If you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you may be wondering why on earth I decided to share these stories.
The answer is that there’s a method within my words. A series of tools that when repeatedly applied dramatically increase quality of a game design with each iteration. The terrible truth is that these lessons are so simple, so basic, that they are easily forgotten.
- Design for clarity
- Evoke player care
- Give your player a response
- Make the player’s response satisfying
- Fit it all within the context of your game
These 5 tools are the self-feedback tools you can apply to anything you are personally working on. Don’t move on to the next step until the previous has been satisfied.
Then do it – again and again – until you’ve achieved the quality level necessary to create your game. If you can deeply ingrain into your psyche these five concepts, you can consistently nail basic game design, which opens up a world of opportunities.
Next Year
In 2013, I intend to turn this lens back upon myself and review every major piece of design work I’ve done. Think of it as a post-mortem if you will, full of the lessons I learned in my own life.
Stay tuned for adventure!
-Alex
Love your blog! Absolutely love it.
And it teaches me, which is even better.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
You’re welcome. Please feel free to be critical or ask for clarification and pass it along to others who might find it helpful.
Awesome, because I love seeing updates to this blog! I take a lot from your guides (mostly for general interest, but maybe also to dabble in game design at some point in my life) and I look forward to seeing what you have to say about your pieces of design work!
Happy new year! And thanks for all the blog posts this year, I’ve really enjoyed reading them.
I really enjoyed your blog this year. Can’t wait to your analysis of game decision decisions you were involved with!