Game Design Zen

Game Design Zen : Episode 007

Joe challenged me, “balanced difficulty is missing the mark.” And then, he pointed to games like Farmville, city simulators, and Cookie Clicker. He had some good points. He is not your average Joe.

• Joe’s Challenge – “Balanced Difficulty is missing the mark” (01:30)
  • Joe’s Ted Talk
• Flow Revisited (03:15)
• Not Just Flow (09:00)
  • Happiness – Accomplishment (09:40)
  • Martin Seligman - Flourish
  • Winning Can Be Boring (11:20)
• Raph Koster – A Theory of Fun (12:00)
• Habits (15:30)
  • Charles Duhigg – Power of Habits
• Ziegarnik Effect (18:25)
• Zen Moment (26:35)

Accomplishment!

Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Game Design Zen : Episode 006

My wife dropped the gauntlet – “6 episodes by Christmas!” This episode explore the gauntlet that leads to building your first game, with some inspiration, practical advice, and real life stories.

• My Wife Threw the Gauntlet (02:10)
• How To Build Your First Game? (04:45)
• The Gauntlet (05:15)
  • 12 Week Challenge
  • Don’t Tell
• One Mechanic (09:50)
  • Moment To Moment
• Technology (15:56)
• Juice (16:55)
  • Marin Jonannson & Petri Purho – Juice It Or Lose It
  • Audio – BFXR.net
• Zen Moment (23:25)
  • Shia’s – Just Do It
  • Audio shared with Creative Common’s Attribution License – source - https://vimeo.com/125095515

Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Game Design Zen : Episode 005

What should I talk about? When I asked my friend, there was no hesitation – “Squares, Circles, and Triangles.” I asked, “Really?” And he answered, “It was my favorite! You said it would change the way I saw the world, and it did.”

• Definitely – Squares, Circles, and Triangles (01:50)
• Interest Curve (03:08)
  • First Idea - 8, 8, 8, … (05:18)
  • Second Idea – 1, 2, 3, … 9, 10 (06:15)
  • Initial Spike (07:10)
  • God of War 3 – Kratos vs Poseidon (09:20)
• Convexity (10:35)
  • Quests in World of Warcraft
• Squares, Circles, and Triangles (14:36)
  • Chris Solarski – Aesthetics of Game Art and Game Design
  • Circle (16:18)
  • Square (17:15)
  • Triangle (17:45)
  • See It In The Music (20:05)
• Zen Spot – J J Abrams – Mystery Box (25:50)

Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.

The interest curve – initial spike, rising spikes, and a climax (ending immediately afterwards)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Game Design Zen : Episode 004

What is our most important skill? Though we need creativity, logic, and business, the path to excellence is the rocket surgery of Story, Yes And, and Charisma. This episode tackles practical ways to communicate better.

• Building Games is the new Rocket Surgery (00:45)
• Dunning Kruger – Unskilled and Unaware (03:25)
• Listening & Jesse Schell (04:40)
  • Tell Me (05:30)
• Yes And (08:00)
• Story (18:30)
  1. Question/Challenge
  2. Emotional Struggle
  3. Galvanizing Conclusion (preferably with a twist)
• Charisma (25:40)
  • Nod Less (and slower)
  • Pause
  • Down Notes

Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed