Guest Blogger: With A Side Of Podcast

     This week is gonna be a double feature with a podcast by me and a guest post by another blogger.

     Here's the podcast (I'm so sorry for the quality):

     Here's the blog by Audon Archibald. His blog about Magic: The Gathering can be found here: https://forceofwontmtg.wordpress.com/

     An Analysis of Game Aesthetics: Hearthstone

     Despite the fact that Magic: The Gathering is the game nearest and dearest to my heart, Blizzard's 2014 digital collectible card game Hearthstone has been received incredibly well by critics and players alike. It pains me to say this (greatly), but Hearthstone is without a doubt my choice for the greatest CCG content you can find online, far outstripping any online content Magic: The Gathering has going for it. This success, while attributed to the accessible and entertaining gameplay by many, I would have to attribute more to the sleek UI and smooth gameplay that is enabled by a totally digital medium. I may be simply rehashing opinions said a thousand times in a thousand ways already, but perhaps you'll take my opinion just a tad more seriously if you know it's coming from a diehard Magic player.

The Pregame Interface

     Here are your three main menu options: Play the game. Play the game. Play the game. Sure there are relevant options regulated to the sides of the screen, but impossible to miss is the simple word 'Play' in the center of the screen. This style of menu design (which carries over to every platform, in this case we are looking at the recently released iPhone version) lends itself primarily to ease of access. If players want to play, there's really no opportunity for them to get lost among the menu options. The ambiance is bright, friendly, and easy to navigate, perfect for drawing in new players.

     Here we have the deck building interface, which combines a surprisingly small amount of tools to create a very interactive experience for the player without overwhelming them. Only eight cards are included on the screen at any given time, with the full text of each card readable as you browse the options. Search options take up a very small portion of the screen but are still very easy to see due to the intuitive use of shape and highlighting that distinguish the elements from everything else. The deck list is displayed prominently to the side, with names, costs, and number of copies of a card in the deck all displayed at the same time to again accentuate the ease of the UI.

In Game Interface

     Hearthstone's in game UI again represents a maximization of usability, with elements such as the shape of the minions (which can be different to distinguish different abilities) to the clear representation of a minions power and health via different symbols and colors (the sword for power and a blood drop for health). In addition, the cost of the cards in your hand are linked to the mana available to you in the bottom right corner both by the use of the same symbol and clear numbered representation wherever these costs are concerned. The placement of these board pieces, from the larger, uniquely shaped player pieces to the smaller, rounded minion pieces creates the feeling that you as the player are creating this army of sorts and are in direct competition with the only similar sized piece on the board quite well.

     As far as art direction goes, the half serious, half whimsical nature allows a player to fit in with how they'd best like their Hearthstone experience, be it a serious one focused on victory or a more experienced based one focused on the game itself. To help preserve the recognition of these minions across the board, the UI allows amble space to clearly distinguish pieces from each other while creating clearly defined borders on each card that emphasizes the individuality of parts rather than an overall theme that the parts must adhere to.

Conclusion

     While the debate on whether or not Hearthstone is an overall superior game to Magic: The Gathering is not something I'm making a statement on here, it's certainly the superior CCG when it comes to the online experience, ease of access for now players, and smoothness of play, largely in part to its incredibly effective interface and intuitive card design, catering to players of all skill and intensity levels masterfully. While it's not something I play often, I can objectively appreciate what it's done to the gaming field and card games in general. Thanks for reading and have a good one!