Ray
The Recipe for a Great Sequel
Think 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...
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Ray
- Jul 20, 2018
- 8 min
Breaking into Game Design
A few times each year, a friend of a friend will ask for advice about becoming a game designer...
Ray
- Feb 5, 2018
- 5 min
I'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...
Ray
- Aug 18, 2017
- 2 min
Structured Daydreaming
Designers 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.
Ray
- Apr 26, 2017
- 5 min
The Holy Trinity of Feedback
There are 3 types of feedback to consider when designing a satisfying interaction: visual, aural, and verbal. These are the Holy Trinity...
Ray
- Oct 4, 2016
- 2 min
Launching Merge Dragons: My Indie Project
Nearly 3 years ago (as of late 2016), I left Maxis, and I left The Sims. A piece of my heart remained behind...
Ray
- Aug 5, 2016
- 1 min
Look How Far We've Come
A comparison of the back of a video game box from 1987 to 30 years later.
Ray
- Sep 1, 2015
- 6 min
5 Tips for Writing Great Design Docs
The first problem any designer must overcome is getting their team to want to read a design. The second problem is...
Ray
- May 5, 2013
- 10 min
Designing Character Traits in The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, we made many additions and improvements to the lovable and quirky beings we call Sims. By far, my favorite of those...
Ray
- Dec 9, 2012
- 2 min
The Video Game Explosion
Today, 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...
Ray
- Jul 23, 2012
- 12 min
SimCity Social & 8 Truths of Facebook Game Design
Before 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...
Ray
- Jun 8, 2012
- 5 min
Where Diablo 3 is Missing Out
Diablo is a game about collecting loot. It always has been, and always will be. It’s a glorified slot machine with...
Ray
- Apr 21, 2012
- 4 min
The Holy Grail of Game Design
The market is saturated with game mechanics, and it's only getting more saturated over time. Games aren't un-inventing themselves...
Ray
- Mar 25, 2012
- 3 min
Team-Wide Content Creation on The Sims 3
One 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...
Ray
- Feb 2, 2012
- 2 min
Zelda: An Inspiration from my Youth
I spent countless days wandering the lands. I held a candle to every bush. I assaulted every rock face with bombs. I pushed every...
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