Some of you may be aware the annual Austin (TX) Game Designers Conference was held this week. Slashdot reports on a talk given on Thursday entitled “The Zen of Online Game Design.” The speaker was well-known designer and developer Damion Schubert. From the article:
Damion Schubert is currently working at Bioware [Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic], but is known well for his work on UO, Shadowbane, and other titles. He’s a very recognizable name in MMOG development circles, and maintains a blog discussing many of the issues covered in his talk at the website Zen of Design.
In his well-received talk, Schubert postulated that effective game design is built within a triangle, the three legs of which are games, worlds, and communities. Ideally, developers should shoot for the middle of the triangle to have the broadest appeal, and the best chance for longevity.
I found the article to be an excellent read; I just wish I could have heard the entire talk.
