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GDC Online 2012: Raph Koster's keynote on a Theory of Fun, 10 years later
Ten years ago at GDC, Raph Koster gave a talk called A Theory of Fun. The presentation turned into a book, and after a series of printings and reprintings, that book has arguably become the best-selling game design book of all time. At GDC Online this week, Koster revisited his Theory of Fun to look at what still applies and what's changed. Read on for highlights from this GDC keynote address.
Raph Koster wants to know why we can't all just get along
Raph Koster, MMO guru and erstwhile creative director of Star Wars Galaxies, has had it up to here with you people and your intolerance of one another. Yes, you, game designers. In a recent blog post, Koster makes shame carrots at those on both sides of the science-versus-humanities schism in the game design community. He states that people on either side of the spectrum can be right and that there's room for both emotional value and scientific fact in games. Too many people, he says, are entrenched in their viewpoints, and that makes progress more difficult for everyone. The result is an abundance of "hipstery, self-indulgent, artsy, self-referential, slight, pretentious work all over the place that people are claiming as the One True Way or the best way to push the boundaries of the field." Koster says that rather than fiercely defend a specific type of game design, designers need to embrace a both/and mentality, in which multiple viewpoints and approaches are accepted as valid and worthwhile. Narrative designers should try making a game with nothing but counters and dice and no story. System designers should try making a game that is about telling a story. While we're at it, the world should really learn how to sing in perfect harmony.
Killer Pac-Man shirt, from Raph Koster's Theory of Fun
Raph Koster has some merch available featuring some of the cartoons from his book, A Theory of Fun for Game Design. Our favorite: the killer Pac-Man shirt, which comes from this cartoon captioned, "People get scared of the influence games have over them -- fears that they will cause murderous rampages on the street. That's unlikely."Does that Pac-Man remind anyone of this creepy dude?[Via Wonderland]
