As with all creative endeavors, game design has countless theories on what works best and how to do things. There are so many ins and outs on what makes a game work well that it’s ridiculous. On this page, you’ll find a ton of articles on virtually every aspect of game design. Have fun.
Contents
- Start Here
- Art & Graphic Design
- Being Inclusive
- Balance
- Choices
- Fun
- Design
- Dice
- Player Experience
- Time
- Randomness
- Scoring & End Game
- More Reading
Start Here
Using Design Theory to Design Games
The Main Building Blocks of Gaming
The Last 10% of Your Game’s Design
Measuring Successful Game Design Part 1
Measuring Successful Game Design Part 2
If You Love Your Design, Let It Go
Different Approaches to Game Design
Borrowing Ideas from Other Games
An Atomic Theory of Fun Game Design
Good Game for Large Audience OR Great Game for Small Audience
Subtext and the Dangers of Default Design
To CCG or Not to CCG? That Is the Question.
Designing Board Games efficiently for Cost
Game Making as a Systems Engineering Problem Part 1
Game Making as a Systems Engineering Problem Part 2
General Strategies to Put in Your Board Games
Why Flexibility Is Needed to Design a Great Game
Palette Swaps: When Variety Underwhelms
Over 100,000 Different Setups!
Designing Games for Video Conferencing Systems
The Hierarchy of Needs Part 1
The Hierarchy of Needs Part 2
Modular vs Integrated Expansions
Designing to Last: Core Principles in Game Design
Art & Graphic Design
What the Font?! Type Tips for Board Game Designers
Why Your Game Needs Player Aids
Putting the Design in Graphic Design
Graphic Design in Tabletop Games
Refining Graphic Design on Cards
Being Inclusive
Making Your Game Easy to Comprehend
How to Make Games for Everyone
How to Make Games Approachable
Inclusivity and Accessibility in Board Games
Balance
Designing A Good Game Is About More Than Making It Difficult: Complexity, Depth and Balance
Balancing Multiplayer Competitive Games
Balancing Complexity, Game Length, and Player Count
10 Ways to Deal with Runaway Leaders (Video)
How to Never Have a Balance Problem
Choices
The Right Amount of Player Control
Scaffolding Choice: How to Ease Players into a Game’s Choices
Managing the Number of Choices in Your Game
Guiding Players with Incentives
Greater Immersion through Fewer Options
Expand Different: Have More Fun by Reducing Choices
Designing Games to Prevent Analysis Paralysis – Part 1
Designing Games to Prevent Analysis Paralysis – Part 2
14 Ways to Reduce Analysis Paralysis
Why Do So Many Games Have Five Resources
4 Lessons from Paladins of the West Kingdom for Game Designers
Fun
The Right Type of Fun for Your Game
How to Structure Your Game for Optimal Enjoyment
The Psychology of Rewards in Games
Design
Two Common Design Issues in Competitive Games
Simply Knizia: The Art in Keeping Game Design Simple
Designing for Tactics AND Strategy
Why Design Constraints are Good
Complexity and Emergent Gameplay
Artificial Intelligence in Board Games
Achievements as Communication Between Designer and Player
Everything I Needed to Know About Game Design, I Learned from Space Invaders
Letting Players Do Design Work
Schools of Design and Their Core Priorities
3 Games that Nailed Variable Setups
Dice
Why You Should Have Custom Dice in Your Game, and When to Introduce Them
Why You Should NOT Have Custom Dice in Your Game
Player Experience
Good Play Experience and the Designer’s Responsibility
Designing with a Purpose: Core Experience
4 Great Sources of Tension in Games
Designing the Experience Around the Player
Creating a Satisfying Experience
7 Lessons from Monopoly for Game Designers
Time
Game Length and Maximizing Time Value
Actual Game Length VS Perceived Game Length
Randomness
Randomness, Player Choice, and Player Experience
Probability for Game Designers
Scoring & End Game
The Best and Worst of Scoring Tracks
Thoughts on Winning: The Psychology of Winning
Thoughts on Winning: Goals Besides Winning
Making Volatility Work for Your Game Part 1
Making Volatility Work for Your Game Part 2
How to Avoid Unsatisfying Victories
Designing Win Conditions (Audio)
Avoiding Dissatisfaction in Game Design
Is kingmaking in multiplayer games a problem that can be fixed?
More Reading
Why Many Eurogames Are Inherently Single-Player Games
Working with Co-Designers/Partners
8 Ways to Annoy Someone in a Board Game
What Makes a Game Broken (Audio)
The Use of Space in Board Games
Designing Games with Digital Components
Are 2 Player Only Games Economically Viable
Meet the Man Behind the Most Acclaimed Board Game in Years
Co-Op Case Study: The Dresden Files
Co-Op Case Study: Pandemic Legacy Season 2
Co-op Case Study: Pandemic Legacy Season 1