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Avid game design theorist; experienced programmer and software project manager; first (noncommercial) game developed was a real-time multiplayer space combat sim for IBM mainframes in 1985. Currently working as Community Manager for Storybricks (Namaste Entertainment): http://www.storybricks.com/ .
Gaming-related interests include "deep" gameplay, Explorer/Simulationist gameplay, psychology of gamers, player-centered design, massively multiplayer game design, and industry trends.
Personal game design blog at: http://flatfingers-theory.blogspot.com/
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Member Blogs
FUS ROH DAH! The Unrelenting Force of Content Coherence  |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:41:00 EST in
Design
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| In which we consider how the careful selection of gameplay elements can burn a game into our hearts and minds. |
| Read More... | 9 Comments |
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In Defense of Surprising Gameplay |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:13:00 EDT in
Design
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| Game developers often try to find and remove all unexpected interactions in the belief that anything not intended is likely to be a bug. But this may be unnecessarily preventing the development of games in which surprise is a necessary feature. |
| Read More... | 14 Comments |
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Play Style DOES Matter |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:51:00 EDT in
Design
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| Since Warren Spector demonstrated Epic Mickey at E3 2010, there's been a microburst of gaming media coverage of his design philosophy that "play style matters." It's about time. |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
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Blizzard's Core Game Design Concepts: A Contrary View |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:41:00 EST in
Design
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| At GDC 2010, Blizzard EVP of Game Design Rob Pardo described a number of design concepts behind Blizzard's games. While these are obviously successful for Blizzard's games, they can be seen as working only for simple action games. There are other kinds. |
| Read More... | 16 Comments |
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Reactions to the Schell Presentation: A Playstyle-Based Analysis |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:11:00 EST in
Design
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| The online reaction to Jesse Schell's DICE 2010 presentation can be understood as a reaction to computer gaming becoming a mass entertainment form. Where early gamers enjoyed intangible immersion, today's typical gamer now expects tangible rewards. |
| Read More... | 0 Comments |
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Enabling Deeper Relationships Through Multifaction |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:46:00 EST in
Design
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| The MMORPG concept of "faction" allows small choices to accumulate into big consequences. Extending this concept to allow NPC groups to have faction with each other creates even more dynamic social environments in gameworlds. |
| Read More... | 2 Comments |
[More Bart Stewart Blogs]
Bart Stewart's Comments
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Comment In: The Devil's Workshop: An Interview with Diablo III's Jay Wilson [Feature - 05/18/2012 - 12:00]
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Does team size matter r ... Does team size matter r n r nIn other words, if you 're a AAA shop who can have hundreds of people working on a game for 3-5 years, does that give you the flexibility to dream up new design ideas in the hallway that a smaller team can 't ... |
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Comment In: In-depth: Is it time for a text game revival? [News - 05/18/2012 - 03:51]
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People tend to relate much ... People tend to relate much better to information if they can spatially separate and distinguish it, and you can 't really do that with a text-only game. r n r nEric, when I read this I couldn 't help but think of the pretty well-documented point that men tend to ... |
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Comment In: The Digital Demise of Wonder [Blog - 05/04/2012 - 11:57]
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It 's probably instructive to ... It 's probably instructive to think about that word cheating. r n r nWhat 's the point of playing a single-player puzzle game If it 's the pleasure of perceiving elegant or at least correct solutions to a series of puzzles, then looking up answers online is, in a way, ... |
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Comment In: Why I Hate Cooldowns [Blog - 05/02/2012 - 07:57]
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Reading the generally good comments ... Reading the generally good comments here and giving this some more thought, I think I can summarize my view a little better now. r n r nWhat we 're talking about here is a replenishment mechanic. Specifically, a cooldown timer does time-based tactical replenishment : the resource that must be ... |
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Comment In: Is Behaviourism Evil? [Blog - 05/02/2012 - 10:56]
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I hesitate to apply the ... I hesitate to apply the word evil to a game that people can freely choose not to play. That devalues the word compared to discussing totalitarianism and rape. r n r nThat said, I do think that psychological manipulation can be wrong, and that there is a line -- maybe ... |
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Comment In: Four Key Traits for Designers [Blog - 04/27/2012 - 11:01]
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Also, I 'm in Vietnam. ... Also, I 'm in Vietnam. r n r nAh -- I gather that explains the colors of the logo design you use as your image here... r n r nOne follow-up note to The Wrong Answer section: there are lots of different wrong answers. r n r nIn other words, ... |
[More Bart Stewart Comments]
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