Breaking Open the Black Box

The Secrets and Stories of Game Design

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Learning From My Past

by

  1. Preface – “Why is Game Design a Black Box?“
  2. Introduction – “Theft vs. Innovation“
  3. My Story – “The Simplest Thing First“
  4. Lessons
    1. Clarity – “Make it Clear”
    2. Care – “Make it Important”
      1. How? – “Tuning“
      2. How? – “Emotion“
    3. Response – “Give Players a Response”
      1. What Types? – “Reactions“
      2. What Types? – “Preparations“
      3. What Types? – “Recovery“
    4. Satisfaction – “Make the Response Satisfying”
      1. Why? – “Reward Good Behaviour“
      2. Why? – “Punish Bad Behaviour“
      3. Why? – “Pacing“
      4. Why? – “Ennui – How Repetition Reduces Satisfaction“
      5. How? – “Alternate Ways to Satisfy”
    5. Fit – “Make it Appropriate for your Game”
      1. When? – “Fit the Theme – Don’t put Aliens in Hamlet“
      2. When? – “Fit the Audience – Don’t Arm Wrestle during Chess“
      3. When? – “Fit the Game – Internal Consistency“
  5. Conclusion – “What was the point?“
  6. About Me
    1. “Who am I?“
    2. “Who were my teachers?“
    3. “How do you become a master?“
(I am updating every Saturday evening. Feel free to comment liberally.)
January 2012
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Comments

  1. This has been a fascinating read into the insights of game development. While I don’t have much feedback to offer at this time, I love your writing style and anxiously await your continued lessons!

    I will admit, I chuckled about Netherspite! Karazhan still is one of my favorite raids, and as I read some of your writing to a guild mate, they said “my favorite fights were Attumen and Shade.” I still remember to this day our tank running through beam assignments on Netherspite–but we never dreamed of skipping the fight! So learning that many raiders skipped the fight weekly came as a surprise to me!

  3. All in all, a great read. Either refreshing a memory or teaching something new and useful. I was unhappy when I couldn’t find you on linkedin to send you a message but I might have to add you in LoL though it wouldn’t be my first choice for trying to contact you professionally.

    Are you Xelnath@riotgames.com ? Do you respond to mail on that account if you have it?

    Also I was curious? If back in beta tom and yourself mentioned that the victory screen wasn’t satisfying is the score room after the answer you came up with?

    Is coding a big part of game design at riot games? Or is it the fact that for someone to be really dedicated to game making, they would be making games or mods before they applied to riot and thus need some sort of background in coding?

  5. Yes. That is I.

    The new victory screen + end of game lobby came out of those discussions and the decisions made by the developers at Riot.

    Game designers can be non-coders, but coders get extra perks, like the ability to explore more extreme designs.

  6. First off, clap on the back for the Thread you responded to over 60 times in the past few days, I’m positive your time will ultimately improve the lives of some of the readers which for a writer/philosopher is the greatest gift of all.

    Also you play Go? I was in Beijing for 2 months last year learning from professionals though I’m not to strong myself. (I’m around 3 kyu if your interested we should play on kgs)

    You can actually see me playing in my icon/picture if you look close lol.

    I did end up adding you in game though I was pretty pessimistic about that approach considering your popularity with the community. I also sent you an e-mail talking to about blind though I’m not sure how fast your inbox must pile up or if it got missed.

    Anyways I believe that your the kind of person that could be a great friend, if your willing to talk to me add me in game at AotW King or e-mail.

    Or respond here since I’ll checking your blog actively.

    Cheers