Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design

Chapter 6. Creating the User Experience

A game is more than just the sum of its rules. It must inter-act with the players to immerse them in the game world. To do this, it must project an aura of involvement that promotes Samuel Coleridge's “willing suspension of disbelief.” Every element that the players' experience must contribute to the whole. From the moment the player loads the software and the first screen appears, he is in your world. Everything that he sees, hears, and feels from that point on—every audio, visual, and interactive element—must strive to convince him that the only thing that exists is the game. This is not the easiest of goals to achieve; any slight discord can jar the players out of their illusion. However, the best games ...