for game design, although the concepts are equally relevant to interactive media like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and cross-reality (XR)<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>The evolving definition of video games<\/h3>\n<p>The <em>IEE<\/em> framework\u2019s sensory approach accordingly defines \u201cvideo games\u201d as <em>interactive experience<\/em><em>s<\/em><em> deliberately designed to <\/em><em>evoke a <\/em><em>kin<\/em><em>aesthetic response<\/em>. The player\u2019s kinaesthetic response may be the exhilaration of victory, happiness, sadness, and any other aspect of human experience. You may feel that this all-encompassing definition is too broad and that some gaming genres can be de facto classified as \u201cvideo games\u201d (i.e. <em>role-playing games<\/em>) and other genres (i.e. <em>walking simulators<\/em>) as \u201cnot games\u201d or \u201cinteractive art.\u201d The broader counter argument contends that industry pioneers helped shape our common perception of what video games are\/are not, but our understanding of the medium and its aesthetic scope is continually growing and evolving. The mainstream definition of video games will therefore continue to expand accordingly until \u201cvideo games\u201d is comfortably associated with the entire range of interactive experiences available to us\u2014as suggested by game designer and academic <a href=\"https:\/\/eddostern.com\/\">Eddo Stern<\/a>, who expressed the following statement at a games-as-art panel discussion at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissnexsanfrancisco.org\/\">swissnex San Francisco<\/a> in 2012: \u201cdon\u2019t change the name, just wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Deepening the in-game experience<\/h3>\n<p>It used to be that retro game box art would present richly detailed Hollywood-style action and effects but the in-game product, while still entertaining, delivered an unspectacular pixelated experience. This is no longer the case, with in-game graphics matching the fidelity promoted on their covers.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-2.jpg\"><br \/>Retro game box art promised Hollywood-style effects but the in-game product was delivered pixel graphics, such as <em>Defender <\/em>(1981) by Williams Electronics. [Images from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.8-bitcentral.com\/reviews\/2600defender.html\">8-bit Central<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p>Dramatic devices like non-interactive cutscenes are arguably the new retro box art\u2014designed to emotionally-embellish <em>in-game <\/em>experiences that<em> <\/em>comparatively remain narrow in aesthetic scope.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-3.jpg\"><br \/>Cutscenes follow the same convention as retro game box art\u2014promising emotionally-resonant experiences while the in-game product is reduced to exploring a narrow aesthetic range. <em>Uncharted 4: A Thief\u2019s End <\/em>(2016) by Naughty Dog<\/p>\n<p>This is not to say that titles like <em>God of War<\/em> (2018) and <em>Uncharted 4<\/em> (2016), pictured above, are bad. Quite the opposite. They are at the cutting edge of what\u2019s currently possible in game design. However, to paraphrase and expand on <a href=\"https:\/\/feministfrequency.com\/\">Anita Sarkeesian’s<\/a> valuable guidance: it\u2019s both possible, and even necessary, to enjoy media while simultaneously being critical of its problematic aspects and creative weaknesses, so as to help identify the industry\u2019s next level of progression.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>IEE<\/em> framework aims to help remedy this disconnect between cutscenes and the in-game experience by offering design tools for shaping the in-game kinaesthetic experience, thus bringing the emotional fidelity promised by cutscenes into the hands (and bodies) of players during gameplay. To achieve this, designers will be required to think less about what players will be <em>doing<\/em> and more about the transient kinaesthetic nature of the person they will <em>become<\/em> while playing.<\/p>\n<h3>Physical, non-verbal communication<\/h3>\n<p>The act of defining (or re-defining) video games is necessary if we wish to expand the medium\u2019s artistic potential. A kinaesthetics-driven approach is an important aspect of this re-defining process because a person\u2019s outward-facing physical state is crucial for communication and generating empathy. In fact, around 90% of communication involves physical components like facial expressions, gestures and posture, with only 10% given to verbal communication. And what sets interactive media apart from other storytelling forms is the <em>active participation<\/em> of the audience. The very word \u201cinteraction\u201d implies an <em>interrelated <\/em>and inherently<em> <\/em><em>kinaesthetic<\/em><em> <\/em>activity<em> <\/em>between people, or between a person and virtual entities.<\/p>\n<p>This interaction is immensely significant because it means that designers have the unique opportunity to communicate with a player-audience through the tactile senses of touch and movement\u2014the distinguishing ingredient of interactive media, which sets it apart from other art forms. Consequently, while cinematographers abide by the principle of <em>show, don\u2019t tell, <\/em>interaction designers must one-up their craft with the principle of <em>move, don\u2019t show.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s by no coincidence that the word \u201cemotion\u201d has deep etymological links to \u201cmotion\u201d\u2014originating from the Latin word \u201cemovere\u201d (\u201cmovere\u201d meaning to move). And, as the influential choreographer of modern dance, Martha Graham, was fond of saying: \u201cmovement never lies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By activating the player\u2019s body we can affect their mind and emotions. The <em>IEE<\/em> framework therefore focuses on the player-audience\u2019s kinaesthetic sensations with the aim of heightening <em>embodied<\/em> empathy towards avatars, objects and activities within the intangible virtual worlds that they inhabit. This is why the term <em>player-avatar<\/em> is often used throughout the framework, to emphasize the heightened kinaesthetic connection between the player and their virtual representation in the game world.<\/p>\n<h3>Mirror neurons<\/h3>\n<p>Kinaesthetic expression will remain essential even after science perfects neuro-control (allowing the human brain to directly interface with a computer). The work of David Freedberg and Vittorio Gallese\u2014see <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/263809628_Motion_Emotion_and_Empathy_in_Aesthetic_Experience_D_Freedberg_and_V_Gallese\">Motion, emotion and empathy in esthetic experience<\/a> <\/em>(2007, Trends in Cognitive Sciences)\u2014among others, has demonstrated how <em>mirror-neuron<\/em><em>s <\/em>give us the ability to experience empathy towards observed subjects even when no overt movement or contact is involved. This extends to the seemingly \u201cpassive\u201d experience of appreciating a static artwork like a painting or sculpture.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Bmioi3tXQfs\">video montage linked below<\/a> of parkour and skateboard \u201cfails\u201d will give you a heightened sense of your mirror neurons at work. While watching the video, pay close attention to sensations in your body. You\u2019ll find that, not only are your muscles triggered by each impact, but that the sensations you feel relate to the specific body parts being impacted.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Bmioi3tXQfs\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-4.jpg\"><\/a><br \/>Pay attention to the sensations in your body in response to each impact. [Clips sourced from YouTube videos by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ddxk8UAJgaA\">FailArmy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uzG_-PYZT-4\">RibeiroSK8<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that what you just experienced was triggered by non-interactive video clips viewed on a static, two-dimensional digital display. There is no overt interaction between you and the activity occurring on-screen and yet you kinaesthetically empathized with each athlete to a lesser or greater degree.<\/p>\n<p>This proves that even media that we regard as passive experiences are constantly acting on our physical senses, although the effects are more often experienced on a subtler, subconscious level. This neurological phenomenon suggests that interaction designers have the potential to use virtual proxies to trigger kinaesthetic sensations in specific body parts of the player-audience. Similar kinaesthetic sensations occur in players of classics like <em>Pong <\/em>(1972), who \u201cfeel\u201d the collisions between the paddle and virtual ball, although the subconscious begins bracing itself for impact as soon as it anticipates that a collision will occur.<\/p>\n<p>The must-watch <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DphlhmtGRqI\"><em>rubber hand <\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DphlhmtGRqI\"><em>illusion<\/em><\/a> (also known as the <em>body transfer illusion<\/em>) further proves that we can think of our bodies as merely incidental to our sense of self. Like Mario\u2019s hat in <em>Super Mario Odyssey <\/em>(2017), our body is ready and willing to embody any subject that we observe. This tenuous relationship between mind and body is partly the reason why players of <em>The Walk VR <\/em>(2016), pictured below-left, automatically embody the French acrobat, Philippe Petit, who performed the original tightrope stunt featured in <em>The Walk <\/em>(2015) film<em>, <\/em>pictured below-right.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-5.jpg\"><br \/>From left: players of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?time_continue=1&v=Uq6yxWBDy3g&feature=emb_logo\">The Walk VR<\/a> <\/em>(2016) automatically embody Philippe Petit, the tightrope-walking protagonist of <em>The Walk <\/em>(2015), even though they are playing in the safety of closed room. [Images by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]<\/p>\n<p>Our bodies are compelled to react, and the more experience we have with an activity or object the greater the kinaesthetic empathy.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-6.jpg\"><br \/>Like Neo\u2019s body physically reacting to virtual stimuli in <em>The Matrix <\/em>(1999), by the Wachowskis, neuro-controls will not invalidate the need for interaction designers to shape the kinaesthetic experience of players.<\/p>\n<p>Neuro-controls cannot nullify these sensations since kinaesthetic responses are a natural human response mechanisms. Player\u2019s will always need some form of physical outlet, like Neo\u2019s body convulsing when \u201cjacked\u201d into the virtual matrix. A completely passive physical state is not possible outside of advanced meditation.<\/p>\n<p>The question will therefore forever remain: what kinaesthetic impact do interactive experiences have on the player-audience\u2014irrespective of the development approach?<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Interactive Empathy and Embodiment <\/em>framework serves to give developers the tools to begin answering this big question. And, just like the 2000+ years of traditional craft that have come before games, the principle tools to solving this question involve the humble practice of drawing and two particular traditional craft techniques: shape language and composition. The fundamentals of these techniques are extensively examined in <a href=\"https:\/\/gum.co\/RHZVpM\"><em>IEE Volume 1: Shape Language and Composition Fundamentals<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>A work in progress<\/h3>\n<p>Please note that <em>Interactive Empathy and Embodiment <\/em>is a work in progress. It may be the culmination of 15+ years of research, practice, and game development (not to mention the 2000+ years of traditional craft techniques on which it is founded), it nonetheless requires extensive testing and further development. I am aware that the framework has diversity and inclusivity issues and I have yet to investigate how my work holds up against valuable research in the fields of <em>data feminism<\/em>, disability, black, indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC), and LGBQTIA+, which are outside my immediate area of expertise. I therefore humbly welcome critiques and feedback that will help expand the framework\u2019s scope to rightfully acknowledge an even wider range of peoples and historic contributions to traditional craft. The advantage of <em>IEE<\/em> being in a download-able PDF format, over a conventional book, is that it can readily be updated.<\/p>\n<p>I would also be grateful for assistance with proof-reading, editing and translations, since I hope to have the framework available in multiple languages.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-7.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3>About the author<\/h3>\n<p>Chris Solarski\u2019s started work in video games at Sony Computer Entertainment\u2019s London Studio as a character and environment artist before making a career-defining detour into figurative oil painting. The unusual mix of game art and classical art eventually resulted in Chris authoring <a href=\"https:\/\/gum.co\/RHZVpM\"><em>Interactive Empathy and Embodiment<\/em><\/a>\u2014a sensory design framework that adapts traditional craft to interactive media with the aim of heightening kinaesthetic empathy and embodiment. Chris has also authored <a href=\"http:\/\/solarskistudio.com\/books\">two books on game art and storytelling in games<\/a> that are endorsed by the likes of <em>Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/em> founding member St\u00e9phane Assadourian, and <em>Cyberpunk 2077<\/em> level designer Max Pears. Chris\u2019 work has been described as gaming\u2019s equivalent to Robert McKee\u2019s screenwriting classic, <em>Story<\/em> (1997), and Joseph Campbell\u2019s universal storytelling structure. Chris has had the pleasure of presenting at the Smithsonian Museum\u2019s landmark <em>The Art of Video Games<\/em> exhibition, Disney Research, SXSW, Google and FMX, to name a few. <\/p>\n<p>Please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/solarskistudio.com\/\">solarskistudio.com<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"hide-phone\">\n<h3>Related Jobs<\/h3>\n<div class=\"stories_item\">\n<div class=\"thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.gamasutra.com\/job\/java-software-developer-core-team-hamburg-34724\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-2.png\" alt=\"innogames\" width=\"120\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"stories_item\">\n<div class=\"thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.gamasutra.com\/job\/ui-developer-brisbane-queensland-34738\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-3.png\" alt=\"Gameloft Australia Pty Ltd \" width=\"120\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"title\"> <strong> Gameloft Australia Pty Ltd \u2014 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia <br \/>[01.05.21] <\/strong> <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.gamasutra.com\/job\/ui-developer-brisbane-queensland-34738\">UI Developer<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"stories_item\">\n<div class=\"thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.gamasutra.com\/job\/senior-mobile-game-developer-c-forge-of-empires-hamburg-34704\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-2.png\" alt=\"innogames\" width=\"120\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"stories_item\">\n<div class=\"thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.gamasutra.com\/job\/senior-lead-engineer-boston-massachusetts-34701\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-8.jpg\" alt=\"Crate Entertainment\" width=\"120\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr><\/div>\n<p> <!-- InstanceEndEditable --> <\/div>\n<p><!--end contentbox-->\n<\/div>\n<p><!--end span-16--> <\/div>\n<p> <br class=\"clear\"> <\/div>\n<p><!--end span-21--> <!--begin right sidebar--> <!--end right sidebar--> <!– <\/div>\n<p> Extra Div –> <!-- Beginning Sync AdSlot 21 for Ad unit Gamasutra\/\/consolepc ### size: [[8,2]] --> <!-- End AdSlot 21 --> <!-- Beginning Sync AdSlot 22 for Ad unit Gamasutra\/\/consolepc ### size: [[8,4]] --> <!-- End AdSlot 22 --> <!-- Beginning Sync AdSlot 23 for Ad unit Gamasutra\/\/consolepc ### size: [[4,4]] --> <!-- End AdSlot 23 --> <br class=\"clear\"><\/p><\/div>\n<p><!--end content-body-wrapper--> <\/div>\n<p><!--end container--><br \/>\n<!--begin footer--> <!--end footer--> <!-- SiteCatalyst code version: H.21.\nCopyright 1996-2010 Adobe, Inc. All Rights Reserved\nMore info available at http:\/\/www.omniture.com --> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniture.com\" title=\"Web Analytics\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/blog-an-empathy-driven-way-to-design-games-3.gif\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt><\/a><!--\/DO NOT REMOVE\/--><br \/>\n<!-- End SiteCatalyst code version: H.21. --> <!-- Begin ADSNATIVE Code --> <!-- End ADSNATIVE Code --><br \/>\n<!--Begin Ad script for pixel --> <!--END Ad script for pixel --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><!– –> Gamasutra: Chris Solarski’s Blog – 2020 Relief: An Empathy-Driven Way to Design Games Informa Gamasutra is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC’s registered office is 5 Howick Place, London […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}