The Serious Art of Designing Fun

What's the starting point of a game design? Some may argue that it begins with a story. Others might start with a game genre in mind. Still others may suggest starting with a compelling game mechanic. They're all perfectly great starting points for the game concept but I would argue that there needs to be more structure before a game concept becomes a design.

In fact, this is what game design and creative writing have in common. Both activities begin by first defining its key elements. Where they differ are the key elements itself. Today, I'm going to delve into the first two elements of a game design.

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