Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips for Designing Games
Ok, ok, ok... I know Kurt Vonnegut never designed games (to the best of my knowledge, anyway). But he was an exceptional author who knew how to craft an entertaining experience. When I read his collection of short stories, Bagombo Snuff Box , I discovered his 8 simple tips for writing a good short story. Reading through each point, I was struck by how relevant his advice was for game designers and I knew I had to write up an article to help connect designers with these tips. So let's dig in. 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. This is the most fundamental rule of game design, especially these days when players have a massive selection of games to play and only limited time to play them in. So make sure your game uses their time well and that you respect the time they give your game. Here's some follow tips in this space: Don't waste a player's time with frivolous mechanics. Seek to str...
