Design Philosophy Template
A Feature by Jeremy Bursey

So, you’ve read James Paige’s design philosophy this month, and you thought, Hey, I can do that. Well, now is your chance to write about your own philosophy for a future issue of HamsterSpeak. All you have to do is tell us your story, and then wait for your turn in the feature queue to show the world. It’s quick, it’s fun, and it’s almost easy.

In each “Design Philosophy” article, the designer discusses how he or she approaches his projects, the ideas behind them, and how he commits them to reality. Every person who writes a design philosophy article should approach the topic his own way, but here are some guidelines one can use if he is having trouble organizing the structure:

• Who are you and why are you making games?

• What emphasis do you put on game design over other mediums such as film or stories?

• How do the ideas usually come to you?

• How do you decide which ideas to produce and which ones to leave on the cutting room floor?

• What do you like to work on first?

• What area of design do you consider your strong points and weak points?

• How obsessive are you over certain aspects of design?

• How do you keep yourself motivated to continue?

• What stops you from abandoning a project?

• What encourages you to abandon a project?

• What kind of work ethic do you put into your projects?

• Do you use supplemental materials to keep you organized or some kind of tracker to keep a record of your progress?

• What kind of practices do you see others doing that personally bug you?

• Who or what are your influences?

• How much time can you spend away from a project before you get that nagging feeling that it’s time to get back to work?

• How do you feel about resurrecting old projects?

• What resources are you glad that the OHR has now that it maybe didn’t have when you first started?

• Which resources is it still lacking that you wish it had right now?

• Which project are you most proud of and why?

• At what point do you feel like you’ve given game design the most love that you can stand?

• Contests: Are they worth your time?

• Which common sense practices could you never see yourself doing?

• What time of day do you find yourself getting the most work done?

• Is your game design skills affected by real life drama?

• Have you ever gone hungry or neglected your friends and family because of a game?

• If anyone were to take one of your projects and make it their own (albeit for film, television, novel, professional game, or whatever), who would you want taking it, and what would you want them to do with it?

• Has your design philosophy ever steered you wrong?

• How do you know when your game is ready for the public?

• What do you think is the best way to maximize your game’s exposure?

Note: You can do whatever you want with your article, but these questions can help you figure out what you want to write.

You’re also welcome to include screenshots, snapshots, music samples, games-in-progress, or whatever you think will make your article more appealing and insightful.

So, have fun, good luck, and start writing.