Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Sponsored Games To Minimalist Design

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including the tarnished reputation of ad-supported games, a look at Unity 3, and the importance of minimalist game design.] In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only Expert Blogs are written by development professionals with a wealth of experience to share. We hope that both sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information about the blogs, check out the official posting guidelines. Here are the top blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Expert Blogs - The Boy Who Cried 'Advergame' (Kim Pallister) Free-to-play, ad-supported console titles like Yaris and Sneak King have a history of bad critical and fan reception. After playing and enjoying the recent Doritos's Crash Course, Kim Pallister wonders whether audiences even notice the latest free titles considering their poor track record. - Breaking Down (the Idea Of) The Locked Door (Evan Jones) Many games feature obstacles such as locked doors to impede a player's progress even if the game offers the players the tools needed to plausibly break down such an obstacle. Evan Jones argues these methods of directing the player hinder his or her suspension of disbelief, and offers examples of games that restrict the player in more believable ways. - Unity 3: A Review (Alistair Doulin) Alistair Doulin takes an in-depth look at the Unity 3 game authoring tool, examining its benefits and shortcomings for independent developers. - Korea's Cinderella Law - Can It Really Prevent Game Addiction? (Simon Lim) Simon Lim examines a new Korean bill that could kick teens off of online games from midnight until six o'clock AM, wondering whether this proposed restriction will alleviate the idea of "game addiction." - Bang For Your Buck: Getting The Most Out Of Your Dev Time (Brice Morrison) Brice Morrison examines the benefits of minimalist game design, providing arguments to suggest developers do not necessarily need to invest large amounts of time to create a game that audiences enjoy.