The only way to get better at it is to keep doing it...

October 12, 2010 7:55 AM

Game designer Raphael "Raph" Koster (Wiki) has republished his essay "The Fundamentals of Game Design." Koster was the lead designer for the progenitorial (and, in its time, wildly successful) MMORPG Ultima Online.
posted by griphus (3 comments total)

Thanks! Very interesting! I'm working on a flash game right now, and even though it's relatively simple, I like any advice I can get.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:59 AM on October 12, 2010

Raph Koster's work was fundamental to modern video game design. Without Ultima Online, Richard Garriott's brainchild, there would be no World of Warcraft, Farmville, or Grand Theft Auto.

The lessons learned and documented by Koster regarding player interaction, anonymity, griefing, virtual items, and achievements are still touchstones for today's game designers in our 'social media' era.

As a player of Ultima Online from the first days, finding a truly open game world that allowed success by not only traditional player versus player combat, but by crafting and wealth building, was revolutionary.
posted by Argyle at 9:05 AM on October 12, 2010

No time to read, I'm too busy sawing logs and looking for a safe place to log-out.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:19 AM on October 12, 2010