There’s a common narrative occurring for people whose lives have been touched by videogames in their formative years. First intrigued by the novelty of interaction and control, you become enamored with the concept of manipulating a digital avatar until you…
Why should anybody care about your game? Ask the seasoned game designer this, and he’ll describe an enticing feature set, an innovative game mechanic or some other combination of reasons why players would be interested. Playtesting the game in question,…
The door creaks open ominously. One by one, the adventurers creep into the dungeon as the dank odor of orc breath and raw meat mixes with the outside air. To the right, a long hallway fades into darkness – where…
If creative work of any kind is an epic adventure, then the deadline is the dragon guarding the treasure at the end. No matter how disciplined your approach, there’s always that rush to get the last details just right before…
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve had that Christmas morning moment. Unwrapped presents jumbled in a pile, wrapping paper strewn everywhere – and then you spot that last package in the corner, so small you almost missed it. Your…
They were saying how it reminded them of the glory days of the arcade. They talked about how it was something they didn’t realize they needed so badly. They spoke about the new kinds of games it could enable. They…
I'm Ben Serviss. I design games for hire and write about game design, narrative and NYC developers. New posts every Thursday.