“Rationalizing arbitrary choices that work is easier than careful planning. It looks the same from outside. It’s not.”
— JR Honeycutt
“Express extreme appreciation for negative feedback, so that testers learn they should always speak up about issues.”
— John Brieger
“Can you summarise the primary focus of your game into 1-5 words? Everything not supporting that core focus should maybe be cut.”
— Behrooz Shahriari
“At some point, you’ll hate your own game. Keep testing through that valley – but be willing to shelve it.”
— John Brieger
“Every mechanism has problems and advantages. Good design is using them in the best possible way, for a suitable purpose.”
— Behrooz Shahriari
“It’s not a game designer’s job to know how an idea will play. It’s their job to find out.”
— Jay Treat
“Your playtesters’ minor irritants of today are your reviewers’ slams of tomorrow.”
— John Brieger
“It’s not a game until it’s on the table. Get it on the table. Then you’re a game designer. Congrats!”
— JR Honeycutt