🕹️ I found a manifesto about small games and I love it.
- As I get older, I crave smaller and tighter experiences when it comes to the games I want to play.
🕹️ I found a manifesto about small games and I love it.
🕹️ I just found out that Rock Paper Shotgun wrote a review of one of my games (Marshmallow Nights).
This is the first review I’ve ever gotten from a website!
It was probably not the best idea. I have a newborn, and I’m helping the studio I work at launch its first game in the next couple of months… so time isn’t something I have a lot of.
Anyways: I decided to make a card game for the Godot Wild Jam. The theme is “Train”
The Concept: You’re a personal trainer for trains.
Next up: I gotta work on the functionality for allowing the player to play cards.
Why it matters: Gameplay becomes stronger when you talk about it the same way players talk about it.
Pro tip: “If You” is one of the best ways to start a gameplay concept:
This method serves as a way to check how intuitive the concept is. If it’s confusing as a sentence, it will be confusing as gameplay.
Yes, but: Add a “but” at the end of the statement to introduce a twist to the concept. The Dark Souls example becomes, “If you rest at a bonfire, then it unlocks a checkpoint… But, it also respawns all the enemies in the area.”
Bottom line: Good game design starts with clear and easy-to-understand concepts.
I started working on a roguelike for the Playdate 🕹️
I like that there are no rate limits on the indie web 😊
🕹️ Game Design Tip: “If the player doesn’t see it, it may not exist.”
Why it matters: If you have something in your game that the player can’t perceive, those areas may not benefit your design.
Learn more: Ep. #236 of the Game Design Round Table with designer Tanya X. Short of Kitfox Games
✨ My first Father’s Day gift.
“Air Jordan 1 Retro OG Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse”
I wrote about this the other day, but Zach Gage put it more succinctly.
Why it matters: In game design, not pushing a button can be just as important as pushing a button. Choosing not to do something should have gameplay consequences.
For example: Say you have a treasure chest in your game that the player can destroy to earn a reward; what are some ways to reward them for not destroying it?
Maybe they could:
The bottom line: You can increase the depth of a single interaction if you consider how the player can benefit from not doing the interaction. 🕹️
🕹️ Player verbs are gameplay.
Why it matters: “But what does the player get to do?”
This is the question I have to ask after most game announcements and trailers.
The bottom line: Cinematic trailers are not gameplay. Backstory and lore are not gameplay. Beautiful graphics are not gameplay.
The player sees a sign, they provide input, and then receive feedback. Repeat. This loop is the heart of how games create a dialogue with the player.
Why it matters: Sending clear messages and feedback about the state of the game allows the player to react and make informed choices. This is a critical element to making a game more enjoyable.
The bigger picture: Creating gameplay that provides clear signs and feedback is more than just crafting a more fun experience. It’s about making a more accessible experience so that more people can enjoy games.
Deeper dive: If you’re interested in this area of game design, check out GDKey’s excellent article (5 minute read).
Game Idea: An action-shooter where your bullets become more powerful the less ammo you have. 🕹️
I can finally talk about what I’ve been working on for the last few years! Life By You is an open-world life simulation game coming to Early Access in September 2023. 🕹️
Design the game, not the player. Let the player’s choices and actions shape their own experience.
I wish more live service games would embrace this philosophy. 🕹️
Great article from design legend, Warren Spector.
TL;DR: In game dev, success comes from delivering something new and fresh. Copying others won’t cut it. Therefore, mash-up genres and give players the freedom to create their own unique experiences. That’s how you stand out. 🕹️
It’s been a relaxing break, but it’s rained quite a bit. So, we decided to go through the Sinister Six campaign. Just got to the final villain.
Got to check out a penny arcade museum at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco yesterday and it was pretty awesome. However, I did see a bunch of games I used to play as a kid in the museum. So, now I feel old. 🕹️
Not knowing what “done” looks like is the equivalent to running a marathon without a finish line.
🕹️ I’m calling it now: the GOTY will be an action-adventure game, because, if we’re honest, that’s pretty much who wins every year. #TheGameAwards
Sunday morning walk after a rainy day.