Game design isn’t just about mechanics and aesthetics; the values you embed in your creations significantly impact player engagement, community, and the overall legacy of your game. This article offers practical strategies for values-driven game design, from establishing a positive, community-oriented studio culture to creating in-game features that foster inclusivity and reward prosocial behaviors. The result is a welcoming environment for all players.
The recommendations provided here are built upon the foundations provided in Introduction to Values in Gaming and the author’s work on their own games and with various studios across the industry.
Values are the heart of game design. They influence how players experience your game and the kind of community it fosters.
Start with good foundations
Generally speaking, as a designer, you should:
- Identify core vs. aspirational values — Differentiate between the values your studio already upholds consistently (core) and those you strive toward but need work on (aspirational). Focus on strengthening the core while taking steps toward the aspirational.
- Make value-based design pillars — Include values in your game’s foundational design pillars and refer to them in reviews and playtests to stay on track.
- Offer transparency and clarity — Ensure your team fully understands your values. Communicate them simply, examine miscommunications or misunderstandings, and reinforce them consistently.
If you haven’t yet, consider going through a values exercise to identify your company values. See: Discovering Your Core Values: A Workshop.
Design mechanics that amplify your values
Focus on cooperation, creative expression, and healthy competition by:
- Making prosocial play feel good — Design systems that make working together more fun and rewarding than going solo. Consider features like a dynamic camera that encourages staying together or a shared resource system where teamwork yields greater rewards than individual hoarding.
- Celebrating values-aligned behaviors — Use in-game acknowledgments, progress-related rewards, or visual cues to highlight teamwork, resilience, and positive communication.
- Providing more ways for players to measure and verbalize their accomplishments — An honor or commendation system, for instance, redefines success around the desired values (cooperation, creativity, etc.) while creating helpful social pressure at scale.
Feature diverse casts and respectful representation
Focus on authentic, meaningful representation in your designs by:
- Authenticity through collaboration — Involving people with lived experiences is crucial. This goes beyond “checking boxes” to avoid stereotypes, instead yielding vibrant, complex characters with whom players can authentically connect.
- Sensitivity consulting as smart design — This doesn’t mean censoring your ideas. It’s about getting expert feedback before unintentional harm impacts players, leading to better design outcomes from the start.
- Remembering representation shapes perception — Games play a powerful role in shaping how we see ourselves and others. Taking this responsibility seriously honors different identities and creates spaces where everyone feels seen.
Be community-first
Cultivate a positive community space built around your values by:
- Creating spaces that reflect your values — Your community platform sets the tone. Proactive moderation with clear guidelines promotes positive interactions and prevents toxic behavior from flourishing.
- Taking feedback as a gift — Responding constructively to feedback, even criticism, builds trust. It signifies that players’ experiences matter and their contributions can drive improvements.
- Keeping inclusivity at the forefront — Fostering safe spaces for diverse players needs deliberate work. This might involve features for respectful communication, diverse representation in official forums, or partnerships with inclusive communities.
Treat accessibility as standard
Have an accessibility mindset from the start by:
- Designing to welcome everyone — Accessibility isn’t an extra feature, it’s a core consideration throughout development. It unlocks participation and enjoyment for a wider audience.
- Empowering players through flexibility — Options like adjustable text, control remapping, or varied difficulty modes give players agency to tailor the experience to their needs.
- Remembering accessible is better for everyone — Many accessibility features improve the experience for all players. Think of subtitles, which are beneficial in noisy environments, not just for those with hearing differences.
Additional tips
- Start small — You don’t need to implement everything at once. Gradual change based on clear priorities works best.
- Seek feedback — Engage your players to hear how well your values resonate within the game experience.
- Evolve with confidence — As your studio and the community grow, revisit values to ensure they stay relevant and meaningful, and explore new opportunities as your capacity increases.
Remember that true value-driven game design starts with a committed studio culture!
Now what?
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