there is one aspect of rules complexity that designers can miss: the ratio of complex systems to complex actions. I don’t think I’m the first person to point this out, but it deserves more attention. The more complex the systems in the game, the less those systems can tolerate complex actions. Source: ShippBoard Games: An […]
Author: Cathie
Moving From Search to Answers With Bing and ChatGPT
This also means that Microsoft’s vision of the future is a world less focused on search, and more focused on answers. Source: Moving From Search to Answers With Bing and ChatGPT
Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing – The Marginalian
Source: Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing – The Marginalian
Game Design Inspiration: Mechanic Creation – The Dark Imp
Here is an exercise I use to encourage new mechanic ideas to pop into my head. Source: Game Design Inspiration: Mechanic Creation – The Dark Imp
Glossary
Astrophotography Glossary Source: Glossary
Designer Diary: Village Rails, or A Good Thing in a Small Package | BoardGameGeek News | BoardGameGeek
I love games that pack a heap of meaty decisions into a tiny product – especially card games, where formats as lean as eighteen or even eight cards can be turned into rich, replayable experiences, Source: Designer Diary: Village Rails, or A Good Thing in a Small Package | BoardGameGeek News | BoardGameGeek
How to Improve College Teaching in 2023 | Higher Ed Gamma
A democratic institution would not reserve its best opportunities for a small subset of the student body. A learning-centered university would give as many students as possible access to the high-impact practices and active and experiential learning activities that define a high-quality education. Source: How to Improve College Teaching in 2023 | Higher Ed Gamma
The In Between: What’s Needed to Improve Student Outcomes
As institutions attempt to implement a variety of priorities, they understandably focus on the end result: improved student outcomes and equity. However, most educators miss something critical that needs to happen “in between” the priorities and improved outcomes. Source: The In Between: What’s Needed to Improve Student Outcomes
ShippBoard Games: On Satire
There are two key pillars of satire that often trip creators up. Firstly, satire “must take aim at a target that is larger or more powerful than the author.” Satire must punch up. Punching down is just bullying. So, I cannot satirize an oppressed group, but in theory I could satirize their leaders if they […]
ShippBoard Games: Elegance Vs. Obscurity
To conclude, I’m not sure that complexity is the best way to think about elegance, because as designers we will tend to believe that all of our complexity is necessary. Obscurity (or muddiness, if you need a more visceral metaphor) allows us to ask questions of our design, such as “what is preventing players from […]
