10 Things Great
Designers Exhibit
By Gordon Walton
BioWare Austin
[email protected]
Who am I?
Gordon Walton, old game guy!
First commercial game in 1977
Built over 30 games personally
Managed development of over 200
games
» Have hired and worked with 100’s
of designers
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What we will cover
» Overview of Design Specialties
» How Specialties Affect Designer
Selection
» The 10 Attributes
» The Future of Design
» Summary
» Q&A
Overview of Design
Specialties
» The Design specialty covers a lot
of territory
» Is a designer a:
Writer?
 Algorithm and numbers person?
 Scripter?
 Creative auteur?
 Interface/accessibility expert?
 An alchemist of interactive fun?
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Overview of Design
Specialties
» The main point is to modify your
selection or assignment criteria
based on the specialty
The 10 Attributes!
#10 A Passion for Games
(all games)
» Many of you might think this is the most
important point
(and it is darned important!)
» Too narrow passion is less than optimal
» Passion is a real “edge” for a designer
(true for all jobs in fact!)
#9 A Breadth and Depth
of Knowledge
» What is your level of game
knowledge?
» Across what game platforms?
» What do you know outside of
electronic games?
» Synthesizing knowledge is the key
#8 Problem Solving and
Analytical Skills
» What is your approach to problem
solving?
» Can you effectively deconstruct
complex problems?
» How are your logic skills?
» Potential Trap: over-analyzing /
over-complexity
#7 Flexibility
» Design can be exciting but also
frustrating due to the frequency of
changes involved
» Design must adapt to match the
platform/business constraints
along with the player feedback
#6 KISS
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More's Law (.vs. Moore's Law)
"If some is good, more is better"
This is a common fault
KISS == Keep It Super Simple
Best to cut stuff on paper!
#5 Player empathy
» Can you see the game from the
player's viewpoint?
» Can you understand the player’s
mental models?
» What can you do if you aren’t very
empathetic?
#4 Continuous Learning
» Designers are on a journey to
understand the world and translate that
to other people for their enjoyment
» Learning more is integral to this process
– much of creation is knowledge
integration not “original ideas”
» Part of the learning process is
integrating feedback you get from all
areas
#3 Teamwork – Being a
Team Player
» Most commercial games are built
by teams
» What is most important is that the
team succeeds
#2 A Positive Mental
Attitude
» While curmudgeons and grumps
can sometimes do excellent work…
» Who wants to be around them??
» Enthusiasm and a can-do attitude
is infectious!!
#1 Clear Communication
» Design is communication!
» Clarity of communication drives
the fastest implementation, and
the most effective iteration
The 10 Attributes
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#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
Clear Communication
Positive Mental Attitude
Teamwork
Continuous Learning
Player Empathy
KISS
Flexibility
Problem Solving/Analytical Skills
Broad Knowledge
A Passion for Games
The Future of Design
» More specialization – big games
» More generalization – small games
» Do you have the attributes to be a
great designer?
» If so, there will be lots of
opportunities! 
Q&A