Defining the Gaming Experience: Why Half-Life and Skyrim Stand Apart Have you ever played a game and thought, “There’s just nothing quite like this”? This article dives into that elusive feeling, defining games as an experience and exploring how this concept can enrich game theory and criticism. It’s heady stuff, but let’s break it down with examples like Half-Life and Skyrim to make it clear. Gamers often sense when a game transcends categories like genre, story, or platform. Take Skyrim—despite being a solid but average open-world RPG, it’s etched into memory unlike countless similar titles. And no, it’s not just because Skyrim keeps getting re-released (sorry, no Toaster Edition in 2024). So, what separates the Skyrims of the world from the repetitive churn of, say, Call of Duty? The answer lies in the distinction between games that are an experience and those that merely have experiences. ...

The Birth of Heavyshelf: Celebrating the Weight of Games in 2015 2015 was a year that felt like gaming hit critical mass. Blockbuster releases like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Bloodborne, and Metal Gear Solid V stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Nintendo’s revival of Splatoon, while Fallout 4 lit up hype cycles across the world. It was also the year eSports began breaking into the mainstream with record-breaking events, streaming platforms like Twitch transformed how people played and connected, and VR finally felt within reach with the looming arrival of Oculus. Everywhere you looked, there was something worth debating, celebrating, or arguing over. For a group of friends caught up in this whirlwind of conversations, it was only natural to come together and start a podcast. From those late-night discussions, the first spark of what would become Heavyshelf was born. ...