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Game design is simple

raphkoster.com

1–10 of 186 posts

Re: Game design is simple

#2
Nothing asserted here is simple. And after reading all that it's still hard to design and build a game that will cut through the noise of all the other games coming out on Steam.

It's not a matter of "simple vs. easy". If you have to write many words to list your ideas and you state each idea is deep and connected to all the other ideas, the thing you are talking about is not simple.

Re: Game design is simple

#5
post #2

Nothing asserted here is simple. And after reading all that it's still hard to design and build a game that will cut through the noise of all the other games coming out on Steam. It's not a matter of "simple vs. easy". If you have to write many words to list your ideas and you state each idea is deep and connected to all the other ideas, the thing you are talking about is not simple.

This is an extremely interesting article about game design and it's a bit silly to fixate on the title.

Re: Game design is simple

#6
post #2

Nothing asserted here is simple. And after reading all that it's still hard to design and build a game that will cut through the noise of all the other games coming out on Steam. It's not a matter of "simple vs. easy". If you have to write many words to list your ideas and you state each idea is deep and connected to all the other ideas, the thing you are talking about is not simple.

I think it's tongue-in-cheek.

Re: Game design is simple

#8

This feels like a classic example of the concept that simple ≠ easy

In that sense most things are simple. Though it's also simple to over simplify. Since often simplicity arises out of the accumulation of expert analysis rather than being obvious from the get go. Which I think is just as important as what you say:

  Simple != easy
  Simple != obvious
  Simple != intuitive
  Simple != easy to understand
I think if people remembered these things then things would be more simple. I'll add one more relationship

  Elegant == Simple
  Simple  != elegant

Re: Game design is simple

#9

This feels like a classic example of the concept that simple ≠ easy

Yeah kind of feels like "writing a hit novel is simple - you just need a plot that is engaging, well written prose, and a satisfying story arc".

I mean... yeah kind of obvs. Very "rest of the owl".

Re: Game design is simple

#10
post #9

This feels like a classic example of the concept that simple ≠ easy

Yeah kind of feels like "writing a hit novel is simple - you just need a plot that is engaging, well written prose, and a satisfying story arc". I mean... yeah kind of obvs. Very "rest of the owl".

Well, that wouldn’t give you a “hit” novel. That would give you a good novel. Hit != Good
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