This guy would make a good psychologist
I don't like being responsible for ruined careers, so I don't usually link to flash games. But the more I play this one, the more extraordinary it seems:
Tontie
(warning: extremely hard without a numeric keypad)
It's a whack-a-mole game from the inventor of Grow (also Grow Cube, Grow RPG, Grow Nano...). The game itself isn't amazing, though it is fun. But it involves an impressive psychological complexity. It doesn't just get faster or harder; it systematically trains you in a reflex, then comes up with a twist that makes you monitor that reflex, sometimes go with it, and sometimes catch it. Similarly, you learn a set of heuristics (e.g., whack things soon as they appear), which are then subverted (now you need to whack it as soon as it appears only if it's a monster), and then subverted again (some monsters can't be whacked until you get a signal). It's also a neat example of nonverbal communication. The rules are explained with a series of clear, entertaining pictograms, or easily inferred from in-game feedback. Despite all the twists it throws in, it's quite simple and visceral.
I admire things that are done really well, almost no matter what they are. And on top of that, Tontie is really fun!
Tontie
(warning: extremely hard without a numeric keypad)
It's a whack-a-mole game from the inventor of Grow (also Grow Cube, Grow RPG, Grow Nano...). The game itself isn't amazing, though it is fun. But it involves an impressive psychological complexity. It doesn't just get faster or harder; it systematically trains you in a reflex, then comes up with a twist that makes you monitor that reflex, sometimes go with it, and sometimes catch it. Similarly, you learn a set of heuristics (e.g., whack things soon as they appear), which are then subverted (now you need to whack it as soon as it appears only if it's a monster), and then subverted again (some monsters can't be whacked until you get a signal). It's also a neat example of nonverbal communication. The rules are explained with a series of clear, entertaining pictograms, or easily inferred from in-game feedback. Despite all the twists it throws in, it's quite simple and visceral.
I admire things that are done really well, almost no matter what they are. And on top of that, Tontie is really fun!