Game devs talk design methods, system mechanics in design summit
Game Developer
MARCH 13, 2023
For anyone with an interest in game design, Polaris' developer summit has different articles covering various aspects of design development.
How To Know When to Pivot on Your Board Game Design
Brand Game Development
JUNE 29, 2020
A couple of months ago, I asked the readers of this blog to send in answers to the question “ what confuses you most about board game development ?” ” I got a lot of responses, and two of them were about knowing when to pivot during a game design project. Need help on your board game?
Game Design 
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Theme vs. Mechanics
Brand Game Development
NOVEMBER 28, 2016
“Theme-first or mechanics-first” might be the most asked “big question” in the board game community. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. Theme and mechanics are inseparable parts of board games as a whole.
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6 Reasons Escape Rooms Will Make You a Better Board Game Designer
Brand Game Development
NOVEMBER 25, 2019
Escape Rooms will make you a better board game designer. This is partly because Escape Rooms are everything that board games aspire to be – complex problem-solving games that appeal to a wide audience and provide a remarkable physical experience. Board games often run the risk of having themes that feel pasted-on.
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4 Lessons from Quacks of Quedlinburg for Aspiring Board Game Designers
Brand Game Development
JANUARY 27, 2020
Aspiring board game designers should take note of how the name and the theme tear down barriers that would otherwise keep would-be-gamers out of gaming. Not everybody is into this kind of mechanic and many find it to be unsatisfying. Mitigate push-your-luck with a good catch-up mechanic. Final Thoughts.
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Board Game Designer vs. Developer vs. Publisher
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 17, 2018
The simple fact is that there are a lot of distinct tasks that have to be handled to turn a game from an idea into reality. This is why I urge each new board game designer to share the workload , delegating tasks to a team instead of doing them all alone. Need help on your board game? Designers make the game’s soul.
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5 Lessons from Catan for Aspiring Board Game Designers
Brand Game Development
JANUARY 7, 2019
The least intuitive mechanic is probably the robber who steals resource cards from other players when you roll a 7, and to be honest, you remember it when the number is rolled simply because 7 does not appear anywhere on the board. Resist simple zero-sum mechanics to create a more interesting game. The point is: cut the fluff.
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4 Lessons from Everdell for Aspiring Board Game Designers
Brand Game Development
OCTOBER 28, 2019
There is a reason this mechanic is present in many BGG Top 100 Games such as Viticulture , Caverna , A Feast for Odin , and Agricola. Sometime around 2018, I did a major poll asking people what their favorite themes and mechanics were. 3-D components are a gimmick, but they helped the game draw attention.
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10 Elements of Good Game Design
Brand Game Development
FEBRUARY 17, 2020
If you can use an algorithm to solve your game like a Rubik’s cube, you need more surprise. one place I’ve encouraged surprise is the facedown card mechanic. Tasty Humans is about monsters fighting humans instead of the other way around, which gets a sick laugh out of everybody who sees the game. In War Co. ,
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4 Lessons from Sagrada for Aspiring Board Game Designers
Brand Game Development
JANUARY 28, 2019
Chance elements are valuable in game design because they keep games from being “solved” in the same way that chess – a perfect information, zero luck game – ultimately was. Take note, aspiring game designers! This is arguably one of the worst feelings that a game can give you.
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7 Lessons from Monopoly for Aspiring Board Game Designers
Brand Game Development
MARCH 9, 2020
.” Besides, when we – as gamers and game developers – put aside our frustration for a moment, we can actually see Monopoly for what it is: a solid concept with bad execution. There are a lot of questionable game design decisions that, if corrected, could have made for a fantastic game.
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Dev Diary: 03/31/17
Brand Game Development
MARCH 31, 2017
Also, the game doesn’t have a defined win condition yet. Some game designers – and I count myself among them – consider to be win conditions pretty important to games. I’ve pushed a rough version of the game out to Tabletop Simulator for my use only.
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4 Lessons from Spirit Island for Aspiring Board Game Designers
Brand Game Development
JANUARY 13, 2020
The default mode for most board games competitive. Sure, cooperative play is not exactly some exotic unseen mechanic too. You have Pandemic , the Forbidden games, Mysterium , Elder Sign , and many other great games. Lastly, the variable player powers are balanced in such a way that the game stays fresh for a long time!
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“Game critics” often talk about putting critical plot points in DLC, and then when they describe the story in said DLC it’s clear that the original game’s story works perfectly fine without them. But that makes me wonder where the story in the DLCs came from. Is it usually a cut-for-time-or-budget thing, like other early DLC? Ideas that came later (and if so, how much does player feedback affect things)? Ideas that the devs wanted to work in, but that would just clutter the original narrative?
Ask a Game Dev
DECEMBER 27, 2023
for example, if there’s some sort of new unifying game mechanic in the DLC or expansion (think artifact weapons in WoW Legion), we may need to build content around that new mechanic and old stuff might take too much effort to repurpose.
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Out Now • Solo dev Pat Naoum of the handpainted The Master’s Pupil: “Creativity is a tool”
PreMortem.Games
AUGUST 9, 2023
Is this mechanic fun? As I mentioned, this being my first game, I was learning not only how to game develop but also the language of game design. I feel now I’m a better game designer, because I had the time and space to work on it solo.” Pat Naoum: “Game development takes so long!”
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Solo dev Pat Naoum of the handpainted The Master’s Pupil: “Creativity is a tool”
PreMortem.Games
FEBRUARY 13, 2023
Is this mechanic fun? As I mentioned, this being my first game, I was learning not only how to game develop but also the language of game design. Pat Naoum: “Game development takes so long!” Game development takes so long! It’s interesting that so many devs say that.
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Do you have any tips on making enemy factions feel different to fight against, without spending too much designer and programmer time making full sets of different abilities for each faction? For context, I’m working on a cyberpunk brawler with 3 major enemy factions (corp, gang, cop).
Ask a Game Dev
MARCH 5, 2024
Starcraft, for example, had all Zerg units regenerate, all Protoss have a combination of shields and health, and Terrans have a mix of organic (healable) units and mechanical (repairable) units. To do this, think about what makes a Corp and try to capture that in gameplay mechanics. Your faction abilities should be similar.
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Describe “depth” in a video game. In a general sense. What have you come to learn makes a video feel deep mechanically?
Ask a Game Dev
OCTOBER 25, 2023
Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr Frequent Questions: The FAQ Join us on Discord ] and/or [ Support us on Patreon ] Got a burning question you want answered?
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How to Make Board Game Rules
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? 14 Rules for Board Game Rules. Playtest a Ton.
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How Many Blind Play-Tests Does Your Board Game *Really* Need?
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 22, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. I even blind play-tested it at a game design convention. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. Click here.
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Why do so many FPS games now have “inspect” animations for the guns? It seems like a lot of animation effort into a pretty niche feature that does not directly impact the gameplay.
Ask a Game Dev
FEBRUARY 28, 2023
ALT Being able to look at the details of the various different weapons in the game also make the world feel more real and lived-in. For the second major reason, I should point out that one important principle of game design is that acknowledging the choices a player makes within the game helps make those choices feel more real to the player.
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The importance of a game design document & how to create one – part 1
The Knights of Unity
FEBRUARY 5, 2021
In the first one, we will list the most important reasons why you should create at least an outline of the fundamental features and mechanics you want to have your game. Another reason why you should take your time to create a game design document for your internal project is the fact that you will probably work on it within a team.
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Experiencing A Story
DameDev.tv
NOVEMBER 14, 2022
In this Livecast they talk about the story in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Cloudpunk amongst other topics related to storytelling in video games. Rick has more than 14 years experience in the game dev industry, working on IP's that include Mario, Transformers, Captain America and Mortal Kombat.
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Cult Of The Lamb With Yasmin Curren
DameDev.tv
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
Industry veterans Rick Davidson & Tim Ruswick* are joined by Yasmin Curren, to play Cult Of The Lamb and discuss the gameplay mechanics and features of the game and what it means to be a technical designer. She’s an enthusiastic storyteller, game designer and content creator.
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How to Choose Your Board Game’s Theme
Brand Game Development
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017
Board games can be about all sorts of things. Games, at their core, might just be a series of mechanics and rules, but themes keep us from feeling like we’re playing out the logical conclusion of mathematical functions. Need help on your board game? What you’re going for is Theme-Mechanic Unity.
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Design Principles: Crafting Interesting Choices, part 2
Ask a Game Dev
NOVEMBER 3, 2023
However, I don’t want to leave things too abstract - game design is about taking an idea and translating it into real game rules and mechanics. Today, I’ll go into some more specific implementation principles that designers can use while crafting their choices in order to get the player thinking.
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Why Gamification Makes Everything Else More Fun
Brand Game Development
JUNE 3, 2019
For that reason, I’ve brought in Sean Fallon, Founder & CEO of Smunchy Games and User Experience (UX) Designer extraordinaire. By looking at game design from this new angle, we hope to help you understand why board games are so playable and what that means for other aspects of our lives. What’s the point?
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Art for Art’s Sake…Sometimes It’s Not Just Business
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.
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5 Lessons I Learned at a Play-Testing Convention (Protospiel Atlanta)
Brand Game Development
OCTOBER 27, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. Last Saturday and Sunday, I attended my first board gaming convention – Protospiel in Atlanta. Prototypes ranged from paper-and-pencil to full-on Game Crafter $100+ sets. Click here.
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6 Ways to Find Play-Testers for Your New Board Game
Brand Game Development
APRIL 27, 2020
Play-testing is the most important part of board game design. It’s how you turn rough, raw ideas into polished, ready-to-play games. Two groups that come to mind are the Tabletop Game Playtesters Guild and Card & Board Game Designers Guild. Visit your local game store. Final Thoughts.
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What Game Should I Make First?
DameDev.tv
DECEMBER 5, 2022
Laurie (Avocado Fire) joins Rick Davidson & Tim Ruswick* to talk about ideas and how to start your first game without following a tutorial and starting from scratch, along with other helpful tips. He's done it all, from Game Designer, Producer, Creative Director and Executive Producer to GameDev.tv's
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Actually talk to the (author-led AI) murder suspect in Dead Meat by Meaning Machine
PreMortem.Games
JANUARY 19, 2024
And so, we quickly realised the potential to form a bit of a ‘Super Group’ by bringing Game Design and AI Tech together. Press B to express Doubt’, for example, is a classic case of mismatch between gameplay scenario and mechanical input. The joy of the game is that the suspect rolls with whatever the player throws at them.
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5-Minute Dungeon: How to Make a Table Rowdy (And Why That’s a GREAT Thing)
Brand Game Development
MAY 8, 2017
Of course, for game developers, adding a timer is often not an appropriate way to drive engagement. There are other great mechanics you can use. Engagement Driver 3: Good Housekeeping through Mechanics. The game is being constantly timed and players don’t have the opportunity to slip out of flow. You can feel it.
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Monopoly: The Game That Board Gamers Love to Hate
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 30, 2016
Every board game breakdown I’ve done so far: Patchwork , Pandemic , Twilight Struggle , and Carcassonne has been a labor of love. By emphasizing the effects of well-implemented mechanics in thoughtfully crafted games, I’ve helped game designers learn how to create games by using examples of success.
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Year 9 of the Cogmind
Grid Sage Games
DECEMBER 3, 2022
First here’s our yearly dev collage showing off in visual form some of the progress and work since our last review, version 2022! This year’s major release was of course Beta 11 “Mechanical Renaissance,” in the works for 17 (!) months, and a massive set of new toys, challenges , revamped mechanics , and more.
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How to Work in a Team in the Board Game Industry
Brand Game Development
OCTOBER 23, 2017
I’ve split it into five sections for your convenience: How Ben, Sarah, and Will Got Started How Working in a Team Feels The Downsides of Teamwork Communication in a Team Advice for New Game Devs. Sarah: It was summer of 2012 that Will had the idea to make a board game for my birthday, but didn’t know how to go about it.
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Why Board Game Publishers Like Some Games and Don’t Like Others
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 3, 2018
Yet the process, so heavy on rejection, has left many game designers heartbroken. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. Board game publishers have to sort good from bad. There are mechanics in there that nobody’s ever seen!”
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Mordhau on consoles: “A lot of smoke and mirrors go into making things hit”
PreMortem.Games
JULY 17, 2023
This is a completely different beast from a shooter.” “ Mordhau at its core has always been about melee combat”, says Jonathan Dunn, Game Designer at Triternion. Plans for a new IP Mordhau has a really dedicated player base, and the dev team at Triternion wants to be there for them. “We
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How to Design the Mechanics of Your Board Game
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? Game mechanics are how we bring the core engine of a game to life.
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6 Underrated Skills That Make You a Better Game Developer
Brand Game Development
APRIL 14, 2017
Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. The Dev Diary is about more than simple updates – it’s about sharing what I’ve learned through my personal experiences with you. Goal for Guiding Light 2) Create an inner circle of devs. Key Takeaways for Game Devs.
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How to Learn Complex Material Quickly
Brand Game Development
MAY 12, 2017
Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. Instead of focusing directly on game development, I’ve focused on learning as much as I can about board games. Want to learn game development? Key Takeaways for Game Devs.
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Double Fine PsychOdyssey recaps / viewing guide, episodes 01-17
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.
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Top 10 Board Games for Christmas 2019 (and Why They’re Popular)
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 2, 2019
It’s got all the elements of the original that gamers liked – the economic strategy and dynamic scoring – plus some new mechanics carefully chosen by the original creator to make the game even better. I’ve written at length about Everdell before and why it’s a good game. Enter Brass: Birmingham.
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How to Diagnose Failure & Move Forward as a Board Game Developer
Brand Game Development
MAY 14, 2018
If the audience shows passion and interest, continue to game design. Game Design: The process of taking a game’s specifications and turning them into a functional game with mechanics, rules, and components. Play-Testing: Playing the game and refining it until it’s fun.
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