I had an idea for a game this afternoon, right after work. I wanted some form of content to be here, in this little space of mine. But why am I making it?
When I studied game design at school, something that was constantly talked about was Bushnell's Law.
All the best games are easy to learn, and difficult to master.They should reward the first quarter and the hundredth.
Funnily enough, Nolan Bushnell himself came to be an adjunct professor at my University for a short period. When he looked at all of us prospective freshmen, ready to get into the career of game development, he said to us
"You guys are going into game design? Don't."
He was joking of course, but it felt like it did kind of have a little bit of bitterness to it. I didn't really understand it until years later. Playing games now, while games are fun, I don't get the same satisfaction from games that I did when I was young. Maybe it's because games are just a big industry now. Maybe because there's something missing.
I don't think it's a lack of love. The cycle of game devs tend to be pump out a game, celebrate, get laid off, be unemployed, get hired as a contractor, and rinse and repeat. You'd have to really love games to deal with that abusive cycle for a living.
Some say it's a lack of originality. Every game now is a souls-like, a rogue-like, a deckbuilder, just something that's already been done. But where do we draw the line for when something is unoriginal? When does it stop being a copy of something and instead is considered inspired by some beloved game? Many times, after sifting through slop, you'll come across a game that clearly was a labor of love inspired by some game that the developer clearly was enamoured by.
I think what's missing is a little bit of humanity. We need to stop treating games as a product, and treat them once more as an art medium. A way to express ourselves. Humanity has always expressed themselves with art, from cave drawings to comic books. And in an age where generative AI is used to pretend and take away that human element of hardwork and dedication to a craft, we should make games again to express ourselves and tell a story we want to. As creatives and as humans.
It's okay if a game doesn't fill your brain with dopamine every step of the way. If a game are boring. Or if a game makes you think. If a game is difficult or painfully easy. A game is a developer's (or a team's) way to express themselves in an a way the audience can interact with. That's what makes it a fun medium. It brings another layer to art.
All of that to say, I just want to make games that are just dumping my thoughts. So I want to start with this little game.