Bushnell's Law
Bushnell's Law or Nolan's Law is an aphorism often attributed to Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, on the subject of video game design:[1]
All the best games are easy to learn and difficult to master. They should reward the first quarter and the hundredth.
This principle is also referred to with the sentence "easy to learn, hard [or almost impossible] to master",[2] which has been adopted by Blizzard Entertainment as a motto and design principle.[1][3]
Video game designer and critic Ian Bogost argued that the principle should be repealed, as the gameplay it induces is addictive rather than rewarding.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Ian Bogost (April 2, 2009). "Persuasive Games: Familiarity, Habituation, and Catchiness". Gamasutra. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ "Bushnell's Theorem: Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master". Wolfshead Online. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ Frank Cifaldi (March 11, 2010). "GDC: Blizzard's Core Game Design Concepts". Gamasutra. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
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