Game Design Gives Perspective
I'm kind of a sucker for TED Talks. It could be because the Gallup Clifton Strengths assessment says my number two strength is being a learner. Whatever the reason, TED strikes the perfect balance of fascinating people, topics, length, and refinement. As a result, I've watched a lot of TED Talks over the years. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover a TEDX Talk on game design, curiously titled: Why Game Designers Are Better Lovers. 👀
I'll admit the title conjured up images of one of those cheap, breathless romance novels you can pick up at a garage sale for a quarter. Don't you think? Thankfully, through the magic of AI, we can share in that image together.
Pushing past the title, the speaker was Dr. Doris Rusch, author of the book Making Deep Games, which I quite enjoyed and have referenced on the blog, so I pressed play.
Game design increases your capacity to love.
As Doris journeyed into game design, she discovered something beautiful. Through her work, she gained insights into how to be a better lover or, to say it differently, game design increased her capacity to love. She explains, "I realized that deep game design could make you a better lover because it promotes connection across three different axes: connection to self, connection to system elements, and connection to others."
This revelation came from aiming her skills in game design at trying to understand the dynamics of her dysfunctional relationship with her boyfriend. I deeply resonated with this because I have long wanted to use game design to better understand my marriage's dynamics. I genuinely believe game design can help us see things in a new light.
Game design gives us perspective.
Looking at a relationship through the lens of game design probably sounds strange to people outside of games, but if you're a gamer, you understand the insights you can gain from spending within interactive systems. It's one of the things I love about games—games give us new perspectives, especially regarding complex systems.
There is an old saying, I'm sure you've heard, "You can't see the forest for the trees." It's about focusing on small details and missing the bigger picture. As humans, we struggle to see things fully. We get stuck at particular focal lengths and only see things from limited perspectives, which is particularly true in our personal lives.
Games allow us to see the bigger picture by abstracting out the elements at play, modeling their dynamics, and providing a ten thousand-foot view. They give us distance and emotional separation to see with new eyes things that are too close to us to perceive. In Doris' case, she was able to get perspective on her relationship with her boyfriend and use her newly discovered power to help her friend struggling with social anxiety gain insights into herself.
Game design as an approach to life.
“I think game design is not a profession. It is a mindset. An attitude. An approach to personal and social problems that emphasizes relationship, integration, and connection. And the ability to connect gives us the ability to love.”
Game design became such a powerful tool for Dr. Rusch that she took it beyond her profession and adopted it as a mindset and framework to approach the world. What I love about this approach is that it puts us in an open, inquisitive posture. It makes us open to ourselves, others, and the world around us.
When you're open, you're curious, which is essential for learning and growing. On the other hand, things like anger and overconfidence close us off. Podcaster and preacher Tim Ross says, "You can't be furious and curious at the same time." We could be mad about many things today, and if you go online, you will see people venting their anger. Nevertheless, I've discovered that even though expressing anger provides some momentary reprieve, it is rarely a productive approach to working through disagreements and challenges. A better approach is to be curious and open, a quality good game designers possess. Through asking questions, experimentation, and genuinely listening to others, we come to a place of understanding and insight.
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.”
Beyond understanding, this game design approach to life empowers us. It's easy to feel powerless in life. We wonder, what can I do to make a difference? I can't change the system; I'm just a single person. Even though the enemy likes to tell us we are helpless, we have power. Just as in video games, a player has items, abilities, and agency to meet and overcome the challenges in the game; God has bestowed authority on humans from the beginning (Genesis 1:26). And He continues to equip, empower, and anoint people to accomplish what God calls them to (Luke 19:11-27).
I'm thankful for stumbling across Dr. Rusch's TED talk and the great work that she has been doing in game design around deep, meaningful games. Her work is not only inspiring to me, but it also confirms insights God has shown me through my game development journey and provides a strong foundation upon which to build.
