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Avid game design theorist; experienced programmer and software project manager; first (noncommercial) game developed was a real-time multiplayer space combat sim for IBM mainframes in 1985. Currently working as Community Manager for Storybricks (Namaste Entertainment): http://www.storybricks.com/ .
Gaming-related interests include "deep" gameplay, Explorer/Simulationist gameplay, psychology of gamers, player-centered design, massively multiplayer game design, and industry trends.
Personal game design blog at: http://flatfingers-theory.blogspot.com/
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Member Blogs
FUS ROH DAH! The Unrelenting Force of Content Coherence  |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:41:00 EST in
Design
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| In which we consider how the careful selection of gameplay elements can burn a game into our hearts and minds. |
| Read More... | 9 Comments |
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In Defense of Surprising Gameplay |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:13:00 EDT in
Design
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| Game developers often try to find and remove all unexpected interactions in the belief that anything not intended is likely to be a bug. But this may be unnecessarily preventing the development of games in which surprise is a necessary feature. |
| Read More... | 15 Comments |
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Play Style DOES Matter |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:51:00 EDT in
Design
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| Since Warren Spector demonstrated Epic Mickey at E3 2010, there's been a microburst of gaming media coverage of his design philosophy that "play style matters." It's about time. |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
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Blizzard's Core Game Design Concepts: A Contrary View |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:41:00 EST in
Design
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| At GDC 2010, Blizzard EVP of Game Design Rob Pardo described a number of design concepts behind Blizzard's games. While these are obviously successful for Blizzard's games, they can be seen as working only for simple action games. There are other kinds. |
| Read More... | 16 Comments |
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Reactions to the Schell Presentation: A Playstyle-Based Analysis |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:11:00 EST in
Design
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| The online reaction to Jesse Schell's DICE 2010 presentation can be understood as a reaction to computer gaming becoming a mass entertainment form. Where early gamers enjoyed intangible immersion, today's typical gamer now expects tangible rewards. |
| Read More... | 0 Comments |
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Enabling Deeper Relationships Through Multifaction |
| Posted by Bart Stewart on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:46:00 EST in
Design
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| The MMORPG concept of "faction" allows small choices to accumulate into big consequences. Extending this concept to allow NPC groups to have faction with each other creates even more dynamic social environments in gameworlds. |
| Read More... | 2 Comments |
[More Bart Stewart Blogs]
Bart Stewart's Comments
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Comment In: The Trouble with Immersion, or the Opening of Metro: Last Light [Blog - 05/16/2013 - 09:35]
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Hmm. r n r n ... Hmm. r n r n Skyrim is a great open world game, but its design isn 't as effective. Sure, the players can explore the world freely, but they aren 't driven to do it as much as they would be in STALKER or Dark Souls. r n r nDespite ... |
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Comment In: The Creative and the Leader [Blog - 05/19/2013 - 12:45]
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Michael, I suspect you 're ... Michael, I suspect you 're right that for the vast majority of development studios, every tie goes to the person with the project/production perspective, rather than to the design/ creative person. r n r nThat may be because most studios are one game away from extinction, living at the mercy ... |
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Comment In: Even Further Down the Curation Rabbithole [Blog - 05/16/2013 - 02:42]
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James, I 'd say the ... James, I 'd say the difference is that Amazon shows you what it thinks you might like which might or might not have any bias toward things they 're trying to sell , whereas the system Richard Bartle suggests compares your interests directly with other people. Steam 's similar. r ... |
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Comment In: Warren Spector: Use the storytelling tools that work for games [News - 05/10/2013 - 05:18]
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A quote from Warren in ... A quote from Warren in his interview with Rock Paper Shotgun published today sheds a little more light on what he 's thinking when he talks about worlds to explore: r n r n When people think about worlds, virtual worlds, they think about enormous, fully explorable, Grand Theft Auto, ... |
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Comment In: The Saturday Paper - Dungeon Feng Shui [Blog - 05/12/2013 - 07:50]
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Another substantive and encouraging piece ... Another substantive and encouraging piece -- there can never be enough of these. : r n r nKeep them coming, please |
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Comment In: Steve Wozniak discusses early Apple years and BASIC [Blog - 05/07/2013 - 08:06]
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Keith, I thought pretty carefully ... Keith, I thought pretty carefully about my last paragraph before I smacked the Submit button, and specifically considered Python and other modern scripting languages. r n r nI stand by my opinion not because there 's anything wrong with Python, but because the greater complexity of computing devices and environments ... |
[More Bart Stewart Comments]
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