Many games offer focused, simple experiences. Other games, like CCGs, miniatures games, fighting games, RPGs, mobas and more tend to offer a diverse menu of playstyles. This is one of their strengths, as lots of different players can enjoy the same game together. They can also provide variety for players, offering the option to change […]

Enter the dungeon! How do you suggest flight in a top-down game? How do you teach mechanics without a single instruction? Why are maps, compasses and boomerangs in so many 3D zelda games for no real reason? Let’s dig in.  

The original Legend of Zelda on the NES was one of the first open world games. I played it for the first time last year, and it shockingly still holds up very well. So I made a video analyzing the design of the opening section and the core combat/movement mechanics. There’s a LOT of surprising […]

There’s a tendency I’ve noticed in myself and other designers to try to fix everything in a game by focusing on the core mechanics, the basic rules of the game. When I was working on the Kayn Somos expansion for Star Wars: Imperial Assault, my first instinct in designing my mission was to look for […]

It’s time for the epic conclusion with the final boss! We explore how the designers gave this fight depth and a process of evolving discovery, as well as creating a sense of paranoia with a few simple mechanics. A fitting climax to an extraordinary game. Why couldn’t the other bosses be this good?  

Games are processes. Designing processes interests me. Designing a security screening process for airports is similar to designing a game. It just has different design goals. Looking at complaints against America’s TSA security process reveals some design lessons. First off, a lot of people think the process is stupid. It’s inconvenient and repeatedly misses things. […]

Our fans have told us that they love our critique-a-card segment when we analyze the design of a single fan-made MTG card. Well how about a whole fan-made booster pack from a fan-made set?  How’s that for a holiday gift! You can find the whole wonderful episode here.

One of the hardest phrases for a lot of people, myself included, to say is “I was wrong”. Closely followed by, “I didn’t know that” or, “I don’t know”. I’ve often found myself making excuses or not wanting to admit a mistake, or even feeling a completely irrational sense of resentment when someone ends up […]

Mixed Martial Arts is a shuffle-building head to head fighting game. It’s a love letter to one of my favorite games growing up, Star Wars – Epic Duels. The rules can be taught in under 5 minutes (I usually teach them in less than 2) and games are lightning fast. There’s also a wealth of […]

We reach the final boss. On the way we execute the famous holy water run and dig into the wicked design of the final level. Explore how the designers added extensive gameplay by just shifting a few pixels on the screen. These guys are good.