Comments for Applied Game Design

Comment on RPG Podcast on Bitmob by Chris Pioli

Chris Pioli — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:16:14 +0000

Who the hell gets bored by Chrono Trigger? Excuse me? I made sure to stay the hell away from WoW, so I can understand that double-take, but not liking Chrono Trigger? It’s fantastic. I’m disappointed that there wasn’t more discussion on the elements later in the game. The final third of the game is made up of completely optional, non-linear quests (but have huge impact on individual characters’ development and plot) and to this day that is incredibly rare in Japanese RPGs.

Chrono Trigger belongs in a list of mandatory titles of games you have to play if you want to design games. It’s like meeting a writer who hasn’t read classics like To Kill a Mockingbird or an actor who doesn’t know at least one line from Shakespeare.

I also agree with your comments on Art History and re-exploring old games (I’ve done that on a couple of occasions with Nintendo’s Virtual Console and the PlayStation Store). The limitations we have had over the past 30 – 40 years in game development reflects the kind of issues our early ancestors dealt with. In particular, if you think about all the tools the Greeks developed and refined to paint, sculpt and mold their artwork you can see how they moved from 2d iconography to three-dimensional characters and images. It’s the same with our technology, in some sense. I look at a lot of old drawings and see the kind of simplifications found from old Atari and NES games.

Comment on RPG Podcast on Bitmob by Joe

Joe — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:16:17 +0000

Great podcast!

Really enjoyed it!

Comment on Returning to the Industry by Sam

Sam — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:10:59 +0000

I must agree with Gita. Only just transferring to SCAD this year, I was hoping to take Intro to Video Game Design with you in the spring. However I guess it is good, cause then I can send you my portfolio, and have you as a potential insider contact inside the industry.

Comment on Goodbye, Play Pile (Hello, Civ Rev) by golergka

golergka — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:30:48 +0000

It’s even worse with the games that need sufficient time to understand some important things about them – like playing guitar hero on expert, or racing simulators. MMO designers in particular suffer from it, because you’re always interested in the end-game gameplay, and you won’t get there until you play for hundreds of hours – and even there, you still want to get into the most hardcore part of community, which requires great commitment to the game.
So, after trying to play “seriously” 3 different MMOs over 3 months, I came to the same conclusion that you did: the optimal strategy most time is playing what you actually want. On one hand, you’ll always discover something you in a game that is good enough to keep you interested that long, and on the other – you won’t learn much if you’re forcing yourself to play something. Of course, there are sometimes situtation where you really need to explore the new genre, for example, or find examples of some mechanic, but it doesn’t happen so often.

Comment on RPG Podcast on Bitmob by Darke

Darke — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:21:13 +0000

I love Bitmob! Glad you were a guest on the Mobcast!

Comment on Returning to the Industry by Olivier

Olivier — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:17:16 +0000

Congrats Brenda! Can’t wait to hear more about the new game.
I’ll miss you at PH but this is a good excuse for not coming.
Hope to see you at GDC.

Comment on Returning to the Industry by Gita

Gita — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:56:03 +0000

Personally, this is bittersweet. On one hand, I really only just discovered you and the SCAD game design programme. After evaluating a few different schools, you’re the biggest reason U chose SCAD and I’m sad I won’t be learning from you live. On the other hand, this is fantastic news and I wish you every happiness and continues success in everything you do.

Congratulations and best wishes.

Comment on What should I have in my portfolio – Fall 2009 edition by 2. Game Designer, wer bist du? « Ludus Mechanicus

2. Game Designer, wer bist du? « Ludus Mechanicus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:43:04 +0000

[...] What should I have in my portfolio – Fall 2009 edition [...]

Comment on Types of Game Designers by 2. Game Designer, wer bist du? « Ludus Mechanicus

2. Game Designer, wer bist du? « Ludus Mechanicus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:41:59 +0000

[...] Types of Game Designers by Branda Brathwaite [...]

Comment on Returning to the Industry by Darke

Darke — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:08:43 +0000

Congratulations!