Be A Game Masochist

Welcoming to Gaming 4 Misfits! This is a new series of articles (and possibly videos) where I’ll be diving into what I’m best at - namely, creating games, the mechanics, writing, art directing, and more that comes with them.

This series will have a strong focus on teaching and not selling to you. If you’re interested in learning from someone who’s actively “doing” and figuring out what I do, why I do it, and skipping my mistakes, then this is for you. 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

Design With Constraints 

It might not seem intuitive, but trust me, when designing, you’ll want to design with constraints. You won’t those sucker to squeeze tight, like your game can’t breathe and will suffocate if you move wrong.

What does that mean exactly?

Well, simply, instead of creating random mechanics and random games, think about what it is you want and narrow it down as much as possible.

Find your focus and bare your teeth down on it! Finding out how to work within those limits is what game design is all about!

For example, when designing Spellslingers X Otherworlds, the limitation I had was that every spell had to correlate with the 12 Otherworlds characters. Additionally, it had to be four for each character AND there was a limit to how many of each Spell Level could be included into the game. 

This sounds like it could be a pain, but it really forces you to think outside the space shuttle. 

So, ask yourself, in what ways does your game limit you? What are ways your theme narrows what you can do and how can you leverage that to your benefit? 

Once you figure this out, you’ll have much more fun and a better game because of it! Let me know what insights you’ve gathered and I’ll see ya next time! 

Stay awesome! 

Vincent