Extra Credits

The Importance of Not Playing Games - A Balanced Game Design Education (2019x11)

: 20, 2019

The famous folks who made the games of our childhood, such as the Legend of Zelda series, were inspired by their own life experiences, rather than referencing previously created games. So why is it so common for young developers to almost entirely rely on these games as their sole templates, rather than designing from a wide variety of real-life inspirations? The rise of “lifestyle games” contributes to this imbalance in how a designer spends their time. Design students should remember to seek out experiences in all their forms, if they want to truly be a crafter of experiences. It’s also a huge part of why Extra Credits often talks about subjects “seemingly” unrelated to game design--they actually do matter in the big picture of a design education. Thanks to Samuel Dassler for guest-writing this episode!