In a new interview at Zam, Zach Gage (Tharsis, Sage Solitaire) points out something that sounds obvious, but is still an interesting insight: Average people don’t necessarily understand the conventions of video games, and moving designs closer to their understanding means taking that into consideration.
It’s an interesting take that is directly backed up by his own design work — for spaceship sim Tharsis, Gage included dice rolls not just in the game’s design but in its actual interface. That way, players can directly understand the role of randomness in the game, and interact with it in a familiar way.
The full interview on Zam includes more of Gage’s insights into game design, particularly as viewed through the lens of his past projects.