15 Hidden Video Game Design Secrets That Are Total Genius
"Mind = blown" was invented for moments like this.
It's very easy to forget just how meticulous, multifaceted and belaboured the process of making a video game is. When the likes of Lawbreakers starts to see its sales and reputation slide after only a month of release, thinking of it as "Cliffy B's latest isn't doing so well" belies the fact that an entire team of people devoted their lives to coding various levels, physics models, characters and scenarios from nothing, into a workable, playable product.
By extension, video game design teams are the biggest unsung heroes of the industry, and whilst that doesn't take away from the Hideo Kojimas, Ken Levines or Neil Druckmanns of the world, once you start looking into the nitty gritty of how some of the most successful games actually tick, then it gets mighty interesting.
How does the game know when to throw you some more enemies vs. hinting at where to go next? How does a boss or specific enemy's A.I. work so the player naturally figures out what to do, and doesn't feel lost?
Once you start having these conversations, it brings about the fact that overall, we very rarely see what should be "behind the scenes making of" documentaries centred on our favourite games, though like with any film release's set of special features, they're always truly fascinating.
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Note: The vast majority of insight was gleaned from a wonderfully unique game developer chat that recently happened on Twitter.