Game Design Challenge: Romance

[bob]

Yeah, I agree. I think the judges should take this contest a little more seriously. Not only this thing about a commentary, but also there should be some kind of promulgated standards for selecting the winning entries.

[Isaak]

Well, it certainly wasn't my intention to rig the challenge.

The entry itself is 499 words, I took the liberty of adding the commentary to provide extra insight into my mind and also to reflect the design for myself. Plus I could post it on forums like I did here allowing for additional feedback.

I think the whole process behind Game Design and the motivation for choices made is something that's often understated. I'd like to change that and this is a step in that direction.
I mean, I have absolutely no idea how the other two winning entries came to be, I can deduce some of the thinking that went on prior to it, but nothing really concrete.

That's I think a really important part; if the origin is something that's... that's... what's the word I'm looking for... an interpretation, a belief, a... truth for the designer and he or she can harness that, transform it into an experience that's to be played, then that's something incredibly awesome, effectively elevating games to art and game designers to artists.

I thought of adding it, I didn't find anything barring me from adding it, I didn't get disqualified for adding it -but I was very, very clear about what's what in the email-, so given the facts I'm going to conclude it's alright for people to add commentary detailing their design process.

My two cents.

[jkavalier]

Isaak, you did nothing wrong. You even risked being disqualified. In that sense, you were the most innovative of all, challenge-related, pushing the rules to its limits

I guess the 500-word limit is because if we all start writing 1000-word (or more) entries, (even) fewer people would read them. And to improve our synthesis capabilities, and being able - in some future- to explain our games in a limited time period, hopefully during a pitch or a job interview.

I agree with you that the hidden part - how inspiration came, how we were feeling and why when the spark happened - is as interesting as the entries themselves.

By the way, do any of you know about any other design challenges or contests?

[bob]

Isaak, the point is not how interesting your design commentary is. I think designer commentary is always good. The point is that a judge is judging your game, not how hard you thought about the game. Their job is to decide how good your game is. If they can't figure out someone's game by reading the submission, then the designer has failed in that aspect. Writing about it in a commentary does not make up for that. That's like a writer having to explain everything about his novel because the novel itself didn't convey it.

So, definitely add your commentary in the forums, we all benefit from stuff like that. However, there shouldn't be any reason to add it to your submission. That's my opinion. What do you think?

[Isaak]

Originally Posted by jkavalier

I guess the 500-word limit is because if we all start writing 1000-word (or more) entries, (even) fewer people would read them. And to improve our synthesis capabilities, and being able - in some future- to explain our games in a limited time period, hopefully during a pitch or a job interview.

It's definitely for that. Every single game design job description has 'excellent communication skills, both verbally and textually' on the bullet list and I really welcome the challenge that comes with distilling the design to the core.

These challenges are great practice and build your portfolio.

By the way, do any of you know about any other design challenges or contests?

I do not, sadly.

Isaak, the point is not how interesting your design commentary is. I think designer commentary is always good. The point is that a judge is judging your game, not how hard you thought about the game.

Well, maybe they did and the commentary didn't really do anything to the judging process.

For all I know they simply disregarded it but forgot to remove it from the page? Or maybe they think a bit like I do and decided it would do... something for readers, like... giving additional input or providing additional background info... or... something. Which is the whole point of it.

Their job is to decide how good your game is. If they can't figure out someone's game by reading the submission, then the designer has failed in that aspect. Writing about it in a commentary does not make up for that. That's like a writer having to explain everything about his novel because the novel itself didn't convey it.

But the design stands on itself, here. I mean... it's a design (or rather a distilled version of). I'm going to assume here they did The commentary is just... an extra, an important extra I think, but an extra nonetheless. It doesn't relate to the design other than describing what went on when it was made. Not the actual design-design.

Or the judges just suck.

So, definitely add your commentary in the forums, we all benefit from stuff like that. However, there shouldn't be any reason to add it to your submission. That's my opinion. What do you think?

I think I'm just going to add it to every submission henceforth so that everyone can read it and perhaps learn from it, until of course I'm told not to by the judges.