10 Game Design Lessons from 10 Years of GMTK
Hello Patrons
It's an unfortunate day for an anniversary, but here we are - I'll try to make the best of it.
Game Maker's Toolkit just turned 10 years old. So here are the ten biggest lessons I've learned from the last decade of learning about game design.
You can watch it on YouTube, or Nebula, or read it on Substack.
Hope everyone is safe and coping okay.
Mark
Comments (9)
is GMTK discord a good place for getting playtesting feedback as I build my game?
We do have a playtesting channel, yeah - if you're part of the community, others will happily provide feedback
Congratulations on the anniversary. I really enjoying your videos, your style and analyses of GameDesign, since almost day one. Some comments about your video: "Lesson 5" feels in odds with "Lesson 1". When the Game Mechanics are designed to be difficult, then changing them to be easier, would change the feel of the game. Dark Souls on easy would be a different game to playing it on normal. In my opinion there is no bigger sin, then front loading a player with difficult options, which they have no context for. Giving them a warning, simply doesn't cut it, because many people will ignore it ( You know: users). You pretty much asking a person to balance a game for them, which you explain in "Lesson 9", is already hard for the designer themself (To be clear, i talk about difficult options and not accessibility options). "Easy Mode" is the better solution, since it gives the developer a chance to build the experience to stay as close as possible to the attend. But "Lesson 4" is properly the best to have build in options to help player without taking them out of the experience. "Lesson 9" regarding Portal. I find Portal 1 and Portal 2 to be an amazing example, if you take play-testing to far. I listen to both commentary (best feature ever by the way) and it stands out, how the developers over analyze the play-test of Portal 2. So that many room are reduced in complexity, because they had some road-blocks. Portal 2 just feels much more restricted and open for mistake, in comparison to Portal 1. Maybe it is build for a more casual audience to reach a larger demographic (as seen in "Lesson 2"), but it is unsatisfactory for a sequel. "Lesson 8" reminds of writing stories, where sometimes the characters and the world can take over your writing and you have to follow the flow.
Happy anniversary Mark!! Congrats on making it so far, your work is incredibly inspiring and helps the world in a better direction, no matter where some other lunatic wants to go. Keep it going, can't wait for the release of your first game veeeeery soon ⭐⭐⭐
Congrats on the anniversary! Your content always brightens my day.
Congratulations on the anniversary, Mark! GMTK has been a great source of inspiration and joy over the years. And for everyone reading this, I hope you can all find ways to feel happy and cared for in spite of the circunstances.
Mark, your work has been a light and these past few years - thanks for all you do. I'm glad you posted this today as it's giving me something to look forward to.
Excuse me, why exactly is it an unfortunate day for an anniversary?
Politics.