Jesse Schell: In the beginning, There is the Designer

In the Beginning, There is the Designer

The question we were asked to answer was, “ What advice does Schell to the would be games designers?”

                Our task was set to read chapter one of Jesse Schell’s book The Art of Games Design: A Book of Lenses. This chapter tells me is a motivational chapter to spur you on, for example from the notes that I took when reading it a question was, how do you become a game designer? “Design games, Start now! Don’t wait! Don’t even finish this conversation! Just start designing! Go! NOW! Here she encourages the reader by making them want to start designing and she later one added “The only way to become a games designer is by designing games”. Schell also said that novice’s designers will think they have little experience so there skills will be narrow and when a seasoned designer they will think that gave lost the touch, but she goes on to say “Never think possibility or impossibility”.  Another thing that Schell says is that “ You will fail many many times, but they will help you succeed, because each failure brings you a step closer to a phenomenal game”, here Schell is saying that everyone fails and makes their mistakes but from learning from your mistakes they won’t happen again and in the end your game will be “phenomenal”.

Schell lists many different skills a game designer has, they are:

1.       Animation

2.       Anthropology

3.       Architecture

4.       Brainstorming

5.       Business

6.       Cinematography

7.       Communication

8.       Creative Writing

9.       Economics

10.   Engineering

11.   History

12.   Management

13.   Mathematics

14.   Music

15.   Psychology

16.   Public Speaking

17.   Sound design

18.   Technical Writing

19.   Visual Arts

From when I went down the list reading the skills of a game designer I paused and thought WOW that’s a lot to master, but Schell goes on to say “No one can possibly master all these skills but the more of the skills you are good with the better”, which made me feel a bit better but also at the same time determined to try and get as many of the skills under my belt. Schell then goes on to talk about what she believes is the most important skill a game designer must have, she says some say its “Creativity, Critical Thinking, Logic and also Communication”,  she disagrees with these being the most important but does also add that they are indeed important but by no means the most important skill’s. The most important skill for a game designer is “Listening”. “Games designers must listen to many things. These can be grouped into five major categories: Team. Audience, Game, Client and Self.”

The Five Kinds of Listening

        On the topic of the skills of listening Schell talks about the 5 kinds of listening and a reason for them. “You will need to listen to your team since you are making the game together, it is crucial to listen when making decisions. You need to listen to your audience because they are the ones playing the game. Listen to your game you know whats wrong with it by listening to it run. Listen to your client they are the ones paying for the game you need to give them what they want. And your need to listen to YOURSELF!

At the end of that chapter Jesse Schell says that after reading this that your confidence might be fading now because perhaps it might seem a bit daunting to some so she says “Recite your magic words, for down the path we go!”

“I am a game designer,

I am a game designer

I am a game designer

I am a game designer."