That's what a real artist does. I used to be a writer. I spend more time sheerly staring at monitors much more than typing texts.

Good game design must ask: What is the player seeing when they look at these mechanics? The answer should be clear: they are seeing themselves.

Design is not about control; it is about revelation.

A perfectly designed game reveals not just the path to victory but also the deeper corners of the player’s psyche.

When we design games, we aren’t merely shaping worlds to be conquered; we are shaping spaces that force the player to confront who they are. The deeper the challenge, the clearer the self-image.

The mechanics, though presented as challenges, are actually windows into how a player approaches obstacles, choices, and failure.

Games are no longer just spaces to escape; they are spaces to explore the self. The player's journey through a game is not just about defeating enemies or solving puzzles—it’s about confronting their own nature.

Jonathan Blow’s discovery philosophy, seen in Braid, urges designers to listen to game systems, curating truth. Meanwhile, scientific standards and market savvy, as in Darkest Dungeon, ensure success. How do you balance creativity and player psychology in design?

Design systems that echo—not dictate.
Design feedback that evokes—not explains.
Design spaces that breathe—not broadcast.

Let players find themselves in the friction.
Not in what you say—
but in what you leave unsaid.

Design feedback that evokes—not explains.
Design spaces that breathe—not broadcast.

Let players find themselves in the friction.
Not in what you say—
but in what you leave unsaid.

Design is not about placing obstacles.
It’s about staging questions.

When the player acts,
they are answering with motion
what they believe in silence.

Great games, like Celeste, balance both, blending challenge with accessibility. Mark Brown’s Game Maker’s Toolkit shows how games like Tunic inspire self-discovery. How do your favorite games mix these philosophies?
#GameDesign #Gaming

The best games don’t test your skill.
They ask:
Will you still reach for joy when joy retreats from you?

Design your difficulty not as punishment,
but as an invitation to self-encounter

Design to reveal the player to themselves. That’s where the real magic happens.

And to achieve such a goal, during the design process, prediction often comes to our attention.

And being aware of such readable courses is a turning point for a game designer. A game designer would realize that it takes not just design thinking but also insights into the human mind to build a resonant, emotionally charged, or intelligence-inspiring experience.

People are complicated. Their expectations for a game are complex, too. I think the reason why being a game designer is either hard or simple is that it takes some understanding of human nature to really make a meaningful hit with depth.