When I see a game design or a completed game, it takes me about 30 seconds to know if the game designer is early in his or her career.

The clue?

When I look at the game screen, I see too much going on. Too many things on screen, too many moving parts and pieces, too many things for the player to do at once. To a player it’s overwhelming.

How did I learn this?

I made the mistake when I designed my first full game (NanoTek Warrior, an arcade shooter for the PS1).  I was so worried about there being something fun going on that I overloaded each level with enemy ships and structures to dodge.

It was unplayable. Even after I later got a clue and went back and redesigned the levels, it was still too overwhelming for most people.

My mistake is that while I thought I was following an existing “formula” for making a game, I still didn’t really understand what I was doing in terms of “making fun”.

I still needed to learn about how to create the right sense of pacing for the experience I was delivering.

For a different perspective, think of your favorite movie. There are fast parts, slower part, exciting parts and emotional parts all crafted into a singular linear experience.

It’s the pacing and mix of these different “parts” which make your favorite movie interesting and enjoyable.

The same thing holds for games.

If you want to see a great example of pacing in a game, check out any of the levels in Mario Galaxy.

Have a game you love or love to hate?

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