A 12-Step Framework for Understanding Game Design Principles
By
vrnvu
6mo ago· 29 min readen
100/100
Golden Brown
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A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
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Summary
This article presents a comprehensive 12-step framework for understanding game design, beginning with an examination of 'fun' as mastery of problems rather than superficial enjoyment. The author draws from their book 'Theory of Fun' to establish a foundational approach to game design principles, focusing on practical understanding for aspiring game designers rather than abstract theory.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe fun of a bit of confetti exploding in front of you, and the fun of excruciating pain and risk to life and limb as you free climb a cliff are just not usefully paired together.
In Theory of Fun I basically asserted that the useful bit for game designers was 'mastery of problems.'
Here's a twelve-step program for understanding game design.
There are a lot of things people call 'fun.' But most of them are not useful for getting better at making games, which is usually why people read articles like this.
So, let’s just walk through the whole thing, end to end. Here’s a twelve-step program for understanding game design. One: Fun There are a lot of things people call “fun.” But most of them are not u…
