When I think about designing and producing my Magnum Opus, I imagine creating the world’s best (Mass-market!) Train game, or Pirate game, or Empire building game. Many of my friends and colleagues have similar aspirations.  Recently, I reflected on three of my biggest influences in storytelling and entertainment, they too had those common themes.

Certain epic themes resonate with people: the general public as well as game designers, authors, film makers, etc.  From Sid Meier to Ayn Rand to Walt Disney, the fusion of technology, systems, romance and adventure are brought together in a few common themes.   Transportation (Trains), Outlaws (Pirates), Kingdoms (Castles), and Romance (Princesses) stand out as cornerstones of epic storytelling, particularly in games.

• Sid Meier scores with: Railroad Tycoon, Pirates!, and Civ and its cousins.
• Walt Disney hits it out of the park with the DLRR at Disneyland, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Castles in the Magic Kingdoms, half of his movies, and lots of Princesses.
• Ayn Rand grand slams in just one book, Atlas Shrugged: Trains, the modern pirate Ragnar Danneskjold, a fantastic hidden realm in the form of Galt’s Gulch, and Romantic interests (Dagny et.al.).

Railroads and other networks are familiar, (more…)

Have you been watching the NBC gameshow Deal or No Deal?  It is about 10% Game, and 90% Show.  Host Howie Mandel taunts and teases as much personality and drama out of each contestant as possible.  One contestant was dragged out over 3 shows!  Though, it is working.  17.5 million viewers handed DonD victory in its timeslot.  Now, the show is not bad, but here is a fun way to make it better for us Game Geeks: try to match wits with the Banker.  When Howie answers the call from the shadowy Banker, do the math in your head and announce the deal amount before it is revealed (this trick really impresses the family when you hit it spot on). Answering it precisely is easy when there are only a few suitcases left, but it is tricky early in the game.  So if your family watches and you are bored, play along with the home game expansion: Outsmart the Banker.