Month: October 2008

A version of this article first appeared in the October 2008 issue of Game Developer magazine.

Sid Meier once said that games are a “series of interesting choices”.   I’ve always liked this definition – it speaks well to what is unique about our craft.  For all of the progress that we’ve made in graphics, audio, physics, AI, and storytelling, interactivity remains the defining feature of our genre.  And interactivity, when you think about it, just means ‘your decisions matter’.

In this light, the true job definition of the game designer becomes clear: we are tasked with creating these interesting choices.  So what makes decisions engaging?  Understanding this has the capacity to turn a shallow game experience into a deep and engaging one. Continue reading