(Good to Great first aired as Episode 17 on February 20, 2017.) In games, as in any creative discipline, it’s relatively easy to find good creative products, but much harder to find truly great ones. What is it that separates great creative work — and the people who do it — from the rest? In … Continue reading "Episode 50: Good to Great (Classic)"

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50: Good to Great (Classic)

In game design as in life, it’s tough to reach an ideal outcome without taking risks. Thus, if the goal is to create games that will surprise, inspire, and entertain in new ways, accepting the risk of equal dislike by some proportion of players is an important prerequisite. This detachment may sound simple in the … Continue reading "Episode 49: Love and Its Opposite"

49: Love and Its Opposite

Mobile gaming has long been a commercial powerhouse, but it hasn’t typically exerted a strong pull on the so-called “core gaming” audience of PC and console enthusiasts. Mobile’s rap has been that it’s ideal for light entertainment, but not well suited to more complex experiences. Recently though, the new mobile incarnations of Fortnite and Player … Continue reading "Episode 48: Mobile Metamorphosis"

48: Mobile Metamorphosis

Time is one of the most implacable risks that game development studios face. It takes time—sometimes quite a lot of it—to create a worthwhile game, and in traditional release models all of that time has to be financed up front before a game’s sales can even begin. In this context, the idea of being able … Continue reading "Episode 47: One Chapter at a Time"

47: One Chapter at a Time

In a games market that is full to bursting with interesting titles, even compelling games can easily become lost in the shuffle. In order to cut through the noise and succeed, developers need to match their work to the right audience, finding the niches where their game’s particular experience can connect with just the right … Continue reading "Episode 46: Breaking Through"

46: Breaking Through

The idea of incorporating player feedback into the game design process has strong intuitive appeal. Rather than just guessing what players want, why not ask them directly? In fact, while the theory may be simple, the practice of gathering authentic, balanced, and actionable feedback can be quite challenging. How do you test a game when … Continue reading "Episode 45: All Ears"

45: All Ears

Designing a single gameplay system is a meaningful challenge by itself, but it’s also only the first step in the design of modern games. Today’s games are built not around the single threads of individual systems, but rather around complex tapestries: multitudes of gameplay systems that overlap with and influence one other in a profusion … Continue reading "Episode 44: The Thread and the Tapestry"

44: The Thread and the Tapestry

The game industry exists at the intersection of two very different worlds: the world of games as pure creative expression, and the world of games as products. Superimposing these perspectives is no easy feat; how does one reconcile the unpredictable nature of the creativity journey with inflexible business concerns like schedules and budgets? Is such … Continue reading "Episode 43: The Process Paradox"

43: The Process Paradox

The play pattern of “grinding”, or repeatedly playing the same content in order to level a character or earn rewards, is surely one of gaming’s most curious idiosyncrasies. How can playing the same content time and time again be fun? In fact, games dating back to the classic JRPGs of the 8-bit era have shown … Continue reading "Episode 42: Grist for the Grind"

42: Grist for the Grind

Open-world games promise the opportunity to immerse oneself in an entirely new reality, replete with characters to meet, adventures to undertake, and mysteries to solve. With a pitch like that, it’s not hard to understand why so much recent design effort has gone into applying open-world design concepts to so many different genres of games. … Continue reading "Episode 41: Open Worlds, Open Questions"

41: Open Worlds, Open Questions

Think back on your most memorable gaming moments and there’s a good chance you’ll recognize the themes of exploration and discovery running through many fond memories. From The Legend of Zelda’s iconic secret passageways to the camouflaged nooks of today’s open worlds, hidden but discoverable content is something that savvy designers strive to create, both … Continue reading "Episode 40: The Explorer’s Journey"

40: The Explorer's Journey

The games industry, much like other creative businesses, depends on the principle of fair exchange between creators and audiences. It’s an exchange that can be enumerated in dollars and cents of course, but there is a second very important ingredient as well: respect. In a perfect world, players respect creators by offering fair financial rewards … Continue reading "Episode 39: Respecting the Player"

39: Respecting the Player

From action to narrative to family-friendly adventure, 2017 delivered a bumper crop of truly superb games. In fact, with such an abundance of excellent titles on offer, the discerning fan’s biggest challenge is making sure no worthwhile experiences are missed! Fortunately, Episode 38 of Vertical Slice is here to help. We’re pointing the way to … Continue reading "Episode 38: The Best Games You Almost Forgot"

38: The Best Games You Almost Forgot

Game design is a famously multifaceted pursuit, but what if you were asked to pick just one skill that most clearly distinguishes great game designers from their peers? What do you think this single powerful ability might be? On Episode 37 of Vertical Slice, we’re discussing a fascinating answer to this question brought to us … Continue reading "Episode 37: Solving the Right Problems"

37: Solving the Right Problems

Loot boxes are a potent trend in modern game design, translating powerful mechanisms of motivation and operant conditioning into a startlingly effective form of micro-transaction. Indeed, loot boxes are so efficient at monetizing player attention that they are increasingly casting off their free-to-play roots and taking up residence in the largest AAA titles. Is the … Continue reading "Episode 36: Loot Pursuit"

36: Loot Pursuit

What kind of special magic makes great games tick? Join Chris Cobb and Derek Lyons in a spirited pursuit of answers to this question, drawing on a diverse medley of perspectives including game design, engineering, player psychology, and business.

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