The Experience of Design

I started reading The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell recently. So far it is a pretty interesting book. Some of the information is stuff I have come across in other readings, which is a good thing as this is supposed to be an introductory textbook for game design.

Chapter 2 of the book focus on how a designer is not creating a game but an experience. The game is just a medium for the experience. At the core this seems approximately correct for what a game is. Most video games seek to let you experience some story. Even board and card games often strive to create an experience. For example Magic attempts to simulate a wizards duel. This lens certainly provides focus  for a designer as she can constantly evaluate the components of the game against the criterion of how they contribute to the experience she is trying to evoke.

On the other hand focusing on just the experience is limiting and would seem to reduce the depth of the game. Evaluating the concept that a designer creates an experience through the lens of Mark Rosewater's Psycographic Profiles, this focus leads to just designing for Timmy. Johnny and Spike are not drawn in by raw experiences, they have other base needs that drive them. A game that simply provides an experience has little replay value for them because Johnny can't express himself and Spike can't prove himself just through experiencing what the designer had in mind.

I think that Schell's focus on the experience because that is an actual starting place. Starting with either of the other two's desires would be extremely tough. The need to express oneself or prove something makes more sense in the context of experience or existing game, but not much on the blank slate that is the start of design. While I think it is necessary to have Johnny & Spike elements in any game to give it replay value these add to the Timmy experience which starts the creative process.