GDC 07: Design Challenge
When I first read what the topic was for the Game Design Challenge, I immidiately thought of Squares. According to this website, the game I call "Squares" is called "Capture." I swear to you, even though I posted this after GDC, I really did think of Squares a month or so before the event. Heck, I kept trying to kick myself to post it so I could put up a big "I TOLD YOU SO!" post.
Alas, I cannot go back in time and do that. I judged the 3 entries with an "Iron Chef" view. In Iron Chef, your goal is to take the secret ingredient and make use of it's strengths, play well with its weaknesses. Of the 3 entries, only one person accomplished this feat: Alexey Pajitnov. The other two contestants created games I would be interested in playing, no doubt.
Rather than bending the designs to the platform, they kept skirting around the platform. It's as if Jaffe and Smith said "the theme is pears? Pears are similar in consistency and composition to apples! Substituting pears for traditional apple dishes should work!" On the other hand, Pajintov took the pear, shoved it on a plate, removed the skin and added a little wine or something. He didn't do much to the pear, but wine soaked pears is a dish a lot of people love and it does indeed involve pears. Not substituting in for a recipe that really calls for apples.
