If we want to play a game, we first need to learn the rules. But reading tutorials is boring... so how can we make sure we don't scare off the player? In...

The possibility of death in game design is often a necessary evil to give the game some stakes, but the player's death is usually not fun in itself—unless...

Incremental games, despite their simple mechanics and limited player interaction, present interesting challenges to a game designer. We'll examine some core...

Hockeynamite is a game that was born out of a technical demo created for a series of tutorials. It evolved from a very simple concept to a more rich and...

Incremental games are fascinating and perplexing. Marked by minimal player agency and periods of inactivity, they seem to defy conventional logic about good...

Post-match mini-achievements are regular achievements' little siblings, awarded after each match in a multiplayer game. In this quick post, we'll explore the...

Once a relatively obscure sub-genre that appealed to a hardcore fan base, roguelikes have been enjoying a recent renaissance. Let’s take a closer look at...

Making good artificial intelligence for computer opponents is difficult, but it's often difficult for the wrong reasons. What makes an AI fun, and should we...

Whether it's a simple game jam entry or a long-term passion project, your game needs to feel alive in the hands of players. In this tutorial, I'll share...

We used to see a lot of flight sims and rail shooters and games like Theme Park, but these days those types of games are rare, even though there's still a...

In this part of the series, we'll add the missing pieces required to turn the hockey prototype into an actual, playable game. These include a score,...

Why aren't there more games like Lemmings or Uplink, or more space roguelikes or parachuting games? Next time you're stuck for inspiration on what kind of...