Let's talk about being "well-played" in design. That is, having a rich background of gameplay experiences.

This is a critical qualification of all Game Designers, in my mind, but there are(as usual!) a lot of misconceptions around what it is, what it means, and why it matters.
First, let's define what it is (to me):

Being well-played is about having not just a lot of experience in playing games, but looking at those games analytically, too.

Now, a lot of people meet this qualification, which leads me to the first misconception.
* Well-played is required, but it is not sufficient.

This misconception comes from a lot of armchair designers, and usually ones who are, uhm, let's say not always generously-minded.

It's important to have a wealth of experience, but it doesn't make you a designer.
If that were true, it'd literally not be a job - there'd be no demand because so many people meet this requirement!

This and "I have good ideas" sit side-by-side on the Loveseat of "things people think makes someone qualified to be a designer, but absolutely does not."
* The games you like will be enough

This is also not true. Many, many great lessons are taken from games you would not want to play, and actively dislike.

The truth about design is you gotta choke some vegetables down in your play, sometimes.
You also need to be curious about games in general. Playing titles you'd never try is important. This is because the lessons in games are usually abstract, not specific.

In fact, you're less likely to understand the games you don't like, you haven't spent any time with them.
Don't like sports games? You're missing out on incredible lessons in simulation transference (what parts of sports do we take and don't to make it "feel like football") and their meta game systems run the gamut of oppressive to loved.

A lot of hardcore folks snub at this.
Games that aren't just different versions of ones you like ("Well I play League AND DotA!") are extra valuable. They let you think more about the audiences, and work on that empathic lens we discussed last time.
Even as someone who has worked on pretty hardcore titles, my experience in other genres has been invaluable.

Tekken let me mentally model mix-up gameplay in Valorant. Turn-based enthusiasm exposes the decision tree in a shooter in the raw.

Lessons *are everywhere*.
If you're serious about being a designer, you should understand why games that are ultra popular are - without snottiness or judgment.

I need to do this with Roblox/Minecraft still. It's a blindspot I still have (partially due to my age, I think)
I was going to make this a new point, but it applies here; depth is not a substitution for breadth.

Playing 10,000 of a game or genre does help, but it won't make up for having no idea why WoW works a decade-and-a-half later, or why Fortnite is so compelling.
* You don't have to play "bad games"

I have all sorts of opinions about all sorts of games. But, and you can check the receipts here, I don't consider games "good" or "bad."

They all have good and bad things about them, and how much you like it might not relate to that at all.
It's good to look at, instead what *is working* and *isn't working* in a game. This requires practice.

A good way to try this is to look at things you hate, and write down what's good about it, and why. What can you learn (and not "that it sucks lol")
Becoming an evaluator will help you be more thoughtful as a designer, and your experience will help more.

You don't have to finish games you're hating, or pour a ton of time in, but enough to have some lessons and takeaways.
Also pro tip: don't disparage an audience for their taste. It's shitty and small-minded, and says you're not ready to be a designer.

Hard stance here.
* It worked in this one game, so we should do that because that game is good

ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmggggggggggggggggggggggggg
The dramatic response is based how many times I've heard this, from either maybe even well-intentioned players, or worse, higher-ups in a company that have no idea what they're talking about.

Mechanics can inspire, but aren't portable without a lot of context.
Aping mechanics is fine, and good, in the right contexts. But the contexts lead, not the mechanics.

We made this mistake with Dominion - we didn't consider how CP gameplay would port to LoL well enough, and half-baked it. (Sorry @violentlycar!)
* As a designer, I don't have time to play games

This can be a rough one for busy professionals with families. But it can't be skipped, sorry folks.

We need your insights and examples so you're not out of tough with a rapidly-changing audience, or we have to reinvent the wheel
There are periods for a designer where this can be true - life happens - but overall, making sure you're at least doing your homework is important.

Some studios will crunch the will out of you, which I do not have good advice for sadly outside of "finding a new job" :<
If you're really up the creek time wise and can't prioritize it, but want to stay current, keeping up with content around games that's insightful or informative is a good stopgap.
If you're aspiring designer, make sure you're well-played! You'll need those examples to help, especially when you're new and still figuring things out.

Search out the things you wouldn't. Play, but also do "research play" and you'll be the wiser for it.

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More from @MorelloNMST

11 Jul
Let's discuss game design education and post-graduate programs. I have a bit of a dour take, but I hope it can be useful - and maybe we can even find the silver linings.

It's something I've spent potentially too much time thinking about.
While I have not experienced these classes first hand, I have been a hiring manager for about 10 years. I've had the opportunity to review a *lot* of candidates, resumes, and conduct a lot of interviews.

My experience is from an "I want to find good junior designers" POV
I'll start with generalizations, then we'll move onto exceptions, and then potential things you can do if you find yourself in a bad spot with this.

I don't think there are any blistering-hot takes in here - this isn't an uncommon convo - but I want to make sure new folks see it
Read 31 tweets
10 Jul
Today, let's talk about design "subclasses" - that is, what sort of type of skills outside of game design responsibilities do you want to pursue?

A lot of designers have a subclass or two, making the shape of an individual designer sort of unique!
It's another reason design is harder to "grok" what it exactly is - there's so much variance. That's not a bad thing, though!

It speaks to what roles are more or less attractive, and what unique skills you can offer your team.
These should be defined by interest and background, I think. As a new designer, these can be nice to leverage for being more qualified or useful, but you'll still be very focused on getting the designer part right.

This is more a long term thing to think about.

Let's go;
Read 24 tweets
8 Jul
Let's do something more upbeat tonight; I want to talk about passion in game design a bit.

I tend to spend a lot of time with more buzzkill-style topics (in a bit of an effort to take the glamor out of design), but passion does matter and play a role!
I've mentioned before that your engagement in a title doesn't equate to skill and ability, and that a healthy distance from that can help you have a clearer head. This is true, but (as most things) it's nuanced.

Just as job functions have different roles, so do types of passion.
When building a design team, I think about these aspects - in how they offer different, important perspectives. While my experience is primarily in "enthusiast" type games, I think it's abstract enough to apply anywhere.

Here are 3 buckets of passion (..?) with "stat-sheets!"
Read 21 tweets
7 Jul
Let's talk about a subject near and dear to my heart; the *emotional skills* of game design.

We talk a lot about psychology, and the nuts and bolts of "engagement" - but we don't often talk about how emotional awareness and skills are critical to being a great designer.
(Also tbh the design process from execution forward is interesting in practice, but I kept writing boring things that didn't feel super useful beyond what we've discussed already.

If there's a huge demand, I'll come back to breaking those down.)

OK, on to it.
I've seen a lot of designers, usually implicitly, think that being the biggest brain or the "most right" are what we really need in design.

You do want to hone your analytical skills, sure, but without the emotional ones, you'll find yourself having a really tough time.
Read 17 tweets
5 Jul
Today’s post is a break from the individual steps, and defining the process I see in design.

1. Set goals
2. Form solutions
3. Execute
4. Evaluate outcome
5. Iterate

We’ve covered steps 1 and 2 in our earlier posts. Let’s talk about the overall process a bit more.
The process is there is similar to a lot of creative efforts, like writing, performance or art.

My goal with these posts is to demystify design. All creative efforts seem like dark magic externally, but design is a learnable, teachable craft all its own.
With so much potential fuzziness and subjectivity involved, even the most hardened professionals need some structure and order to their efforts to keep on track.

I’d say not using a structured process as a designer is irresponsible in a professional setting.
Read 14 tweets
4 Jul
Following up from yesterday’s goal post, let’s discuss the next step - forming a solution.

Problem solving is the root of design craft. While our goals guide us, how we achieve those goals often determines success or failure.
This has a few steps you’ll want to cover;

* Brainstorm possibilities
* Narrow options
* Select one

How you do this is not rigid, but that you do it is critical.
Brainstorming is where you can go sort of big. Your job is to generate as many ideas for the approach as you can.

Be imaginative! This is a great place to be a bit wilder, or more outside-the box thinking. The earlier in a process, the less risk-adverse you should be.
Read 18 tweets

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