From chapter 7, I have some thought’s regarding the author’s opinions on game design. In this section, he says that the concept of game designers is an outdated concept. When he says this, I believe he is stressing that the most fun with a game in play is when the player makes his or her own rules when playing the game and that the player should have more of an impact in the game itself. An example that comes to mind to this end are with regard to games that are not necessarily designed well yet is still well liked is the skateboarding simulator, “Skate 3”. For those who do not know, Skate 3 is a game that is laughably unpolished to the point that merely jumping on one’s skateboard can cause one to launch into the sky whilst spasming uncontrollably (https://youtu.be/DD3WKulo2zw?t=52s). Under most video game reviewing conventions, this would be considered an awful game, yet many still play with the game. Why is that? Through the various glitches of the game, the players utilize a playful attitude while going into this game, looking for the most absurd glitches they can manage to pull off. This game is clearly broken, but players still enjoy it by ignoring the conventional rules presented by the game and making their own rules, their own fun through this game.
Even still, I do not completely agree with the argument the author presents, that “game design is dead” (page 91). I feel that game design is still somewhat of a beautiful thing, where the creator’s mind set can be viewed in the game design, that their vision can be seen by the players as they play. By looking at a specific developer’s games over time, you get to learn their thought process on what sort of play they would like to impart onto the world. It matters not if one agrees with the developer’s intentions, learning to empathize with and understand where a game developer stands in their style of game design can be considered to simply be human. In the face of play, we are all our own game designers, and I do not feel it is good to completely ignore the intentions of another’s design.