Theory and Principles of Game Design

Principle : Make die rolls random, but outcomes statistical. While dice and other random number generators may appear to go against the notion that players should be in control of their fate, they are, in fact, a great way to mimic complex systems without having to simulate the myriad elements that make up the real thing. You don't make a game like Civilization by constructing accurate models of medieval weapons, or by modeling the human musculoskeletal system and pitting simulated humans against each other; what you do is come up with a statistical model for battles and incorporate that into your game's mechanics. Think of a roll of the dice as obtaining a single sample from a statistical model: The number that comes up is determined at random, but it's the state and rules of the game which determine what happens when that particular number comes up. Players win by making choices, manipulating the game state (or, sometimes, the rules) in such a way that random outcome...

Principle : Play without a purpose for new or better experiences. As you develop your game, engage in unstructured play to get a feel for the game's mechanics and the gameplay opportunities they offer. Approach it as a curious child would, by looking, observing, grabbing, manipulating, throwing, arranging, assembling, taking apart, and putting back together everything around you to develop an intuitive sense of how it all works. While playing, allow yourself to think of new mechanics or ways to improve the existing ones. Is there some mechanic that stands out as particularly fun or interesting? Could a seemingly unimportant mechanic be brought to the foreground? Is there something about the objects in the game that could make for a new and interesting mechanic? This is different from playtesting in that it's intuitive, unstructured, and completely informal. You're not looking for bugs, flaws or balance issues; You're just playing around while looking out for inter...