Most people enjoy depth in their games. Even when the teach is easy and smooth. When they say “I want something simple,” it rarely means “I want something shallow”; it’s usually code for “I don’t want a burdensome onboarding experience.”
Peter Olotka on fairness
I like funny games. […] Most games labor under rules that are designed to be fair. Otherwise why bother playing? Right? Here’s the problem: Fair is not funny.
Jesse Schell on elegant games
We call simple systems that perform robustly in complex situations elegant.
Greg Costikyan on audiences
From a design perspective, it’s useful to understand what audiences exist for games; and how diverse the form actually is. And while success can be achieved by catering to the aesthetic of a particular audience, games that break the mold are often the most interesting. Still, it is worth contemplating what pleasures gamers draw from the games they play, and why they enjoy them.
Matthew Berland on rules
The main reason that a human would work to follow a rule without error when playing a game for fun is if s/he believes that the game will be more fun when the rules are perfectly followed. If this is not the case, players will change or ignore the rules.
