Chris Crawford on Game Design

The Politics of Innovation

If your creative idea survives the attack of your Tyrannosaurus, it must face an even more terrifying monster: Executivasaurus! This is actually an entire genus of related species: Executivasaurus Marketensis, Executivasaurus Financialis, and, biggest of all, Executivasaurus Presidentens. Each has its own stalking methods, and each is a remorseless, highly efficient predator.

E. Marketensis seizes your hapless idea with one clawed hand and demands that the game be “just like last year's big hit…” then grabs it with the other and rips it apart, crying “…only different!”

E. Financialis pins your idea down to the ground under its huge foot, saying, “It must not cost more than this…” and then seizes your idea in its jaws ...