A downloadable manifesto

anyone who plays, makes and/or talks about videogames is a loser

never make any game

make games, but do not be a game developer

make structure serve play. if it doesn’t, get rid of it

make structure serve meaning. if it doesn’t, get rid of it

find play that can coexist with ambiguity

commit to the bit

make neat shit

your ideas do not need to justify their presence

you do not have to elaborate on anything

make games for yourself even if nobody else likes them

finish your game. it deserves to be finished. it will haunt you until you do

don’t finish your game. it will never really be finished. release it anyway

do not participate in game jams

playing a videogame is just sitting down for a time

don’t ask for permission. nobody can give it to you

make a game that embraces all that is you

make a game for you first, then for the others

design your game with a vision

do not be afraid of 'chasing trends'. making a “timeless mastercraft” or “a paradigm shifter” is impossible by its very definition in this era

vision must not be sacrificed in profit of fun

don’t believe everything you think about your game, believe everything you feel

great game ideas can die, let them go

stay present. your game is not what it was or what it will be, it is what it is now

"narrative vs mechanics" is a false dichotomy. don't waste your time arguing with formalists

gamepad is better than keyboard

failure should be fun

the difference between someone who still draws and someone who doesn’t is the person who draws finds enjoyment in the slog, in the learning, in the bad days, in the bad lines, in the bad art

failure will account for at least 10% and at most 90% of your game, so let’s make that window entertaining

it is infinitely easier to figure out why something isn’t working than to determine why something is successful

failure is a powerful guiding force, the most honest teacher we have

don’t punish your player for trying. reward their character with scars, with depth and coping mechanisms, new fears and nervous tics

punish your players for trying. mastery leads to greater satisfaction

it is only through the discomfort of failure and loss that a true ending can be achieved

let their failures build a stronger foundation for them to try again

failure should be intentional

if you’re playing a game expressly about shooting, falling off a ledge to your death is not a useful failure

lots of things are frustrating. if you decide your game should be one of them, give your players tools for how to manage their frustration, encourage them to power through, and reward them for mastering it

letting yourself make mistakes is good

even if it’s not immediately obvious, everything you do builds towards what you will do later

having a space for failure is necessary because it is inevitable

not winning is not failure

players must not be allowed to win

it is by losing that players learn how to live. being is suffering

there are no win states in life

win states are artificial constructions. winning is ultimately meaningless

do not allow continues. alternately, offer continues but at a price

we can approach our ideas as if they are full of promise, poised to tilt the entire revolution of history, change every life, blow minds. maybe they will. but simultaneously it all exists in the scope of a pale blue dot, full of sound

in the future they will see our grand ambitions, our major progress, our accumulations of staggering (to us) proportions, as merely a moment in time, maybe part of the climb

there is no lasting power in such a goal, the attempt to make concrete the unattainable infinity of the ideal. it will always be dwarfed, it will always be smallfry

never make your magnum opus, ever. ten day projects are better than ten-year projects

but you can treat it as an extended universe. make many small attempts to explore the ideas and then tie them together

consider where your game would fit into the players' life

you don't need a business plan to ask for money. you don't need a budget, or sales predictions, seed money, investors, a fancy trailer, or a website. you can just ask for money. put it on the internet, put a price tag on it. nobody can stop you

readme files, sticky notes, dream journals, surveys, words engraved on jewelry, author's notes, epitaphs

character progression must be analog and realistically related to your actions

if your game is longer than an hour or two is better be episodic

a videogame should have 100 levels and you have to collect all the balls, and when you get all the balls the game says, great!!!

games take place in the mind of the player

we all know the feeling of waking up from a dream. we all have real memories of make-believe places

give your players real memories of an imagined reality

dream about videogames

videogames must spit in your face and remind you that you will die so very soon

videogames must not make sense if nothing else does

videogames will do nothing for you if you do nothing for yourself

all of our past selves are dead. we've killed them, we danced on their graves, and we don't owe them anything