Level 12: Solo Testing
At this point you have some ideas, and you have some feedback. As with many things in life and in game design, you could sit here forever contemplating which is the best choice… but at some point...
View ArticleLevel 13: Playing With Designers
As the designer, it is an important skill to be able to playtest your own creations (which you’ve already done at least once). It is also important to be able to set up conditions for other people to...
View ArticleLevel 14: Playing with Non-Designers
In 2006 at GDC, game designer and academic Jesse Schell said that the most important skill of a designer is to listen: Listen to your playtesters. They may not be professional designers and their...
View ArticleLevel 15: Blindtesting
When your game is playtested without you (or another of the game’s designers) being personally present to observe, it is called blindtesting. This is the subject we cover today. Readings No readings...
View ArticleLevel 16: Game Balance
When veteran gamers or game designers are playing a game, if they are doing too well or too poorly, they will often comment on the game’s balance. This word is important, but I fear it is often...
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Level 17: User Interfaces
If you have made it to this point, your game is hopefully coming along nicely and you are approaching the final stages of design. You may still have temptations to mess around with the mechanics,...
View ArticleLevel 18: The Final Iteration
We are nearing the end of this adventure, so if you are still here, you deserve some congratulations. At this point you have created a game. You have playtested your game multiple times, with multiple...
View ArticleLevel 19: Game Criticism and Analysis
If you have made it this far and kept up with the course in real time… then you have a strong will, and a lot of free time. Take a step back and look at what you have done. And realize that this is not...
View ArticleLevel 20: Course Summary and Next Steps
Here we are, at the end of the course. I appreciate the time that you have put in, if you have read this far and stayed with me from beginning to end. I hope that you got out of this course something...
View Article“I just found this blog, what do I do?”
This course was originally offered in real-time from June 29 – September 6, 2009. If you are just finding this now, does that mean you missed out on everything? Not at all. The course content is still...
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