Renowned game designer Brenda Romero discusses the key to creating great games, the future of the gaming industry, and the importance of inclusivity and diversification in game design for a global market appeal. She also provides advice for aspiring game developers amidst the challenges in the industry.
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Quick takeaways
Agency is crucial in game design, allowing players to shape their journey and experience consequences of their actions.
Start small in game development to gain experience and skills, emphasizing practical experience over theoretical knowledge.
Deep dives
Brenda Romero's Journey into Game Design
Brenda Romero discusses her humble beginnings from Northern New York, where her love for games was sparked by purchasing incomplete board games from yard sales and creating her own games at a young age. Despite financial constraints, she found creative ways to engage with games and eventually entered the game industry by playing and memorizing games for a hint line. This unconventional start led her to significant contributions and designs in the industry, including working on the influential game series Wizardry.
The Essence of Game Design: Agency and Emergence
Romero emphasizes the importance of agency in game design, highlighting how games provide players with a unique level of interaction and impact on the virtual world. She explains that agency distinguishes games from passive forms of entertainment like movies or books, allowing players to shape their journey and experience the consequences of their actions. By focusing on creating a space where players feel welcomed and empowered, designers can enhance the player's sense of immersion and involvement in the game.
Advice for Aspiring Game Designers and Industry Optimism
In light of the challenges in the game industry, Romero offers advice to aspiring game designers, emphasizing the significance of starting small and creating games to build experience and skills. She encourages individuals to take initiative and not wait for the industry to stabilize, stressing the value of practical game development experience over theoretical knowledge. Despite the current uncertainties and layoffs in the industry, Romero remains optimistic about the future, highlighting the enduring appeal of games and the potential for growth and innovation.
Brenda Romero's breakthrough game Wizardry is legendary, and she’s made and contributed to more than 50 titles since.
Now, with her own company in Ireland, what does she think is the key to a great game? And in a vulnerable time for the industry, what does she think its future holds?
(Picture: Brenda Romero. Credit: John Press photos)