

Ask HN: Do you want to learn about game design? - kd5bjo
http://blog.haleret.com/game-design-concepts-class-of-2010

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hugh3
Ask HN: Is this really an Ask HN, or an attempt to disguise a garden-variety
blog post as an Ask HN just because Ask HNs tend to get upvoted a lot?

One could easily rename any submission "X" as "Ask HN: Do You Want to Learn
About X?" but it'd be a pretty cheap trick.

~~~
kd5bjo
I really intended this as an "Ask HN". The only reason that I didn't reference
HN in the post is that there are other communities that I extended the same
invitation to.

~~~
Pahalial
hugh3 was referring to the fact that "Ask HN:" titles are typically used for
local discussion, by simple convention.
[http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aycombinator.com+Ask+HN...](http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aycombinator.com+Ask+HN%3A)

~~~
there
or click the "ask" link at the top of this page.

<http://news.ycombinator.com/ask>

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mrcharles
My experience as a veteran game programmer/designer is that few classes teach
much of use.

The reality is that game design is an art, not a science, and in general, like
all arts, natural ability separates the good from the best.

That being said, I wouldn't mind following along if I have time, to try and
throw wrenches in and be a devil's advocate.

~~~
johnfn
There was a great comment on here a while back saying how we justify our flaws
by a perceived lack of "natural talent," when we haven't invested enough time
to see our skills improve.

Be careful to avoid this trap.

~~~
mrcharles
I know my flaws. It's why I excel.

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imp
Looks cool. I read a Theory of Fun and it was really insightful. I probably
won't follow along with this class due to lack of time right now, though.

I see you're organizing the class mostly through your blog. If you find that
to be cumbersome, I've created a collaborative learning website that is
designed for this kind of group learning. It can add some structure around the
class, help people track their progress, and send out emails to students when
new stuff happens. It's called Curious Reef <http://curiousreef.com/> and it's
free to create and take classes.

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JeanPierre
Yes!

It's been a long time since I've learned something not involving mathematics.
Game balance, game optimization, game physics etc. all involves mathematics.
Whereas game design probably has some mathematics laying around, I would
suspect it would be much easier to grab than other mathematics in the area.

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kd5bjo
I know that lots of people here are interested in using game mechanics to
increase their sites' stickiness for users. I thought that some of you might
be interested in working together through a game design course to help
understand why games work.

~~~
zackattack
I would prefer a comprehensive blog post outlining the bullet points of what
we should know, rather than a mini-course. Also, you may enjoy this blog post
I wrote: [http://www.zacharyburt.com/2010/06/why-games-are-fun-the-
psy...](http://www.zacharyburt.com/2010/06/why-games-are-fun-the-psychology-
explanation/)

~~~
kd5bjo
That would be about as useful as a comprehensive blog post outlining the
bullet points of how to play the piano. Game design is a skill that requires
practice to master; a course like this is a good way to provide directed
practice and social pressure to put in the effort required to get better.

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foxtrot
I would have loved to have done this when I planned to make my own game
(purchased the graphics engine and tools), I just didnt have the right mind to
get my head around the code base so quickly gave up. Its great something like
this is being done.

