Interesting Decisions: Introduction

As a kid, I would buy pounds of skittles and then marathon a new game. It strikes me that most games are like junk food. They are made with simples sugars and pre-processed choices. For example: Should I open this treasure chest? Yes, it has treasure. Should I use my most expensive attacks against this boss? Yes, he’s a boss. Should I run my character in circles for hours? Yes, I want dizzying amounts of experience. I learned the hard way that some things aren't good for you. That some games are simple and stupid to a fault. And that eating candy for 30 hours straight will make you vomit.

As a game designer, I want to make good games. Games with intrigue. Games which are difficult to master. Games full of protein and complex choice-o-hydrates. I’m interested in making interesting decisions.

There is a famous quote from Sid Meier: “games are a series of interesting decisions.” He has made some interesting games, most notably the Civilization Series. Yet some people, like Chris Bateman, have objected to this. Others, like Mark Rosewater, use a broader criteria when looking at choice. ‘Interesting decision’ is not the only rubric used to create games. But, it is the one I will be writing on.

In this series I will discuss a few different things: What is a choice? What makes a choice interesting? What separates a difficult choice from and easy one? When should I use simple choices? How do punishment and reward effect choice? What should the cost be? How can choices create stories? This series is about choices, choices, and choices.

As part of the writing process, I will make a game to go with each section. The style will vary from classic games to video games, from simple to complex. I’ll also provide a bit of analysis on each one. Anyways to be continued in Making Mystery Pt 1.