Fabian Fischer's Blog
I fill various roles throughout the games industry and media:
- Game Designer by passion and trade (portfolio)
- Co-founder & CEO of Crimson Company
- Author for various gaming websites and magazines
- Blogger on design, ludology and the industry (blog)
- Consultant for fellow game designers
- Researcher in the field of game-based learning
- Moderator of the r/gamedesign subreddit
fischergamedesign(at)googlemail.com
Member Blogs
Crimson Company is a competitive card game without decks, hands and private collections. Through the introduction of "board drafting", it aims to combine the strengths of the best card battlers, while also tackling some of their central design problems.
There are games that seem deep and full of meaningful interactivity when they actually offer neither, or at least not to the level they are suggesting. Let's take a closer look at some of the tricks games use to create this "phantom depth".
Story and game. A troubled marriage full of problems and misunderstandings. But what if instead of trying to mash "great narrative" and "great system" together time and again, we actually try to cautiously and deliberately support one with the other?
A transparent game's mechanics can be grasped in their entirety. They're not hidden in black boxes, or behind giant formulas. Instead, those games generate challenge via systemic and strategic depth. What's the exact role of transparency in this context?
Modern-day AAA games rely on traditional, linear storytelling. While they are rightfully praised for their cinematic qualities, the gameplay is consequently lacking in substance and dynamics. How can games tell stories without hurting their core identity?
The discourse about video games is shaped by varying degrees of "game literacy". In private conversations this is of course fine. But when it actually comes to pushing the craft forward, we should care about talking to (and not past) each other more.
Fabian Fischer's Comments
Comment In:
[Blog - 07/16/2018 - 12:56]
While I agree with your ...
While I agree with your premise of making a clear distinction between games driven by gameplay and narrative, I differ slightly in my conclusion. I don 't think the tension between the two is resolvable. To create an unconflicted piece of art, you have to clearly focus on one of ...
Comment In:
[Blog - 03/14/2018 - 10:19]
I feel you man With ...
I feel you man With my articles I 'm trying to provide a point of view that 's, I hope, more akin to talking about e.g. the craft and elegance of bridge-building , rather than personal experience or nostalgia. It 's just that finding a significant audience for these things ...
Comment In:
[Blog - 08/10/2017 - 10:02]
Thanks for the kind words, ...
Thanks for the kind words, Adam r n r nAbsolutely, if you know all the possible outcomes and odds, randomness, as part of the ruleset, can be completely transparent. r n r nI know what you mean about soccer management sims. I 've played them for hundreds of hours in ...
Comment In:
[Blog - 05/11/2017 - 10:51]
For the record, I answered ...
For the record, I answered this exact comment on r/gamedesign: r nhttps://www.reddit.com/r/gamedesign/comments/6akwgu/narrative gameplay how games should not tell/dhfgkct/ context 3
Comment In:
[Blog - 04/12/2017 - 10:00]
Thanks a lot for your ...
Thanks a lot for your thoughtful comment r n r nI think you 're making some very valid points there, but I 'm not sure they really apply to the article. The article is actually not about exclusive authority or universal prescriptions at all. It 's also not concened with ...
Comment In:
[Blog - 04/07/2017 - 09:25]
Hey, you stole my topic ...
Hey, you stole my topic P r n r nhttp://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/FabianFischer/20170305/292859/Gwent Braving the Storm.php r n r nCheers
