You Should Write Your Taste Manifesto!
Do it.
Shirtless Stuffed Wombat reminds us that there is no such thing as “good” or “bad” game design. Every choice is context dependent. We need to create our own specific goals and measure our games against them. The best way to do that is to develop idiosyncratic aesthetic taste. To say “I like this and don’t like that” while refraining from saying “this is good and that is bad.” Write your taste manifesto! Here’s mine.
I like games that encourage me to master the systems of a game rather than its content. I liked playing Mario as a kid but it always reminded me of learning a song on the piano. When I died in a Mario level, it felt like I was learning the level and not the game. Spelunky showed me exactly what I had been missing. The procedurally generated levels meant that I had to learn how all the enemies and traps interacted in general, not just in the specific level I was playing. It’s the difference between improvising and memorizing.
I dislike “search” in games. I dislike knowing that if I stare at the game for long enough and think long enough I will find a better move somewhere. I really wanted to love Dorfromantik but once the board gets big it pains me to either spend a lot of time searching for the optimal move or make a move quickly knowing that there’s a better move somewhere. Two factors can flip this around for me.
Randomness! Adding a healthy dose of randomness makes it less useful to think far ahead.
Time pressure. Action games, or turn based games with time limits. I love Crypt of the Necrodancer because it makes you think on your feet!
I like making gut decisions.
I like to play at the edge of my ability, especially in action games like Nuclear Throne that require my full attention. It’s the feeling when someone throws a frisbee and you run after it to just barely snatch it from the air with your hand outstretched.
I like games that don’t explain themselves too much. I really enjoyed Royals for this reason. Playing the game is learning the game and learning the game is playing the game.
I like games that make you say silly sentences with complete sincerity. Yes I would like to grow a pair of wings to increase my reputation with birds and winged mammals. Thanks Caves of Qud.
I like games where interesting stories pop out.
I am motivated by mastery. I take pride in winning, especially if the road to winning was difficult. My extended family played a lot of games and I was the youngest so it was common for me to lose many times in a row and insist that we keep playing anyway. My cousins usually indulged me. I have a great time playing against people who are better than me. One of my fondest memories at the neighborhood pool was lining up in the shade for a turn at the ping-pong table (winner stays). The few times I won and got to play again were so sweet.
I want games to be opinionated. I love Slice and Dice but I dislike how many options it has. I don’t want to try all the combinations. I want you to tell me what you think is the best way to play your game. Unopinionated games also reduce my feeling of mastery. Sure I mastered this specific version of the game but is it the canonical one?
I have 0 interest in collecting, decorating or customizing. I have a vivid childhood memory of inviting a friend over to play Spore and thinking we would jump right into playing the game. He spent 2 hours fiddling with tiny visual details on the creature. I was so bored that I actually left the room (and went to go jump on the trampoline in my backyard, good times) and I only came back when he was done.
As a programmer by training, I like games that have modular feeling worlds where interactions between different elements “just work”. Caves of Qud again, Spelunky again, Slice and Dice again.
My taste, summarized:
Make me learn the systems, not the content.
Don’t make me spend a long time searching for an optimal move.
Encourage me to play at the very limits of my ability.
Be opinionated
If you don’t agree with me, great! That is the point. Make your own list of likes and dislikes and make games that fulfill them! Let them be your north star! Write your taste manifesto!