Game Design

Some principles to keep in mind:

1. Create concrete, achievable, and rewarding goals.
2. Design for nuanced emotion.
3. Create rapid and robust controls.
4. Make fun toys, and combine them into games.
5. Make the next action obvious.
6. Give clear and immediate feedback with no distraction.
7. Balance skills with challenge.

Fun Theory Insights

• Flow state optimization: Fun exists in the sweet spot between boredom (too easy) and frustration (too hard). Design for perpetual flow state.
• Agency without overwhelm: Provide meaningful choices but not so many that decision paralysis occurs. Options should feel empowering, not burdensome.
• Joy in discovery: Don’t give people answers they haven’t figured out themselves. The process of discovery is often more rewarding than the solution.
• Challenge authenticity: Bypasses and cheats make challenges feel less real, even if unused. Maintain the integrity of difficulty.
• Environmental over mental changes: When designing systems, prefer changing the environment to changing how people think. Less invasive, more ethical.
• Interpersonal complexity: People making things difficult for each other prevents boredom. Social dynamics create endless variety.
• Sensual bandwidth: High-bandwidth sensory experiences (tactile, visual, auditory) are essential for engagement and meaning.