I always get a sense of dread when I see a giant FAQ, and usually I feel like I already understand the rules, so the actual clarifications are a waste of my time, but I’m compelled to read it all anyway because it might contain stealth errata.
Jesse Schell on stories and games
Ultimately, of course, we don’t care about creating either stories or games—we care about creating experiences.
Eric Zimmerman on rules
Rules might not seem like much fun. But once players set the system of a game into motion, play emerges. And play is the opposite of rules. Rules are fixed, rigid, closed, and unambiguous. Play on the other hand is uncertain, creative, improvisational, and open-ended. The strange coupling of rules and play is one of the fascinating paradoxes of games.
Will Hindmarch and Jeff Tidball on analysis paralysis
Game players overestimate the gratification they can get out of thinking exhaustively about their options for what they’re going to do on their turn.
John David Anderson on Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons was like that. Forget that half the kids in school probably went around slaying dragons and stashing loot on their PlayStations or iPads. It’s different when you actually have to roll the dice.