Too often when we talk about game design, we talk about how all of a game’s systems work in concert.
At GDC 2015, a group of designers got up in front of their peers to try something different: 15-minute microtalks that each revolved around dissecting a very specific game system in exacting detail.
It was a fascinating session in which game designers Bennett Foddy, Tanya X. Short, and Dan Cassar each took the stage to dive into a system from each of their games (Pole Riders, Shattered Planet, and Caveman: The Quest for Fire, respectively) and explain how it works, as well as how it was designed and tuned.
This sort of focused systems talk is well worth watching, even if just to refresh yourself after having not seen it in years. Luckily, you can now watch the entire talk for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel!
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.
Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.
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