Principles

Why Principles Matter More Than Practices

Before we can codify any methodology or practices in game development, we must first ground ourselves in the principles that guide them. Principles are the underlying rationale that shape how we work, why we work that way, and how we adapt across contexts.

If we master the principles, we can flexibly adapt our practices to any project or challenge. Without them, practices become rigid prescriptions—useful in one scenario, destructive in another.

In our framework for making great games (GGF), we observe the following core principles:

• Know your players, and seek to delight them

• Drive by the player experience

• Game first, without breaking the team

• Start simple and allow complexity to evolve

• First Quality, then Efficiency

• Seek continuous improvement

• Cultivate passion and professionalism

• Foster a creative environment

• Maintain calm urgency

• Empower leaders

The next series of posts explores the foundational principles that underpin how we build great games, delight players, and sustain the teams that create them.

Let’s go make a great game!