Essential Gaming Base or Fundamental Game Layout
In the world of game design, one innovative creator is making waves by adopting the mindset of embracing failure, a concept popularised by Eric Ries in his book "The Lean Startup" and further expanded upon in "The Frustrated Songwriter's Guide to Songwriting" by Karl Coryat and Nicholas Dobson.
The game designer, working for a software startup, believes in the power of rapid iteration and continuous improvement. This approach is evident in their unique method of creating a "minimum viable game" for each game they write. Using a prototype made from sticky labels and old playing cards, they test their ideas with real customers, aiming to save time and effort by avoiding the creation of products that are not marketable.
The MVP concept, as detailed in "The Lean Startup", emphasises building a product with just enough features to attract early customers and gather feedback. By releasing an MVP, entrepreneurs can fail fast, learn faster, and iterate continuously, fostering a culture that views failure as a valuable learning experience rather than a defeat.
The "20 Song Game" concept, while not directly related to the MVP framework, encourages songwriters to be prolific and less attached to individual songs. The idea is to write a significant number of songs in a short period (20 songs in a month, for example), which fosters creativity, reduces perfectionism, and encourages experimentation.
The designer's approach to game creation is influenced by both concepts. They create a series of games, many of which may not work or be enjoyable, but could have a good idea at their core. This strategy allows them to discard failures quickly and without emotion, learning from each mistake and refining their craft.
The designer also recommends reading about the "20 Song Game" in "The Frustrated Songwriter's Guide to Songwriting". They believe in creating ten bad things for every one good thing in any creative sphere, echoing the book's sentiment that failure can be powerful and helpful in the creative process.
In summary, this game designer's approach to creative pursuits demonstrates the power of embracing failure. By adopting the strategies from both "The Lean Startup" and "The Frustrated Songwriter's Guide to Songwriting", they are able to pivot, improve, and iterate based on empirical evidence, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
Embracing a lifestyle of rapid iteration and continuous improvement, this game designer not only applies the MVP concept from "The Lean Startup" in their work, but also encourages the adoption of technology, such as digital prototypes, to streamline the game creation process. Their work in sports, like developing a game, can be compared to a sports team's strategy, where they evaluate the effectiveness of each game design through customer feedback and iterate accordingly, much like a sports team learning from their victories and losses.
