What is a Game Designer?

Thaddeus Sasser
1 min readNov 29, 2023

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Let’s talk about the role of a game designer.

Some people think that the game designer is the person with all the best, brightest ideas! They are the only true creator of game design because other people just don’t get it!

I don’t believe it’s the game designer’s job to have all the best ideas.

I believe the game designer’s job is to recognize the best ideas and curate them into the game.

Great ideas come from everywhere. Your teammates first of all. All of the things you experience in your life can help inform your ideas as well. This is why it’s so important for designers to have an open, curious mind, and to never stop learning. There are so many wonderful experiences you can have that can inform what you and your team create for players!

Take risks. Find new ways to play. Embrace different perspectives.

I’ve had the good fortune to have some really cool experiences in my life — bringing those to life for players is my dream.

How do you approach the art and science of game design?

yours truly in the back seat of an L-39 Albatross training jet

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Thaddeus Sasser

20+ year veteran of making AAA games all around the world. My posts are about game design and game development.