Noah Falstein shares lessons learned from 37 years in game development

- Longtime designer Noah Falstein shares his origins as a game developer

Since first getting his start in 1980, game designer and producer Noah Falstein has worked with companies like LucasArts, 3DO, and, recently, Google to create a robust portfolio of video games.

This afternoon, Falstein took to Reddit to share some of the knowledge and stories he’s collected throughout his 37 years in game development. His “Ask Me Anything” session attracted questions about his involvement with classic titles like Sinistar and Monkey Island and his experience creating games in the ‘80s.

One question prompted a story about the complicated process of testing and fixing bugs in the arcade game Sinistar. Another asked if there was one game in his extensive portfolio that he wishes he could redesign. Falstein pointed to the first game he made at LucasArts, Koronis Rift.

“I think that’s very common among designers, we’re always tinkering and and if you indulge the urge to change everything, you end up with one of those disasters that goes on for years and never comes out,” said Falstein.

“Looking back, I made many mistakes that a rookie designer tends to make, chief among them trying to do too much, and also putting too much effort into parts of the game that weren't enhancing gameplay. In some ways that was one of the very first FPS games, and I think I could have made it a lot more exciting if I'd made it less strategic.”

The rest of Falstein’s AMA varies from game development advice, historical tidbits about things like arcade game monetization, and stories about experiencing earthquakes at Skywalker Ranch.