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.
Game Design Game Designer Mechanics 
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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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?
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The Basic Fundamentals of Game Design
Logic Simplified
AUGUST 1, 2023
Have you ever designed a game? If yes, then what game design fundamentals do you prioritize in your own designs? Game design is incredibly complex and fascinating, with countless nuances and techniques to master. In this article, we'll explore some key building blocks of game design fundamentals.
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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 Imhotep for Aspiring Board Game Designers
Brand Game Development
JUNE 1, 2020
Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. Like many board games, Imhotep has a lot to teach board game designers. It’s all pretty straightforward euro fare at this point, but one mechanic stands out to me as being incredibly profound.
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Importance of playtesting in game design
Logic Simplified
AUGUST 14, 2023
It is one of the best ways to improve the game quality by focusing on real player behaviour and learning what players really think about particular aspects of your game. Designers use this method to test different game versions frequently to find faults and provide input for improvements. Let’s find out.
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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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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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Game art vs game design: What is the difference?
Logic Simplified
AUGUST 8, 2023
Since most of us are unaware of the process of creating a game, we usually confuse game design and game art as being the same. In this blog, we will discuss the difference between game art vs game design and how each plays a unique role in game development. Who is a Game Designer?
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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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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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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 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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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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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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Video game mechanics: A Beginner’s Guide
Logic Simplified
JULY 31, 2023
There is one area every game designer must focus on to ensure that their games are captivating enough to entertain and provide an impactful experience to the user: game mechanics. When creating a new game, video game mechanics are often considered the most important factor.
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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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COCOON creator Jeppe Carlsen “I never compromise on playability”
PreMortem.Games
OCTOBER 11, 2023
Cocoon, the intricate puzzle adventure by Jeppe Carlsen , known as the lead gameplay designer of Limbo and Inside, launched to raving reviews after 6.5 The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery.
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How to Play-Test the Mechanics of Your Board Game
Brand Game Development
NOVEMBER 27, 2017
Board game development is a very individual process. Every single developer has different methods for creating their games. This article is the fourth of a 19-part suite on board game design and development. Need help on your board game? This guide comes in three parts: How do you test game mechanics?
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Major Game Design Elements
Juego Studio
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
Every successful video game features a few common elements- clear goals, surprise elements, a clean core loop, good graphics and sound, and so on. In short, they feature the major game design elements. Game designers follow a combination of certain basic elements to make it memorable.
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The Growing Use of Generative AI in Game Design
iXie gaming
FEBRUARY 11, 2024
Generative AI has experienced increasing usage in game design as it accelerates and streamlines different aspects of game development. Generative AI in game design refers to the use of AI techniques, particularly generative models, to develop and improve different video game aspects.
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How to design a great tutorial
GamesIndustry.biz
MAY 28, 2024
Everyone has a favourite video game tutorial. Maybe it's the first hour of Fallout 3, which quite literally treats you as a baby, teaching you new mechanics at different stages of growth? Perhaps it's Half-Life 2's iconic tutorial that packs everything you need to know into four words and one empty can of soda? Read more
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Anima Flux is a co-op Metroidvania with a retro-futuristic visual flair
PreMortem.Games
JUNE 3, 2024
Anima Flux , the latest game by studio Anima Flux, is exploring new territories in gaming. According to Andrey Songraf, Game Designer and Product Owner, this makes them pioneers of sorts. “This achievement stands out because we are pioneers in this approach.”
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How do you Choose the Best Game Design Software for your Project?
Big Games
JANUARY 30, 2024
Game design software does play a pivotal role in bringing the digital world to life, which allows game developers and designers to create immersive and engaging experiences. The world of game design is a captivating landscape brimming with possibilities.
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How to Build Better Mechanics for Rewarded In-Game Ads
Game Refinery
AUGUST 2, 2023
In this blog post, we will explore how game developers are incorporating unique in-game ad features into the game design or, in some cases, have made ads an integral part of the game to enhance the user experience and drive revenue. Dragonscapes Adventure’s floating reward prompt.
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A Crash Course in Board Game Development
Brand Game Development
SEPTEMBER 9, 2019
Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. I tend to use the word game development as a catch-all term for everything that is associated with making a game – that includes game design, product development, marketing, promotion, Kickstarter/crowdfunding, fulfillment, and selling.
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The five pillars of emergent gameplay
GamesIndustry.biz
NOVEMBER 28, 2023
While tools have improved dramatically, allowing smaller teams to produce more graphically and mechanically complex games than ever before, producing equivalent experiences to AAA mega-studios is still prohibitively expensive. Thrilling as a solo ten-hour-long campaign can be, linear content is expensive to produce.
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Make a Board Game in 28 Days: A Challenge by Brandon the Game Dev
Brand Game Development
FEBRUARY 1, 2021
Today, I have a challenge for you as a board game designer. I want to see you make a board game in 28 days. That’s why I’ve provided a 28-day game design challenge for you. This 28-day challenge is intended to give you the structure needed to get into the habit of board game design.
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BitCake Studio built online multiplayer game Atomic Picnic completely remote
PreMortem.Games
NOVEMBER 8, 2024
BitCake Studio , an indie game development studio based in Brazil, is celebrating its 10th year in the industry. Eduardo Lamhut, the company’s main Game Designer and Creative Director of the upcoming game Atomic Picnic , explains how the company started. There was a bunch of things she wanted in the game.
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The gorgeous visuals of Bionic Bay that Juhana Myllys calls Painterly Pixel Art
PreMortem.Games
JANUARY 24, 2024
The game started as a demo shown on Reddit, but picked up momentum when Badland art director Juhana Myllys offered to mix and match his distinct artwork with the gameplay. I thought that the core mechanic in this 2D game was extraordinary, so I contacted the developers. He’s also planning the overall game design.
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The importance of a game design document & how to create one – part 2
The Knights of Unity
FEBRUARY 12, 2021
In the previous part of the post, we’ve introduced you to the most important reasons to create a game design document in your project, using three examples: personal project, internal project, and commission work. Core game loop. Core game loop is a base of your game’s mechanics, that will be repeated by the player.
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How to Design the Core Engine of Your Board Game
Brand Game Development
NOVEMBER 6, 2017
This article is the first of a 19-part suite on board game design and development. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. The basic idea is that board games are a means of communication that facilitate gameplay. That’s no accident.
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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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Kyzrati’s Game Design Philosophy
Grid Sage Games
MAY 8, 2022
That’s just the core mechanic, and about the smallest vision you can have (which is actually what I recommend when starting to build a roguelike ), though even then my vision included an immersive interface and using sensor data to help navigate a living world occupied by both hostile and non-hostile robots. Difficulty.
Hypercasual games market is shrinking, still 3.7 billion downloads last 3 months
PreMortem.Games
JULY 4, 2023
Released back in 2022, the game takes its inspiration from the widely popular Piano Tiles series by Umoni Games. The gameplay uses a simple time-sensitive touch mechanic where a user needs to activate 2D tiles to match the beat of various music tracks being played.
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How To Play-Test the Rules of Your Board Game
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 11, 2017
Board game development is a very individual process. Every single developer has different methods for creating their games. This article is the sixth of a 19-part suite on board game design and development. Need help on your board game? Rules provide directions on how to execute activities within a game.
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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 to Create a Pattern Building Board Game (Tasty Humans Pt. 1)
Brand Game Development
JUNE 25, 2019
These titles earned – and keep – respect in the hobby gaming community. Like with all things in board game design, there is no linear path. You meander through the game design process, iterating and tweaking your work until you’re happy with it. There are many, many more as well.
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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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How to Play-Test the Core Engine of Your Board Game
Brand Game Development
NOVEMBER 13, 2017
This article is the second of a 19-part suite on board game design and development. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. The basic idea is that board games are a means of communication that facilitate gameplay. Not pretty. Just functional.
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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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20 New Year’s Resolutions for Board Game Devs in 2020
Brand Game Development
DECEMBER 30, 2019
Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. With that in mind, I want to help you come up with some New Year’s Resolutions of your own, ones specifically related to board game design. Play-test with game designers. Let’s say you’ve made light games.
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Colony: Letting Leaders Lead without Losing Losers (A guest post by Burt Yaroch of the Healthy Gaming Network)
Brand Game Development
MARCH 13, 2017
Not only does he help gamers make healthier choices, but he’s a fledgling designer himself! Today he shares with us a game he really enjoys: Colony. Burt: I’ve fallen in love with Colony by Bezier Games, designed by Ted Alspach, Toryo Hojo, and N2 (the pen name for Yoshihisa Nakatsu). What’s a runaway leader? Absolutely.
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