a good videogame

COMMITMENT / SUBVERSION

a good videogame...

should commit to the bit.

it should know what it is
and what its limitations are.

it should have an Aesthetic
that flows like water,
with art, music, and gameplay
all acting in total harmony.

everything should have purpose and
fold over itself multiple times,
further cementing the themes
with each layering.

it should do some cool stuff
like Magic The Gathering®
where there are 5 colors of card,
each with its own unique mechanical ethos
but also a complimentary philosophy
but also some of that good Flavor Shit.

like you should have a red card that is called "Pissed Goblin" and you have to tap a Mountain card bc goblins live in mountains but ALSO mountains are red. the goblin has to attack every turn bc red == angry and the little italic descriptive text on the card says something like “A common hazing ritual amongst the goblin youths that live atop Very Red Mountain is to urinate on the new kid, who tries desperately to punch the dicks of their assailants.”

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a great videogame...

after committing so intensely to the bit,
subverts expectations
and surprises the player.

i bet you didn’t expect this manifesto
to turn into a design doc
for a new Magic card idea
i’ve been workshopping.

i also bet you didn’t expect me
to copy and paste it
into the cover letter for my job application
for Lead Designer at Wizards of the Coast LLC.

i also bet

you didn’t expect

to give me this job,

Mr. Garfield.

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