Played with Fire

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

The challenge for VR game developers lies in designing mechanics that are both challenging and appealing to advanced players. In this article, we will explore the key elements to consider when designing VR games for experienced players.

Mechanics 72

Mechanics Technology Games Entertainment 72

iXie gaming

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Getting started with your first NFT game development venture can be interesting. But is the NFT game development market worth entering? The global play-to-earn (P2E) NFT games market is predicted to reach $3.6 So, yes – NFT game development is worth it. But what are NFT games? billion by 2028.

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Game Developer Game Development Development Asset 52

iXie gaming

MAY 24, 2023

With the rise of smartphones and mobile gaming, hyper-casual games have exploded in popularity due to their accessibility and addictiveness. However, developing hyper-casual games comes with its own set of challenges, including keeping up with trends and staying ahead of the competition.

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Game Developer Game Development Development Cross platform 52

Brand Game Development

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

This week while working on my current board game design, a lot of things have come into focus. Now it’s time to start tweaking board game rules. This is where board game design often becomes very tricky. Need help on your board game? Making Balanced & Clear Rules. Rules vs. Rulebooks.

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Balance Games Communications Mechanics 130

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 22, 2024

“So, a turn-based-tactics game based around sabotage and assassination operations felt like something fresh to us”, says Senior Game Designer Lee Brimmicombe-Wood. We wanted a past that was a little more colourful than that and balanced the visuals accordingly”, explains Brimmicombe-Wood.

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Games Concepts Film Balance 127

iXie gaming

FEBRUARY 11, 2024

It is no secret that game development is a complicated process. Developers often need to make continuous adjustments to align the product in development with its initial vision. These adjustments touch upon various facets such as gameplay, user interface, and overall game design.

Mechanics 52

Mechanics Games Indy Platformer 52

Logic Simplified

OCTOBER 31, 2023

When creating a game, game app developers analyze player behavior to improve their interactive scenarios, by identifying what works and what doesn't for the players in a game. This is done to refine the game design and create a more enjoyable experience for their audience. It helps us - 1.

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iXie gaming

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

It involves simulating player actions, such as button presses, mouse movements, and keyboard inputs, to evaluate different aspects of game performance, functionality, and compatibility. Game automation tools can also collect data, generate reports, and identify bugs or issues that need to be addressed by game developers.

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Balance Bug Scripting Games 52

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 22, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. After all, I’m checking to make sure there are no serious balance issues that come out of repeated plays. I’ve already play-tested this game a ton. Need help on your board game?

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Dev Point and Click Games Mechanics 130

Keith Burgun

JANUARY 4, 2023

For month after month, I tried fixing them with different supporting mechanisms, different ways that cards were obtained, different ways damage was dealt, and a lot more, but nothing really fixed the fundamental problem. Let me quickly explain how the game worked in broad strokes, and then I can explain the main problem.

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Mechanics Game Design Game Designer Playtesting 52

Brand Game Development

MAY 12, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. Over the course of the last week, I’ve taken a bit of a left turn in the development of Highways & Byways. Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators.

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Dev Balance Game Developer Game Development 130

Grid Sage Games

DECEMBER 3, 2022

Selection of images from the past year of Cogmind-related development as posted on this blog, forums, and social media (larger size here ). Development Time. So development has been progressing at a more constant pace rather than the sometimes stop-and-go of before. Cogmind Beta 11 release art, by Zyalin.

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iXie gaming

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Generative AI is one of the technologies with the potential to revolutionize how developers create games. While it is in its early stages, gaming executives believe that generative AI will contribute to over half of the game development process in the next 5 to 10 years. How will it transform the gaming landscape?

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AI Content Data Games 52

iXie gaming

MAY 24, 2023

As AI continues to advance, the future of art and AI in game development holds tremendous promise. In this article, we’ll explore the evolving relationship between art production and AI, discussing their potential impact on the gaming industry. Game testing , thankfully, can now be automated with the help of AI.

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AI Art Simulation Games 52

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

Board game development is a very individual process. Every single developer has different methods for creating their games. This article is the third of a 19-part suite on board game design and development. Need help on your board game? What are game mechanics?

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Games Game Design Game Designer 130

Brand Game Development

JULY 14, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. I talk a lot about the business side of board game creation. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators.

Art 130

Art Dev Mechanics Game Developer 130

Game Analytics

DECEMBER 5, 2022

One of the reasons why hyper-casual games are so popular is due to how quick and easy they are to make. Simple controls, artwork, and game design make it easy for any developer to pick up. There are other ways to build a game on a budget. Because choice is how you can differentiate a book from a game.

Horror 109

Horror Games Mobile Mobile 109

Game Dev Unchained

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

The world of gaming is always on the brink of something new, something vast, something that promises to change how we play and interact in virtual spaces. I sat down with John Krajewski , the man behind the unique and forward-thinking game, Eco. One crucial area where games are making waves is in the field of education.

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Indy AAA Platformer Educational 105

iXie gaming

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

PlayStation game testers provide detailed feedback on the gameplay, controls, game balance, and user interface, helping improve the final product. Therefore, you must familiarize yourself with the game design documents and understand the intended gameplay mechanics.

Quality Assurance 52

Quality Assurance Games Console Communications 52

Brand Game Development

OCTOBER 23, 2017

I’ve talked about the benefits and challenges of working alone in the board game industry. Yet I’m a bit of an odd beast in the board game development world since most people prefer to work in teams. Need help on your board game? We started designing games together. Will is the lead designer.

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Prototyping Playtesting Games Game Design 130

Grid Sage Games

MAY 8, 2022

Recently a player asked me a question regarding my game balance philosophy, and while I can often respond to queries by pointing to some previous article, despite all my writing and no doubt occasionally touching on related topics, I had yet to explicitly do any sort of summary of the philosophy behind my gamedev work. Difficulty.

Game Design 52

Game Design Game Designer Balance Games 52

Radiator Blog

MARCH 16, 2023

Last month, game industry documentary makers 2 Player Productions debuted a massive 32-part YouTube game dev doc series Double Fine PsychOdyssey , chronicling the development of Psychonauts 2 from its earliest glimmers of pre-production in 2015 to its final release in 2021.

Art 59

Art Concepts Dev Studios 59

Game Designing

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Lesson 7: Randomness Summary In this lesson, we explore the role of randomness in games, distinguishing between input and output randomness. 03:57) But if we are supposed to make a hit when we take a shot in a game and it says 87% and we miss, that’s frustrating. So you may have heard of some of these games.

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Sprite Mechanics Game Design Game Designer 52

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 13, 2021

Our 2021 predictions have been sponsored by Facebook Gaming. Facebook Gaming helps developers and publishers to build, grow, and monetize their games. Special thanks for the Hybridcasual design insights to Abhimanyu Kumar , founder of Naavik consulting. They’ve paved the way in many ways. Nothing new really.

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Mechanics Puzzle Advertising Studios 52

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

Board game development is a very individual process. Every single developer has different methods for creating their games. This article is the fourth of a 19-part suite on board game design and development. Need help on your board game? When do you focus on one mechanic?

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Games Balance Development 130

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 29, 2024

Events with different mechanics sometimes complement each other, but at other times they divert players' attention, resulting in reduced activity and monetization. Everyone knows about them, but not all developers pay real attention to them. Many game designers will instantly say: "How can we show the player the same thing?

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Mechanics Content Puzzle Mobile Gaming 98

Grid Sage Games

MARCH 10, 2022

A decade of development into a huge project is almost unavoidably going to accumulate some amount of cruft. I must say this has been an exciting time, having the opportunity to revisit everything to iron out as many kinks as possible, in many places adding new build possibilities or even whole new mechanics. Alien Artifacts.

Balance 52

Balance Mechanics Beta Prototyping 52

Deconstructor of Fun

OCTOBER 10, 2021

I should have predicted a $10 billion-a-year game if I wanted to sound like a true visionary. In my heart, I am a game designer. I spend most of my waking hours thinking about game mechanics and how they will make players feel. I know a thing or two about power creep in game economy.

Asset 52

Asset Games Fighting Mobile 52

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 11, 2017

Board game development is a very individual process. Every single developer has different methods for creating their games. This article is the sixth of a 19-part suite on board game design and development. Need help on your board game? Short-term mechanic testing. Private testing.

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Concepts Writing Games 130

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 10, 2021

Our 2021 predictions have been sponsored by Facebook Gaming. Facebook Gaming helps developers and publishers to build, grow and monetize their games. Supercell is a great game developer who has proven mastery of strategy and multiplayer genres. As is the whole Istanbul gaming ecosystem.

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Puzzle Mobile Mobile Advertising 52

Brand Game Development

MARCH 13, 2017

Not only does he help gamers make healthier choices, but he’s a fledgling designer himself! Today he shares with us a game he really enjoys: Colony. Burt: I’ve fallen in love with Colony by Bezier Games, designed by Ted Alspach, Toryo Hojo, and N2 (the pen name for Yoshihisa Nakatsu). Need help on your board game?

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Games Advertising Balance 130

Deconstructor of Fun

DECEMBER 11, 2020

Proven : The first merge games in the app stores were the immensely popular 2048 and the game design darling Triple Town (also by Neskin). Despite having relatively little in the way of progression or monetization, these games drove large download numbers that indicated the potential for this mechanic.

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Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

I was lucky enough at the beginning of my career to have worked within existing frameworks in great studios: working on a live game with an existing player base, starting a new game as a sequel of another one or taking over an existing team. So I never had to think too hard about where to start. There is still a lot of work to do here.

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Studios Build Puzzle Concepts 52

Deconstructor of Fun

APRIL 25, 2022

In this episode of Gamecamole, we will investigate Cookie Run: Kingdom from the South Korean developer Devsister, a card battling RPG mobile game that became a cultural phenomenon in 2021. The game won over millions of gamers with the adorable Cookie characters and a perfect mashup of RPG and Build & Harvest mechanics.

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Baking Simulation Build Animation 52

Interesting Choices

AUGUST 5, 2011

This is the fifth part of a series about working on Magic: the Gathering during my five years at Wizards of the Coast: Part One (Joining WotC, playing in the FFL, developing Champions of Kamigawa). Part Two (Developing Betrayers of Kamigawa and the Jitte mistake). Early on Aaron suggested a "treasure" mechanic.

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Racing Mechanics Games Development 40

Deconstructor of Fun

JUNE 6, 2022

Passes can generate different player experiences, follow a different balance, and emphasize different components depending on the genre and audience. For most players (including payers) the Pass is primarily retention and an engagement mechanism.

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Content Mechanics Balance Mobile 52

Designer Notes

MARCH 31, 2023

Welcome to My Elephant in the Room: An Old World Design Postmortem. Here are the games that I’ve worked on. Spoiler alert: Civilization 3 and 4 are going to come up a lot in the presentation… I also do a podcast where I interview game designers about why they make games, so check it out if you have time for 4-hour interviews.

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