“One of the skills mentioned in the previous section, one is far and away the most important, and it sounds so strange to most people that I didn’t even list it. Many people guess “creativity,” and I would argue that this is probably the second most important skill. Some guess “critical thinking” or “logic,” since game design is about decision making. These are indeed important, but by no means the most important skills.
Some say “communication,” which starts to get close. The world communication has unfortunately become corrupted over the centuries. It once referred to an exchange of ideas, but now has become a synonym for talking, as in “I have something to communicated to you.” Talking is certainly an important skill, but good communication and good game design are rooted in something far more basic and far more important.
Listening.
The most important skill for a game designer is listening.”
- The Art of Game Design (A Book of Lenses), by Jesse Schell
A very true statement indeed! There are a lot of people out there that should read this book (or at least the above excerpt). While I can’t give The Art of Game Design an unequivocal thumbs up or down yet, as I just started reading the book myself, being a good listener is so enormously important that Jesse Schell gets bonus points for spelling it out in plain English.
Official Website - http://artofgamedesign.com/
Review: The Art of Game Design
“The Art of Game Design, A Book of Lenses,” by Jesse Schell is a solid primer on how game designers should think (or at least some questions game designers should ask themselves during the creative process) and conduct themselves. Game design is all about decision-making, but how does a designer come to the proper conclusion? While there is no fixed way of making a correct decision on everything, the author does an excellent job of isolating considerations relevant to specific topics into lenses, or high-level questions a designer should ask oneself. Will this book aide a seasoned designer? Maybe, but if you are like me then you’ll just be absent-mindedly nodding your head at the points Jesse Schell makes. Will this book aide a junior designer or someone looking to become a designer? Yes, but I have one caveat — the full meaning of these lessons can only be learned through experience. Anyone can be told, or taught, how a designer should think or behave, but many of these lessons won’t stick until after practical application (adrenaline, stress, and stomach ulcers certainly do a lot to cement certain lessons).
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