One Archetype per month, explored weekly through the lens of different games.

Volume One

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01

Flying Cities

Apex Legends

Skies of Arcadia

Gravity Rush 2

Apex Legends

Skies of Arcadia

Gravity Rush 2

From sunny havens to disintegrating utopias, flying cities present intricate vertical worlds.

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Flying Cities

Emma Kent

Flying Cities

The Doomed Floating Utopia of Apex Legends

Flying Cities

Gareth Damian Martin

Flying Cities

The Blue-Sky Optimism of Skies of Arcadia

Flying Cities

Christian Donlan

Flying Cities

Achieving the Addled Intricacy of Gravity Rush 2

02

Seasons

Animal Crossing

Persona 4

Harvest Moon

Animal Crossing

Persona 4

Harvest Moon

The changing of seasons brings the opportunity to experience fleeting, memorable moments.

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Seasons

Jay Castello

Seasons

Rhythms of the Everyday in Animal Crossing

Seasons

Emily Price

Seasons

Passing Time in Persona 4's Tourist Town

Seasons

Holly Nielsen

Seasons

Winter and Death in Harvest Moon

03

Skyboxes

Final Fantasy 7

Bloodborne

Half-Life 2

Final Fantasy 7

Bloodborne

Half-Life 2

Gloomy cloudscapes, decaying structures and gothic moons: how skyboxes provide essential storytelling backdrops for our games.

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Skyboxes

Gregorios Kythreotis

Skyboxes

The Rotting Pizza of Final Fantasy 7

Skyboxes

Honeybat

Skyboxes

The Storytelling Skies of Bloodborne

Skyboxes

Konstantinos Dimopoulos

Skyboxes

Designing Oppression in the Skies of Half-Life 2

04

Radios

Jet Set Radio Future

Fallout 3

GTA V

Jet Set Radio Future

Fallout 3

GTA V

Transmitting both chatter and tunes over the airwaves, radios prove to be useful tools for storytelling and mood-building.

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Radios

Christian Donlan

Radios

How Radio Unites and Emboldens the Counterculture in Jet Set Radio Future

Radios

Emma Kent

Radios

Nostalgia Power - the Origin and Evolution of Fallout's Pip-Boy Radios

Radios

Boen Wang

Radios

Grand Theft Auto V, and the Pursuit of the Perfect Playlist

05

Minigames

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Her Story

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Her Story

Enjoyable distractions, or vital storytelling tools? These miniature games within games often prove to be both.

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Minigames

Zack Wood

Minigames

Card Creation and Divination in The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Minigames

Malindy Hetfeld

Minigames

The Narrative Design Implications of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s Many Diversions

Minigames

Florence Smith Nicholls

Minigames

Skeuomorphs and the Uncanny in Her Story’s Mirror Game