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	May 18, 2013

		Amazon Game Studios Game Development Engineer

		Amazon Game Studios Game Graphics Engineer

		Amazon Game Studios Lead 3D Environment Artist

		Treyarch / Activision Game Systems Designer

		The Workshop Technical Animator/Rigger

		Airtight Games Environment Artist

Jon Shafer's Blog Expert Blogs

President of Conifer Games.

Game designer currently developing At the Gates, a historical empire builder where players command a barbarian kingdom during the fall of the Roman Empire.

Co-host of The Game Design Round Table podcast, and author of articles on game design, project management and the business as a whole.

Expert Blogs

Fairness, Discovery & Spelunky
Posted by Jon Shafer on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:11:00 EDT in Design
We examine the role of fairness and discovery with the help of the amazing platformer Spelunky.
Read More... \| 4 Comments

Facing a Design Dead End
Posted by Jon Shafer on Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:01:00 EST in Design
One of At the Gates' features that I was most excited about turned out to be a dud. Okay, what now?
Read More... \| 4 Comments

Replacing Rome
Posted by Jon Shafer on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 06:39:00 EST in Design
The Romans aren't playable in AtG, but instead fill a more important role: providing pacing and structure.
Read More... \| 2 Comments

Growing a Game Company
Posted by Jon Shafer on Mon, 04 Mar 2013 02:59:00 EST in Business/Marketing
Ever wonder how a game company gets made? I tell the story of the ups and downs of Conifer's birth.
Read More... \| 5 Comments

At The Gates: A Pacing Design Document
Posted by Jon Shafer on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:40:00 EST in Design
I share a brainstorming doc I used to help establish pacing in my new strategy game, 'At the Gates'.
Read More... \| 1 Comments

Revisiting the Design of Civ 5
Posted by Jon Shafer on Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:23:00 EST in Design
What lessons did I learn while designing Civ 5 - and how am I now applying them in my new game?
Read More... \| 14 Comments

[More Jon Shafer Blogs]

Jon Shafer's Comments

Comment In: Sid Meier's still making stuff, and he'll probably never stop [News - 05/16/2013 - 04:05]
Nearly every time I swung ... Nearly every time I swung by the office during the weekend Sid would be there plugging away. He works as much as anyone in the business. He really is one of a kind. r n r n- Jon

Comment In: Growing a Game Company [Blog - 03/04/2013 - 02:59]
Conifer has no outside investment, ... Conifer has no outside investment, and I paid the initial startup costs out-of-pocket. At least in the US, you can expect these expenses to be in the low thousands of dollars. r n r n- Jon

Comment In: JRPGs & Persona 4 [Blog - 11/28/2012 - 01:37]
I wouldn 't dispute that ... I wouldn 't dispute that the story and characters are key components to what makes Persona 4 what it is. But just as there are a variety of ways to write a good book or film a good movie there are different ways to tell a story in a game. ...

Comment In: Building a Solid UI [Blog - 09/24/2012 - 06:13]
Some good points everyone, and ... Some good points everyone, and I can 't say I disagree. Looking back on it now, the point I made is not really what I 'd intended. r n r nWhile I prefer the OOTP12 version because of its readability, I wouldn 't actually call it GOOD. The OOTP13 version ...

Comment In: The More You Know: Making Decisions Interesting in Games [Feature - 07/27/2012 - 04:50]
It 's kind of ironic, ... It 's kind of ironic, because I actually enjoyed Chrono Cross quite a bit - probably played it for close to 200 hours over the years. That having been said, the combat system was definitely NOT why I found the designer 's choice to have three basic attack types with ...

Comment In: Adaptation [Blog - 05/22/2012 - 01:08]
I agree that unfairness can ... I agree that unfairness can sometimes be a good thing. A point I noted in the article is that meeting player expectations is ultimately all that really matters. If someone wants a game to be easy and it 's not, they 're upset - and the reverse is just as ...

[More Jon Shafer Comments]