Ray
The Recipe for a Great Sequel
Think of some of your favorite sequels out there – Uncharted 2 or Portal 2 or Diablo 3. How do they make you feel? Sometimes it can be...
top of page
Ray Mazza's Website
Search
Ray
Jul 20, 20188 min read
Breaking into Game Design
A few times each year, a friend of a friend will ask for advice about becoming a game designer...
Ray
Feb 5, 20185 min read
I'll Know I've Made it as a Game Designer When...
I’ll know I’ve made it as a game designer when:
… growing up, I design games that aren’t much fun, but I have a great time doing it...
Ray
Aug 18, 20172 min read
Structured Daydreaming
Designers should make time to daydream. As the cultivators and ushers of good ideas, it's our job to make sure we're finding the best ones.
Ray
Apr 26, 20175 min read
The Holy Trinity of Feedback
There are 3 types of feedback to consider when designing a satisfying interaction: visual, aural, and verbal. These are the Holy Trinity...
Ray
Oct 4, 20162 min read
Launching Merge Dragons: My Indie Project
Nearly 3 years ago (as of late 2016), I left Maxis, and I left The Sims. A piece of my heart remained behind...
Ray
Aug 5, 20161 min read
Look How Far We've Come
A comparison of the back of a video game box from 1987 to 30 years later.
Ray
Sep 1, 20156 min read
5 Tips for Writing Great Design Docs
The first problem any designer must overcome is getting their team to want to read a design. The second problem is...
Ray
May 5, 201310 min read
Designing Character Traits in The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, we made many additions and improvements to the lovable and quirky beings we call Sims. By far, my favorite of those...
Ray
Dec 9, 20122 min read
The Video Game Explosion
Today, I read an article that made my brain shatter. If I’d been driving and reading the article at the same time, I’d probably have...
Ray
Jul 23, 201212 min read
SimCity Social & 8 Truths of Facebook Game Design
Before I worked on social games, I just didn’t “get” them. I didn’t want to bug my friends when I needed things. I didn’t want to play on...
Ray
Jun 8, 20125 min read
Where Diablo 3 is Missing Out
Diablo is a game about collecting loot. It always has been, and always will be. It’s a glorified slot machine with...
Ray
Apr 21, 20124 min read
The Holy Grail of Game Design
The market is saturated with game mechanics, and it's only getting more saturated over time. Games aren't un-inventing themselves...
Ray
Mar 25, 20123 min read
Team-Wide Content Creation on The Sims 3
One of the quandaries we had on The Sims 3 was a goal of making a deeper and more interesting game than The Sims 2, with more content to...
Ray
Feb 2, 20122 min read
Zelda: An Inspiration from my Youth
I spent countless days wandering the lands. I held a candle to every bush. I assaulted every rock face with bombs. I pushed every...
bottom of page