RayJan 7, 20195 minThe Recipe for a Great SequelThink of some of your favorite sequels out there – Uncharted 2 or Portal 2 or Diablo 3. How do they make you feel? Sometimes it can be...
RayJul 20, 20188 minBreaking into Game DesignA few times each year, a friend of a friend will ask for advice about becoming a game designer...
RayFeb 5, 20185 minI'll Know I've Made it as a Game Designer When...I’ll know I’ve made it as a game designer when: … growing up, I design games that aren’t much fun, but I have a great time doing it...
RayAug 18, 20172 minStructured DaydreamingDesigners should make time to daydream. As the cultivators and ushers of good ideas, it's our job to make sure we're finding the best ones.
RayApr 26, 20175 minThe Holy Trinity of FeedbackThere are 3 types of feedback to consider when designing a satisfying interaction: visual, aural, and verbal. These are the Holy Trinity...
RayOct 4, 20162 minLaunching Merge Dragons: My Indie ProjectNearly 3 years ago (as of late 2016), I left Maxis, and I left The Sims. A piece of my heart remained behind...
RayAug 5, 20161 minLook How Far We've ComeA comparison of the back of a video game box from 1987 to 30 years later.
RaySep 1, 20156 min5 Tips for Writing Great Design DocsThe first problem any designer must overcome is getting their team to want to read a design. The second problem is...
RayMay 5, 201310 minDesigning Character Traits in The Sims 3In The Sims 3, we made many additions and improvements to the lovable and quirky beings we call Sims. By far, my favorite of those...
RayDec 10, 20122 minThe Video Game ExplosionToday, I read an article that made my brain shatter. If I’d been driving and reading the article at the same time, I’d probably have...
RayJul 24, 201212 min SimCity Social & 8 Truths of Facebook Game DesignBefore I worked on social games, I just didn’t “get” them. I didn’t want to bug my friends when I needed things. I didn’t want to play on...
RayJun 9, 20125 minWhere Diablo 3 is Missing OutDiablo is a game about collecting loot. It always has been, and always will be. It’s a glorified slot machine with...
RayApr 21, 20124 minThe Holy Grail of Game DesignThe market is saturated with game mechanics, and it's only getting more saturated over time. Games aren't un-inventing themselves...
RayMar 26, 20123 minTeam-Wide Content Creation on The Sims 3One of the quandaries we had on The Sims 3 was a goal of making a deeper and more interesting game than The Sims 2, with more content to...
RayFeb 3, 20122 minZelda: An Inspiration from my YouthI spent countless days wandering the lands. I held a candle to every bush. I assaulted every rock face with bombs. I pushed every...