A recent op-ed in Escapist Magazine suggested that “You Died” – or variants like “You Are Dead” or “Death” – makes video games work better than the classic “Game Over.”
“The first observation about this is perhaps the most obvious,” author Andrei Pechalin opined. “‘Game Over’ breaks immersion. It reminds you that you are playing a game and pulls you out of the experience.
“That works for the likes of pinball machines, which may have been the first to feature the phrase, and purely gameplay-driven titles like Tetris or Asteroids, but not for narrative-driven games. Unlike ‘Game Over,’ ‘You Died’ helps to foster the illusion that you are inhabiting a world – a world with you in it and that you can die from.”
Interesting take and food for thought for video game developers seeking the most immersive experience possible. Every detail counts! Read the full article here.