Learning Design From Other Disciplines

I talk about lessons I learned from my hobbies and other activities that I applied to game design.

Video I reference:

[Kay_McKay]

Instructions unclear: Created a casserole instead of a steampunk RPG.

[Chedring]

I've noticed that a lot of new creators dont have other hobbies than video games. While its good to have a spread of video game knowledge, I feel like it stifles creativity. Same for anime production, I remember a documentary a long time ago showing that more and more animators were just people who grew up with anime and comparing the rise of moe style to this.

[arcan]

Miyamoto is a go to example of this for me, with his games being very influenced by his non-game related hobbies, and just how fresh they feel as a result.
I've met a lot of game devs that don't have any other interests than games, and it really shows when their games are just derivative of other games, and lacking any real spark of their own.

[proydoha]

What amazes me always is how some tabletop games distill some complex simulation concept into a very simple rule and as a player you look at that rule and think:"This makes so much sense!"

[ghoulthebraineater]

Mise en place is the term you're looking for. It means things in place. You gather all the ingredients and tools you need before starting a recipe. That way you don't run into your scenario of not having salt.

It's a great concept for so many things.

[abrahamdrinkin]

Seeing someone be so transparent and upfront about their weaknesses and limitations is immensely refreshing. I would say a vast majority of people are scared to do this. I include myself in that number.

[Zowimir]

The miniature of this video is stellar, please don't change it

[entorwellian]

Completely agree. I learned a lot about electronic sound design from taking watercolor painting classes and applying a lot of the techniques into FFT synthesis.

[LighthoofDryden]

YES this is so insightful! For me, teaching violin to little kids has taught me the most. Bringing a player into a new world, showing them how it works, giving them a new vocabulary, using scaffolding to develop skills, testing skills, using intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, cultivating flow state. The overlap is enormous!!

Writing is a close second, and I think that’s because narrative is so baked into how humans experience the world. Even abstract games like chess have story in the piece names, and it’s better for it. Writers learn to work with theme, to make things make sense, to create feelings.

Loved this video, very thought provoking

[tanner]

Tim— I love your videos. Obviously your games, media, everything you’ve done for this world. Honestly. Just wanted to say, I’m proud of you, your dedication to talking and doing what you like/think is important and sticking to your principles in a world that doesn’t pay off these values. I appreciate your hard work, your personal experience, and down to earth ability to just BE YOU.

[bookmarcreads]

So I was on eBay this morning, window shopping for alternative movie posters when I came across a really neat 70’s Logan’s Run looking sci-fi poster illustrated by Kilian Eng for Argo, the 2013 Oscar best picture winning Ben Affleck movie and I was confused. Argo was more of a period heist thriller not some cool 70’s sci-fi movie. Upon research, I realized Argo was based on a true story in 1979 when an undercover CIA team posed as a film crew making a movie in Iran to extract 66 American Embassy hostages. The movie they were pretending to shoot was an adaptation of the 1968 Hugo Award winning book: “Lord of Light” by Roger Zelazny. The poster on eBay was illustrating the fictional “Lord of Light” movie within the movie.

My ADHD brain then switched gears to tune in to your video and lo and behold, I was shocked to hear you mention “Lord of Light” being a video game adaptation dream project of yours! The coincidence was too much to pass up and my curiosity was peaked, so I bought the ebook then and there and I’ve been reading it all day. I’m really enjoying it so far!

Thank you for the serendipitous book recommendation and thank you for sharing your video game development wisdom, your videos are a wellspring of creative inspiration! 😊

[orka]

On the reverse, I don't do anything related to game design as a guy with a finance degree working in banking. But your stories have really helped my outlook on office work in a more serious setting and office work in a less serious setting. Your hr and employee interactions, both negative and positive, are pretty universal!

[studenai]

Hey, Tim. Since you, as many designers, are constantly thinking about design ideas and mechanisms, have you ever thought of designing a tabletop game? Could be an RPG or a more classical board game. Might be a good outlet for your creativity :)

[Smeighl]

Worked as a line cook for 12 years and there are many lessons that apply to an office environment. Love the cooking analogies! Thanks Tim.

[drottningu]

Well said! I totally agree, just like the dice and card game limitations can yield better results, learning your own limitations and obeying them can make your creations even better.

[lhfirex]

Wow, Tim wrote the Fallout 1 opening narration? So we have him to thank for great lines like "War. War never changes." that came to define the franchise!

[ineligible]

The analogy of cooking/baking resonates with me because I've been working on my cooking recently, and it truly is a game of experimentation. There's no other way to figure out what does and doesn't work for you other than getting your hands dirty and trying out different things, and that mindset can go a long way being extrapolated into environments which can facilitate an iterative process of improvement.

[ListerTunes]

I had a LOT of interests and pursued a LOT of different things before finally making it in to game design. It's the only discipline I know of that can find a use for just about anything you learn about anything. History, mythology, art, literature, architecture, psychology, geology, geography, sociology, civics, religion, literature, film, theater, music, engineering, chemistry, biology, physics, law -- literally anything taught in a school can inform a design. Experiences, stories, songs, travel, books, movies, other games, other genres, other types of games, sports, hobbies, conventions, charity work -- if you watch for it you'll find something cool that can make a game better in just about anything. If I had to describe what I look for when I interview people for junior positions, it's curiosity, breadth of experience (in life), the ability to change perspectives, and the ability to work with a team.

[aetherial]

Not really a hobby, but math. Good math skills really help me map in my head how to answer the question, "how can I make this work?" and the design flows from there.

[LukMasterOfDisaster]

Here I am - Structural Engineer (Construction), listening from experienced person in completely different area of expertise😁
Bits and pieces from other industries can be learnt to improve and widen Your horizons