[Musings of a Game Store Owner] Introduction to Intelligent Design

Oh, that game is really great. I love it!

What makes it great?

And thus begins the trial and tribulation of my job, almost daily. Having knowledge and experience in a wide variety of games is an essential skill, but discussing them intelligently and with wisdom and forethought is even more important.

What a particular customer shows preference to is intrinsic to the process of conversation on why a particular game will suit them. Additional information such as who they will play with, where and how often can make a very dramatic impact as well. Offering Agricola to a guy who’s more suited to Settlers of Cataan is probably going to be a failure.

Knowing why a game is great is a tricky process- it takes understanding of design principles, game play mechanics, crunch vs fluff/value, as well as replay value. It also takes a strong understanding of the premise of the game, and if that game will ‘go over’ with the player in question. A customer that really doesn’t enjoy space themes probably won’t enjoy Galaxy Trucker, no matter how well it’s designed.

It’s also important to know how and why someone is playing the game. A gentleman who plays games with his wife as part of their ‘date night’ requires different considerations than the math major that loves a crunchy game with multiple layers of complexity. Knowing the environment and intent behind a gamer’s requirements helps immensely when choosing a good game for their enjoyment.

I’ve always enjoyed talking to other gamers about their choices and learning new things I can pass on to other games. {I like talking about nearly anything, really.} I get a lot out of the conversations I have in the store with my friends and customers. I’ve gained a huge amount of knowledge and wisdom on games and gaming since becoming involved in the store, and I really enjoy the process. “Finding things out” is a natural part of my conversation process, and it never feels forced or weird to me. I just really enjoy getting a deeper understanding of the people around me and what they appreciate. With that in mind, I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve learned.

While “what makes a game great” is very subjective, I’ve uncovered certain common elements that many people share as important to a game and how they enjoy it.

First among those is ART. 

Time and time again, I've found that customers care about how something looks. If it's pretty, and has lovely graphic appeal, it sells. Customers care that the items they spend their money on has something to look at, make them smile, and give them reason to pull it out again and again- even if it is just to admire the pretties.

Next on our list of commonalities in appeal is MECHANICS. 

The actual game play MATTERS to my customers. Ease of learning and play, replay value, crunch factor, "fiddly bits", synergy, resource management- all of these things matter when a customer chooses a game. Every aspect of what's inside the box and why gets analyzed when someone picks a game.

Next up, we have TONE. 

This is also often called WORLD, or SETTING. 

The backdrop on which one expresses their geekdom carries real weight. Most customers will pass right over a game that doesn't hit their "sweet spot" in terms of tone, even declining a superior game over a lesser one with better flavor for their preference. Some of my best sellers are exactly that because the tone is so easily understood and enjoyed by a large margin of folks- the designers hit on something that has broad appeal.

The last factor is: ABILITY TO COMBINE IT ALL. 

Games that combine all of these elements in a single package are few and far between, and are best sellers. It takes a special designer (or team) to effectively create a package that has a great balance of all of these ideals into one place, and customers appreciate that work very well. The designers that come up with a vision that combines all of these factors are favorites across the board for a reason- and have done something very few can.

Those sorts of designs are elegant and intelligent. Intelligent design benefits all of us- from customers to retailers to designers, and we need more of it.

MAJOR EDIT!!! I forgot an element of intelligent design:
Emotional Connection.  Whether it's a sweet nostalgic rush or a deep and passionate dislike, a great love, memories of camaraderie, the emotional connection a person has with a game makes a huge impact on purchases.

Rather than take my word for it that these are the things that matter, and why; I'm doing something a little different. For the next few weeks, I'll be interviewing several people in our hobby community, who are working on their own projects of design (in one fashion or another), and asking what THEY find important in game design, and what makes certain designs intelligent vs any other host of descriptors.

Please feel free to chime in on what YOU feel is important, why you feel this way, and ask questions to those involved in this project. I'd love to hear more about what constitutes "intelligent design" and more than that, I love talking about it with all of you.

Tune in next week for ART. See you then!