Would being a game designer ruin the experience?

[Saxm13]

Just been thinking about how much we enjoy experiencing video games as an entertainment medium or otherwise.

Being a game designer however, means putting it all together and knowing what happens beforehand.

Imagine:

SPOILERS

Seeing the words: "Aeris/Aerith Dies", written on a script piece of paper as oppose to playing the game and growing to care about the character as was intended and feeling the impact of having her die.

Game designers don't get to experience the story as players do.


Makes me really question whether i'd ever want to go into game design. Something i wanted to do as a kid. Now that i'm grown up (mostly =P) and understand how games are made, i'm not sure i'd want games to be spoiled from the get go as oppose to experiencing them as a reviewer or regular player.

 

[oplinger]

...Only your own games would be spoiled. That'd be like saying I don't want to write a book, because then I'd know the ending.

The only thing ruining about being a game designer, is you play less to enjoy, and you'll probably pick it apart technically, and know how they did that, and all the little tricks, so it becomes less impressive (but can still be fun)

 

[FEichinger]

Weeeell ... Of course you lose the suspense in the story part of your own games, and, as oplinger said, you'll likely start playing with a different focus.

Right now, for instance, you likely play to find out about the story, get to know the characters, watch it all develop, and of course: entertainment.
Once you get deeply into the Game Design, though, you will play a game to analyze how it turned out that way. It can become less impressive that way. On the other hand, it's a good way of grabbing new ideas, combining them with known stuff, and using them.
Progress arises from study and experiments, and that's what a Game Designer does when he plays a game ^^

As for your own games, though ... As from my experience, you will lose the suspense, but you'll notice the little things you implanted, all your ideas you had through the development, and you'll be proud of it. That certainly is a different, but amazing experience ^^

 

[vrbtny]

Knowing how things are done really takes the magic out of it. So, yah, I think it would.

 

[DonMartin]

"Aeris/Aerith Dies"

God damn it, why is that whenever I read Aeris, I hear Kratos screaming "ARES!" in my head?

Anyway, I agree with what someone already posted: You would pick the games apart a bit more, studying and seeing different things were "regular" players would just be impressed by the big picture, but the experience would be no less enjoyable because of that. If I were a designer, I would enjoy seeing things like that, wouldnt I? That's why I'd be working on them.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

I've had some experience over the years with game design/development. Nothing commercial myself, although I've had roommates/friends who work(ed) for major companies, and I've done pretty much everything other than artwork, from design to coding. Short answer: no, it doesn't.

...Only your own games would be spoiled. That'd be like saying I don't want to write a book, because then I'd know the ending.

Yeah, exactly, and even then it doesn't necessarily make it not fun, unless you made a crappy game. Heh.

The only thing ruining about being a game designer, is you play less to enjoy, and you'll probably pick it apart technically, and know how they did that, and all the little tricks, so it becomes less impressive (but can still be fun)

Sometimes that ends up being the case, and things will keep nagging at you that you wish they had done differently because you can see a better solution to a problem than the one they chose or something they didn't bother addressing. On the other hand, when you do have a sense of how everything works and how difficult some things are to do, it makes it more impressive when you see a particularly clever way of handling something, especially if it's something you've spent a lot of time dealing with yourself in the past. And really if the game's actually good, you'll be too busy enjoying playing it to spend a whole lot of time consciously thinking about things like that unless you're trying to analyze it on purpose...

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Depends on how into picking apart games you are. Designing ruined a lot of games for me because I was reverse-engineering the mechanics in my head as I played, and I got so caught up in experimenting with the limitations of the system that I completely lost any interest in the narrative and story.

I think maybe part of why I never associate those two things, at least for myself, is that I was already picking everything apart and figuring out how the mechanics worked long before I did any significant/serious amount of design work on anything. I was always a math nerd starting from a very young age, so it was just natural for me to look for the patterns in a system and try to explain them numerically. Then, since I was already thinking about it in that way, why not expand on it more and try to understand the reasoning behind it, and a few steps later that turns into modifying it and then creating your own. I went the other way around, I guess. Heh.

 

[Jaymei Phoenix]

It'd spoil the atmosphere on your own game, but couldn't spoil the gameplay. Plus you get the satisfaction of seeing everything you created in front of your eyes. So you lose one thing, but gain another.
I'd call that a fair trade, especially since there are still plenty of games out there that you wouldn't know, and would be able to admire their game in both perspectives....

 

[ThriKreen]

Nah, a good game developer can "turn off" the analytical perspective when playing a game. There will still be some bias of course, noticing things like texture seams or bad logic, or complaining about quick time events. But a great many people I know can still enjoy games, even the ones they worked on.

 

[Smooth Operator]

It would ruin it for your games, which is quite ironical because we tend to make the games we want to play and those are the only ones we can't.

It will also raise your standards, so in a way yes it will make your experience worse.

 

[garjian]

it depends.

if your game is entirely story, like most JRPGs, then yes.
if your game is entirely gameplay, such as a fighting game, then no... as even though theres a chance you might know everything, the community that plays it will catch up and surpass you quickly, and youll have fun, challenging fights still.

if it were a puzzle game i wouldnt even bother playing it... xD

 

[Seishisha]

I'd have to say that most people in games design work are in it because they have a true passion for gamming and what their ideas add to a game be it story, mechanics or sound track should make them happy and more excited about it, i mean taking somthing from the planning stage to the final product in any situation is an extremely rewarding feeling, knowing that all your hard work is paying off.

So in short no i dont think designing a game would reduce your experiance when actualy playing it. I think it would probably give you a new found insight into games be them good or bad especialy if its the first title you've worked on.

 

[Mafoobula]

I'm a chef. I judge everything I eat in a different light than everyone who isn't a chef. When I eat something, I wonder to myself, "How is this not as good as it really could be, and can I make it better?" Honestly, going to a restaurant isn't as fun as it used to be. I still enjoy the time with friends and family, but when it comes to the food, I can't help being judgmental.

I'm also a musician. When I look at people playing an instrument on TV or a in a movie, 75% of the time, I go "They are SO faking it!" It's such a minor thing, but it detracts just a little bit from the feel of the show. It's like getting into a really good song, then it suddenly skips.

I'm also a soldier. See previous paragraph, apply to silly faux-military shtick in TV/movies.

The point is, this is exactly what it would be like if I were a game designer. If I played a game and noticed a flaw or unpolished mechanic in the design or function of the game, it would jump out at me and irritate me. On top of that, I think I would find myself thinking, "This is such an easy fix, I would've just *insert game designer speak here* and cows."