Malindy Hetfeld

Aug 28, 2024 | malindy.medium.com | Malindy Hetfeld

If you’ve read my previous post on GDC, you may have noticed I never wrote a part 2 on my personal feelings regarding the event. Honestly, I needed to figure out whether my feelings on the event were at all within the normal range of experience — anxiety can make that difficult to tell. When I did arrive at a conclusion, I didn’t think it would serve anyone to post it. However, I am now in my post-gamescom phase, an event that felt similar to GDC.

Aug 15, 2024 | theguardian.com | Malindy Hetfeld

The story begins on the road, miles out from a state border in an alternative US. The stakes are clear, even when nothing else is: Pax, the player character, is a Black woman in her 30s, who has just completed a heist with her friends. The border means freedom. The police car telling you to pull over means trouble. Pax and co are Anomals, people who wield manipulative vocal abilities called vox. Pax can bend people to her will by making them feel bad, using abilities named “trigger” or “cancel”.

Jun 18, 2024 | theguardian.com | Malindy Hetfeld

The premise here is a genre classic: one day, workers on the oil rig Beira D hit something with their drill they shouldn’t have, and soon, a nameless horror descends on the ship and picks off the crew one by one. When it happens, Glaswegian electrician Cameron “Caz” McCleary is already on his way off the rig, fired from the remote job he fled to in order to dodge the police after a serious scrap at a bar. It’s his work boots we step into as he desperately searches for an escape.

Apr 29, 2024 | gamesindustry.biz | Malindy Hetfeld

Last year's Alan Wake 2 released to critical acclaim, winning awards such as the game Award for best narrative at the 2023 Game Awards, and this year's BAFTA Game Award for Artistic Achievement. At GDC 2024, principal narrative designer Molly Maloney and associate game director Simon Wasselin talked about a few narrative design elements that help make the game such a cohesive experience, focusing on gameplay actions players can often take whether they're controlling Alan and Saga.

Apr 2, 2024 | malindy.medium.com | Malindy Hetfeld

As I previously threatened, this is part one of a two-part blog post about my time at GDC 2024. While both are ultimately meant for me to get my thoughts in order, this first part is designed to help those of you who haven’t been to GDC and who are considering it or just wondering about it.