Videogames and the Problem of Predictable Unpredictability (Patreon)

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a great game, but it's an even greater example of a terrible design misconception some games perpetuate. It conflates unpredictability so strongly with cheap ambushes that the ambushing becomes the most predictable thing in the world. Let's talk about world design, the role of enemies in establishing a game's rules, and Resident Evil!