Week 4 Run: Checkpoints and the Architecture of Mercy

Punishing versus generous save design, tried live — same hazard, two respawn policies, very different feeling

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15 March 2027

Every checkpoint is an argument about how much of a mistake a player should have to repeat. The lecture’s live demo puts the same hazard behind two different policies so the difference stops being theoretical.

Before the session#

Run the demo on the week 4 lecture page a few times under each policy before you arrive. Notice which one you resent less, and try to say why in mechanical terms rather than a mood.

In the session#

Group critique of checkpoint placement in games people brought — not “is it generous,” but “generous with what, exactly”: time, progress, or context.

Afterwards#

The checkpoint-design assessment opens today. This session’s critique is where most students find their brief.