Board games vs. video games

Video games often appear to be the future of gaming. They allow far more creativity and diversity in the environment they place the player in. They can use deeply complex mechanics and algorithms which players could not easily use in a board game. They enact all of the mechanics for the player with the player…

Going from a Game Idea to mechanics

So you’re done Choosing your Game Idea The next step is to think about what mechanics will best model this idea. There are a lot of decisions to make that will inform your decision on which mechanics to implement, many of which may have already been decided by the Game Idea or be a short…

Randomness in a game

I think the most important part of randomness in a game is that it is understandable and the players are able to influence it. If they can’t understand the randomness, then there is no game for them. The players find things happening without rhyme or reason and can never predict whether an action will have…

Being Brutal with Ideas

It can be hard to let go of parts of your game and move on. You feel like the game just couldn’t survive without it and even considering cutting it is horrifying. But this is a devastating mistake. You need to be ready to let your ideas die instead of your game. If a feature…

Choosing your Game Idea

At the heart of a great game you need a great Game Idea. Without it, your game will have no guiding influence when it comes to choosing how to continue it. The Game Idea is the concept at the heart of the game that defines what the game is trying to achieve and represent. This…

“Analysis paralysis”

I’ve been thinking a lot about what happens when a player gets stuck in “analysis paralysis” while playing a board game. This is that moment when a player is on their turn and they get stuck looking at the options in front of them and try to work them all out so they can decide…

My thoughts on how to design games

You can see my ideas on game design philosophy here: Game Design Philosophy