Chris Crawford on Game Design

Designing the Game

Once I figured out the basics of VCS programming, I set to work. Since programming the VCS was so difficult, management didn't place any constraints on a designer's early work; you just developed any idea that came into your head, and only after you'd gotten something working would management take a look at it and offer suggestions. Much later, when the game was taking clear shape, the marketing people would come into the picture.

The central notion I wanted to develop in my design was the idea known elsewhere as fog of war: You don't know where the enemy is, but he's coming to get you. All other games at the time kept you fully informed as to the location and movements of your enemy. This, it seemed to me, deprived the game ...