Game Design Workshop, 3rd Edition

Foreword

There is a connection. Every point in my life is connected to every other point. The connection is there. One need only imagine in full freedom.

—Peter Handke

There is magic in games.

Not magic like a level 19 fireball spell is magic. Not the kind of magic you get when you purchase a trick in a magic store. And not the kind of mystical experience that organized religion can go on about. No, games are magic in the way that first kisses are magic, the way that finally arriving at a perfect solution to a difficult problem is magic, the way that conversation with close friends over good food is magic.

The magic at work in games is about finding hidden connections between things, in exploring the way that the universe of a game is structured. ...