Game design is simple, actually

Raph Koster · 3 Nov 2025

Raph Koster did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
A game is a machine built around uncertainty.

Their wordsGames are machines built around uncertainty.
Our reading
Lavish feedback wrapped around no real problem is shallow entertainment at best and exploitation at worst.

Their wordsAt minimum you’re making shallow entertainment. At worst, you are building exploitative entertainment.
Our reading
People learn best when the problem in front of them is just past the edge of what they can already do.

Their wordsPeople learn best when the problem they are tackling is right past the edge of what they can do.

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The other pieces are the ones whose claims are worded most like this one's. That measures language, not agreement: they may argue the opposite.