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Ben Taels

@bentaels.bsky.social

1.2K followers 2.1K following 2.2K posts

Kiwi, Dad, Human Factors Psychology PhD, & Games User Experience Research. Formerly Epic Games, Player Research, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Te Manatū Waka, & Hamilton Zoo.

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · Jan 3

Some talks that I have given:

Reward in games (without the dopamine neurotrash): youtu.be/xkg9ocYDLr8?...

Human Error and game design: youtu.be/JyuR2fKvQ20?...

What road safety can teach us about reducing toxicity in games: youtu.be/WMYoCuZ3Fa8?...

Throwing Out the Dopamine Shots: Reward Psychology Without the Neurotrash

YouTube video by GDC 2025

youtu.be

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 3m

Spread via social media and other online sources can happen as well, but tends to also be limited in comparison to clear in-game communication/signals

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 3m

If these elements are critically important to the experience you want to provide and/or you would be unhappy if players don't find them then maybe consider not hiding them (or initially hiding them and then telling/showing people clearly in the game about them)

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 3m

Hidden and mysterious events, outcomes, and mechanics in games are fun and enjoyed by players who find them!

If you are adding these to your game have realistic expectations about the relatively low number of players that will find them. You have made them hidden. Be comfortable with this

Some relatively hidden environmental storytelling in Fortnite Battle Royale where some garden gnomes were at war with some stuffed bears.

In this case the gnomes are lined up in a battle line with a cannon and their back to the camera

Facing them is a battle line of various stuffed bears

Running between them is a player character with a huge hammer pickaxe and wearing a Viking themed outfit

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Reposted by Ben Taels

Byron C Clark @byroncclark.bsky.social · 14h

Controversial opinion in some circles I run in, but I don't think switching to Linux on their computer that can't update to Windows 11 is going to be a viable option for most people

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 13h

If I have money left over I invest in hydrotics for it so I can raise and stink when boats go past

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 14h

Build a huge Cthulhu statue at 47°9′S 126°43′W (or at least a floating head)

doctober @docseuss.bsky.social · 1d

lets say a wizard has cursed you with a lot of money. you are going to become permanently brain damaged simply by being in possession of so much money. the only way out of it is to spend a lot of money on something ridiculous and not at all useful

what would you buy to break the curse?

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Reposted by Ben Taels

Dylan Reeve @dylanreeve.com · 14h

Even saying "two executives" appears to be generous. It's 1.32FTE so it's one executive (King) and a part-timer doing about 1.5 days a week.

Watershitdown @watershitdown.bsky.social · 16h

This stinks more than a soggy gumboot , King's execs get 527k which is what some other charities run on per year if they haven't been cut altogether by this cretinus gov..

#nzpol

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Reposted by Ben Taels

Grumpy @grumpyyetamusin.bsky.social · 15h

Our govt love fascism

Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa @sanjanah.bsky.social · 15h

Meanwhile, in New Zealand: Conservative US commentator Candace Owens granted NZ visa after government intervention www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

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Reposted by Ben Taels

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

"why do you keep calling us Nazis?"

Because you're Nazis.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Ben Taels

Sharon Murdoch @domesticanimal.bsky.social · 1d

This week 21,000 teachers are taking part in a staggered strike before a full day national strike happens on October 23.
My Stuff #cartoon today #NZpol #Teachers #children #Unions

Cartoon. Title: “A Word From the Head Honcho” Image shows PM Christopher Luxon standing in front of a photo of striking teachers. He’s saying, “It’s shameful - shameful - the way teachers are playing politics with children” then he says, “That is my job”

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

Watching streamers play or YouTube videos can be useful as well, but be aware they don't usually represent a typical player + they have an entertainment motive

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

Playtest other people's games, particularly competitors!

Watching real players play a competitor game can help you learn its strengths & weaknesses

If you have the resources you can even do a counterbalanced within-subjects test where players play multiple games (including yours) & contrast them

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 1d

In this (and past) wonderful articles @docseuss.bsky.social repeatedly points to Bungie as excelling at clarity in terms of their enemy, environment, and weapon design

To help achieve this result Bungie extensively UX tests their games! They watch real players play and iterate based on the results!

doctober @docseuss.bsky.social · 3d

GUESS WHO'S BACK

BACK AGAIN

DOC'S BACK

TELL A FRIEND

That's right. It's time for part 3 of the FPS series; this time, a lot of assorted thoughts on what makes for good enemy design. This one was fun as hell to write.

docseuss.medium.com/building-a-b...

building a better first person shooter part 3: enemy mine

So! First, we talked about a specific subgenre of first person shooter, loosely starting with Unreal and Half-Life and dying off around…

docseuss.medium.com

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Reposted by Ben Taels

tom bloom (scrungled) @orbitaldropkick.bsky.social · 1d

I got icon into a decent state. Now it’s about rewriting the rest of it and assembling the fucking machinery to get this shit made

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Reposted by Ben Taels

Ben Gracewood @ben.gracewood.nz · 1d

Well, as expected, Seymour talked to precisely no craft beer business. fyi.org.nz/request/3228...

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

When running playtests and UX tests always have a backup plan for what happens if you have participants but the game isn't working as expected. Tech issues happen

Is there another build? The live version of the game? A competitor game? A digital prototype?

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

I think it was because it was a sleeping puppy wrapped in a blanket. Like a "care for me and look after me like a baby" puppy.

Reposted by Ben Taels

Paul Thistoll @pault.bsky.social · 2d

The next time someone says the Atlas Network is just a figment of our left wing paranoid imagination show them this X post:

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

And this certainly starts early

I was in the Warehouse the other day and a barely verbal toddler pointed to a puppy soft toy wrapped in a blanket and indicated that he wanted it

His mother firmly said "no that is for girls" to him

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

I have told him that it isn't true, that he should be friends with girls, and that there aren't things only for boys or girls

But it is clear he is getting pretty strong messages to the opposite from his peers

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

He used to go to school in the USA with a bright pink unicorn lunch bag he picked out and a pink and purple lunch box inside of it

He picked out pink headphones and used them in class everyday

As far as I know nobody ever commented on it or told him he couldn't in the USA

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

There are problems in the USA, but at his age this pressure for boy and girl stuff was not anywhere as strong as it appears to be in NZ schools. At least not in North Carolina where we were

It was there to be clear, not as strong tho. He never felt like he can't do something because it is for girls

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

When discussing moving from the USA to NZ one of the things I put in the negative column is that my kids would likely encounter sexism in school faster

Within a month of moving back to NZ my 6yr old son was already telling me about how he can't play with girls and they things are for girls not boys

RNZ News Feeds @rnzrss.bsky.social · 2d

13 year old girl changes schools due to misogynistic bullying in class

The teen says the behaviour of some of the boys at school was racist, homophobic and sometimes explicitly sexual.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

On the left is Judge Dredd as played by Karl Urban. He is dressed in futuristic gear and is in a city. The image is labelled "Karl Urban"

On the right is Éomer as played by Karl Urban. He is dressed in fantasy armor and has a sword. The image is labelled "Karl Rural"

Ben Taels @bentaels.bsky.social · 2d

Don't overlook the importance of also hearing what the player is heading during UX Tests in order to gain full context of their behaviour

This can mean adding speakers + their headphones if doing room observation

Or making sure audio is piped (along with video) to the observation room

This image shows a purple space marine (noise marine) with a big electric guitar. Behind them are two large demonic looking speakers and on the ground are two imperial guard trying to block their ears

Art by Yaroslav Lotsmanov

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