3 comments

  • Cat NooneCat Noone, almost 9 years ago

    Love this! Fantastic write up. Some thoughts:

    "We’re bombarded with so much input and rarely have time to process all of it. Do we stop to think about how all the things we create and the content we consume will affect our children and our children’s children?"

    Yes, everything about this is just yes.

    " Why should this product exist? I couldn’t come up with any answers other than just having the ability to make it exist. In the end, this brand new product wouldn’t have added any value to the world."

    I wonder how this applies to game design. I've always been hesitant saying I enjoy creating and building meaningful products, because that's really relative to the individual. What's meaningful to me, may not be to you.

    Many would argue that game design is irrelevant and shouldn't exist because it doesn't solve a "problem" and no one can say why it should exist other than entertainment. To you, is that enough? Are games like Tic Tac Toe for iOS or Threes justified or do you feel they have no place because they don't "provide value"?

    Either way, great write up. Awesome points.

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    • Timothy AchumbaTimothy Achumba, almost 9 years ago

      Thanks Cat, you have a really great point about game design. It's hard to find the problem they solve, if any. I think there is always space for enjoyment in life, things that solely bring joy and happiness.

      I'd class myself as a gamer. I love games, I peruse the app store almost daily for the latest. I think games can and often do add value to us. They tell beautiful and larger than life stories, they challenge us mentally and also connect us to people you would otherwise have no contact with.

      People do find meaning in very different things but I think collectively we want to see each other become the best we can be. This means if a game designer gets to grow (as a person) as a result of designing games I think thats good enough reason for games to exist.

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    • Ian GoodeIan Goode, almost 9 years ago (edited almost 9 years ago )

      Many would argue that game design is irrelevant and shouldn't exist because it doesn't solve a "problem" and no one can say why it should exist other than entertainment.

      Many would be falsely assuming that everything has to solve a problem. Entertainment and play is a core part of being alive. And let's be honest, a lot of apps solve artificial problems we've created for ourselves.

      Purely from a designer's point of view, any designer or product designer who dismisses game design as irrelevant is being very shortsighted. Wondering how to make your app an 'addictive' and rewarding experience? Why not look at the industry that's been perfecting that for decades already.

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