Feature: Avoiding 'Too Many Cooks' And Other Game Design LessonsFeature: Avoiding 'Too Many Cooks' And Other Game Design Lessons

Author: by Staff

In a new Gamasutra feature, veteran Mindscape and NovaLogic developer Henrik Markarian warns studios not to let too many people contribute to a game's core design, saying too many cooks can spoil the game design broth. While allowing everyone to contribute ideas to a game's design might seem like a great selling point to attract potential employees -- and a good way to keep all workers happy -- the results don't often work out as well in practice as in theory, Markarian says. "Game projects (much like other entertainment properties) are most successful when guided by a small and focused group," he writes. "This doesn't mean that the group will make a hit every time out, but it does ensure a cohesive vision for the game that in turn increases the likelihood of success." Markarian recommends that producers "put together the best small team possible and empower them to make the final design decisions, while avoiding the temptation of introducing multiple points of design direction from inside or outside." Elsewhere in the feature, Markarian warns developers against artificially lengthening a game just to meet an arbitrary "hours of gameplay target," arguing that doing so takes away the focus needed for a compelling experience. "Most often, in order to meet these types of expectations the core gameplay experience is stretched through such a lengthy sequence that the impact is lost on the player," he writes. "Similarly the story is stretched through so many unnatural twists and turns that at the end the player has little connection to the original premise or the main goal." The full feature includes many more observations about smoothing out the game development process, including advice on avoiding conflicts between "suits" and "geeks" and maintaining harmony across a development team throughout a project.