Colossal Design Affect

Injecting emotive layers into games has been steadily gaining popularity, as narrative and the aesthetically spectacular increasingly collide. The idea of immersion, and giving players an experience, rather than just a game, is fast becoming a key aspect of player affecting design. Players must be drawn into the game, through any combination of strategy, narrative, and raw human emotion.

A shining example of designing for affect lies with the critically acclaimed Shadow of the Colossus, a game that has received many accolades for its simple, yet impacting use of both evoked and enacted narrative, it’s innovative take on player control, breathing aesthetics, and emotional development. Virtually every element of play shows design deliberation, with the intention of immersing players. For example, during the game’s epic battles with the imposing Colossi, players are forced to hold the shoulder buttons of the controller, mimicking the struggle that their avatar is facing, as it clambers up the gritty giants.

But bonding player and avatar is perhaps the least of Shadow of Colossus’ designed affect. The game takes place in a fictional, timeless world, devoid of civilisation. The player character, their loyal steed, and the twelve magnificent Colossi are all that inherit the vast environment. For the sake of the sleeping damsel, the player must hunt and fight against the intense roaming wonders. Every element of the game has been designed with the express intent of making the player feel.