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Game design is a famously multifaceted pursuit, but what if you were asked to pick just one skill that most clearly distinguishes great game designers from their peers? What do you think this single powerful ability might be? On Episode 37 of Vertical Slice, we’re discussing a fascinating answer to this question brought to us by special guest Weszt Hart. Weszt is a Senior User Experience Designer at Riot Games, where he has helped to define the social systems behind League of Legends, among many other contributions. For Weszt, great designers are those who can cut to the root of creative problems by focusing on one simple question: what is the real problem that this game or system is solving? Join us as we learn how this problem-solving approach to design can unlock stronger, leaner, and braver products, in games and beyond.
Show Notes
- Our guest Weszt Hart is a Senior User Experience Designer at Riot Games, where he focuses on the design of social systems in League of Legends and forward-looking R&D projects. When he’s not solving design problems, Weszt is also a singer/songwriter whose band has opened for acts including the Fixx and Hootie and the Blowfish!
- In an unprecedented move, EA has responded to the rising outcry over Star Wars Battlefront II’s aggressive loot crate system by suspending all micro transactions in the game indefinitely. Backlash over the game’s monetization strategy had reportedly even attracted the attention of Disney itself, whose coveted Star Wars brand was uncomfortably close to the meltdown.
Image credit: Olga Berrios