During this week we discussed system dynamics, along with concepts of emergence and possibility space. I have been playing a lot of Hollow Knight recently and I believe that it captures all these aspects we spoke about in class.  Hollow Knight allows you to discover new areas of the game in a very unique way.  The only information that is presented on screen when playing is the players health and currency. Unlike most games, there is not a mini map on screen at all times to let the player know where they are going.  Instead, if the player wants to know where their location is, they first need to explore the area blindly until finding the creature who will give them the map. Even when you have a map of the area, you still have to stop what you are doing to pull out the map from your pocket and look at it.  I believe that this tells a lot about how the designers of the game wanted people to experience Hollow Knight.  Players are encouraged to blindly explore different areas and even get lost frequently.  A mini map not being shown in the corner of your screen as you play shows that it isn’t a central part of the experience.  The game lets you know what is possible through the design of the areas. There are certain areas that seem to just be out of reach, hinting that the fact that there is a certain ability needed to get to the next area.  When looking at a map, it is clear that there are more to certain areas when the paths look unfinished.  There would be an opening at the end of a path, showing that there is more to be discovered. I believe that the whole game is one big example of emergence due to the fact that each new area is unknown.  Every turn has the possibility of a new enemy attacking or a new area discovered.  Most boss battles happen unexpectedly when walking through an area. The experience of the game changes when new abilities are discovered which changes the way the player can move and approach new areas and bosses.

Works Cited

Fullerton, Tracy. Game Design Workshop: a Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games. CRC Press, 2019.