Game Design

Making Fun: A Practical Design Toolkit for Building Games That Work

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Great games are not accidents. They are deliberate constructions built from choices that shape what players feel, think, and do. Designing for a generic idea of fun is like trying to build a house on fog. Players disagree about what is fun, and what delights one player may bore another. Instead of designing for everyone, the smarter approach is to design for someone. That means choosing an intended audience and defining the exact feelings the game should produce for them. Fun is just dangerously subjective.

An Engine’s Ambition: The leadwerks game engine

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A robotic hand labeled "UNITY/UNREAL" and a green energy wave labeled "GODOT" clash over a "LEADWERKS GAME ENGINE" cube, while animated characters react below in a server room—a dynamic scene highlighting game engine rivalry.

The Leadwerks Game Engine was a story of ambition and unfulfilled potential. It was a technical pioneer in many ways, but was ultimately held back by a poor ecosystem, buggy tools, and an unsustainable market position. This is the cautionary tale of why great technology alone isn’t enough to succeed.