Game Design Evolved

By Nick Mokey August 24, 2009

Game Design Evolved

Behind every great game, there’s a great game designer. And like great directors or artists, it’s vision and inspiration that drives them to create. On this week’s episode of Players Only, we sit down with some of the industry’s most revered leaders to find out what makes them tick, what they’ve learned, and what fellow designers they most admire.

“If you’ve looked at any of my titles, from A to B it was always about making things bigger,” explains Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation and founder of Gas Powered Gamnes. “Now it’s actually about making it more fun, about making the experience easier to get into, more persistent. Or more fun in a shorter period of time.”

And with user-generated content coming to the forefront of game design, will there always be a place for game designers? Not surprisingly, the pros answer with an emphatic yes.

“My history approach to game design has been delivering long experiences,” says Lorne Lanning, co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants. “My learned approach has been figuring out how to design the right type of tool sets for people to create their own experiences.”

Digital Trends’ video series Players Only debuted last year, earning critical acclaim by offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the video games industry, through the eyes of the people running it. The new season runs August 17 through September 28, with new episodes debuting ever Monday. Game Design: Raising the Bar is available immediately.

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Managing Editor

As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…

Gaming

I was a PlayStation Portal hater. Now it’s one of my go-to gaming devices

A PlayStation Portal plays Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

In November, I reviewed the PlayStation Portal. I was mixed on Sony’s streaming handheld at the time, frustrated with a corner-cutting execution of a good idea. It seemed like a poor value compared to simply slapping a cheaper Backbone controller on a phone. As is often the case with tech reviews, though, I only had a short window to test it out where I was more focused on the more objective side of what the Portal does and doesn’t do. Would my feelings change when I was using it naturally?

I’ve gotten the answer to that question over the past few months. While I barely touched my Portal after reviewing it in 2023, it’s quickly become a go-to device in my home as of January. I’m now breaking it out at least once a week, finding some practical use cases for it. Though my overall assessment of it hasn’t changed, I have a more tangible understanding of where it can be a useful -- if superfluous -- PS5 companion. It’s a needless luxury, but one that I’m finding that I'm happy to indulge in.
Second screen
The PlayStation Portal’s launch just so happened to come right before a major life change that would shift my perspective. After living alone for three years, my girlfriend moved into my apartment last December. It’s been a natural change that’s working great so far. That shift does come with some lifestyle changes, though. We’re both crammed into a one-bedroom apartment, which means we’re sharing a tight space. We remotely do our jobs feet apart in the same room, and most evenings are spent lounging on the couch.

Computing

This curved gaming monitor is down to just $160 at Best Buy

The AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor on a white background.

If you've spent most of your budget on gaming PC deals, you can still get a decent display for your setup with Best Buy's offer for the 24-inch AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor. From an already affordable sticker price of $210, it's even cheaper at just $160 following a $50 discount. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this bargain though, so if you think this budget-friendly monitor is perfect for you, it's highly recommended that you complete the purchase as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the 24-inch AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor
You shouldn't expect the 24-inch AOC G2 Series curved gaming monitor to match the performance and features of the best gaming monitors for its price, but it's still definitely a nice screen for playing the best PC games. Its size is within the recommended range of 24 inches to 32 inches by our computer monitor buying guide, and its Full HD resolution will provide sharp details and vivid colors. The monitor also offers an up to 165Hz refresh rate for fast frame transitions, a 1ms response time for blur-free scenes, and support for AMD's FreeSync Premium to eliminate screen tearing.

Computing

This Lenovo Legion gaming PC deal just dropped below $1,000

The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 gaming PC on a white background.

A decent gaming PC usually costs more than $1,000, but you can get one for less than that today by taking advantage of Lenovo's offer for the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8. From its original price of $1,500, it's down to a more affordable $994 following a 33% discount. There's no telling how much time is remaining before you miss out on the $506 in savings, so if you're interested in this deal, it's highly recommended that you complete the transaction as fast as you can. Today if possible, because tomorrow may already be too late.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 gaming PC
If you want to get into PC gaming for a relatively affordable price, the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 is an excellent choice. It's not the most powerful machine out there, but it will be enough for you to enjoy the best PC games with its AMD Ryzen 7 7700X processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, plus 16GB of RAM that's the best place to start for a gaming PC, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. It's also equipped with an air cooling system and meshed front vents to keep it cool even after hours of playing.