Card games! We've played them for centuries, but it's only in recent decades (read: the '90s) that game designers have begun to explore what you can do with card games in which players are expected to collect and design their own decks.

The concept was popularized by Magic: The Gathering, that mega-popular CCG designed by Richard Garfield for Wizards of the Coast, and back at GDC 2011 it was still firmly rooted in physical card games.

That's why game designer Skaff Elias (who worked on a number of Magic card sets) came to GDC to offer game devs some insight on how they might apply the best practices of CCG design to their own games, be they physical or digital.

It was a great talk, one well worth watching today for both its timeless game design insights and the glimpse it offers into where game design was at in 2011. Luckily, you can now watch it completely free on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent company Informa