Dan Pinchbeck Games researcher at the University of Portsmouth, UK, and creative director of thechineseroom game studio
In a world where horror games have degenerated into second-rate, third-person shooters, Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Frictional Games) is completely terrifying. The game is an outstanding piece of player-oriented design: it understands player psychology better than most and works brilliantly, keeping you on the edge of being too scared to want to play any more, but too hooked to quit. It鈥檚 my hands-down game of the year.
David Perry Game developer, and CEO and co-founder of
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I鈥檇 say Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games). You鈥檇 think this game would stand no chance in a green-light meeting. Imagine the pitch: 鈥淟et鈥檚 spend $20 million on a cowboy game!鈥� And the feedback: 鈥淒ude, nobody cares about cowboys any more.鈥� Well, they do. Red is graphically and technically stunning, and it鈥檚 a good taster of where games are going as they become more immersive.
Tom Chatfield Author of Fun Inc. (Pegasus, 2010)
My favourite is the seemingly simple, first-person Minecraft (Mojang Specifications), in which you wander around a 3D landscape, excavating and building by day in order to survive the assault of monsters by night. The game鈥檚 powerful, flexible physics has allowed players to do everything from constructing replicas of the Starship Enterprise to building functioning logic circuits out of the game鈥檚 basic elements. While not technically advanced, it is a wonderful example of the power that comes from an elegantly worked physical environment, a committed community of inventive players, and a clever interplay between designer and player.
William Sims Bainbridge Sociologist, games researcher and editor of Online Worlds
A Tale in the Desert 5 (eGenesis) is by far the best: a perfected, non-violent world where players cooperatively build ancient Egypt. As well as providing fun, fellowship and beautiful aesthetics, ATITD offers insights into such things as engineering supply chains and the role of ritual in creating social solidarity.
Ian Bogost Co-founder of Persuasive Games and author of 快猫短视频games (MIT Press, 2010)
I choose Heavy Rain (Quantic Dream), not because it was the best game of 2010, but because it tries so earnestly to accomplish a particular aesthetic, that of cinematic narrative, which it carries out without compromise. Though the writing and voice-acting are terrible at times, the game strived so completely for its goal, without concern for the reception or artistic viability of its result, that I can鈥檛 help but respect it as a bold effort.
Tom Bissell Author ofExtra Lives (Pantheon, 2010)
My favourite is the first-person shooter Metro 2033 (4A Games). With its roots in the world of post-Soviet Russian sci-fi, the experience is tremendous: it鈥檚 the most atmospheric and compelling game since BioShock. It takes the grammar of the first-person shooter, where enemies are easily felled, and transports it to a context where weapons don鈥檛 always work, things break and batteries need to be replaced. And it鈥檚 unbelievably scary. A beautiful game that, of course, most video-game reviewers disliked.
Edward Castronova Telecommunications professor at Indiana University, Bloomington
My pick is Sims 3 (Electronic Arts). The emotion engine in the Sims franchise has reached such a level of sophistication that the game feels like a living world. When engines like this enter quest-driven, fantasy games, their attractive power will deepen tremendously. Watch out for Sims Medieval.
Jamie Madigan Psychologist and gamer
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts) epitomises cinematic style, with strong, character-driven narratives and quests. It鈥檚 a testament to its writers that I spent as much time poking around dialogue trees and reading the in-game equivalent to a galactic Wikipedia as I did shooting aliens or tramping down corridors. I also loved how the developers made me feel emotionally invested in the characters and used psychological tricks to make me stress over which irrevocable choices I had to make as the game reached its end.