Player Experience of Minimalist Video Game Design: Case Study of Indie Horror Iron Lung

Player Experience of Minimalist Video Game Design: Case Study of Indie Horror Iron Lung

Player Experience of Minimalist Video Game Design: Case Study of Indie Horror Iron Lung

Mienke Fouché

Abstract

"Player experiences of minimalist video games are not well documented. This article addresses this gap by exploring players’ experiences of the minimalist horror video game Iron Lung. This game is identified as employing unique methods of gameplay toward affecting players. A case study design was framed using Caroux et al.’s player–video game interactions and Nealen et al.’s minimalist video game design char-acteristics and observed through affect theory to consider how bodies (video games) affect other bodies (players). A selection of player reviews was thematically analyzed, and three video streams were observed and analyzed. Results demonstrate that most players were affected as the developer intended using obfuscation, deliberately clumsy mechanics, and unique gameplay pacing. This article contributes to the field of mini-malist design by filling the gap of player experiences of minimalist game design. This is useful to video game designers, minimalist designers, interactive experience designers, scenographers, or environmental design specialists."

Reference

Fouché, M. (2025). Player experience of minimalist video game design: Case study of indie horror Iron Lung. Games and Culture. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15554120241235437

Keywords

Affect Theory, Iron Lung Video Game, Interactive Media