I really enjoy thinking about game design as expression, not just optimization. Less about balancing, scaling, and juice. And more about dissonance, attachment, and immersion.

For the past 4 years or so, I did game design consulting in a more traditional problem/solution style: best practices, systems feedback, and design fixes. Over time though, I realized the feedback I enjoyed giving the most was when developers didn’t know exactly what they wanted from me. That let me look past the systems, experience the game as a player, and analyze why that experience may have happened.

I’d like to give feedback in that way again, and I’m curious if anyone here would find that helpful.

If you have a game and want to see whether your intended experience is landing, I’d love to take a look. When you submit the game, you’ll fill out a short form describing the experience you’re aiming for.

I’ll play the game blind and record a video on what I think the game is trying to do or say. Then I’ll read your stated intent and record a second part reflecting on where my experience aligned or misaligned with what you wanted to create, and why I think that may have happened.

If that sounds useful or fun, I’d genuinely love to check out your game. You can find the form here

If you're curious about the previous videos I've done, you can find them on my website in my bio.

That said, since this is a very subjective way of approaching game design, I’m curious:

When you get playtest feedback or negative reviews, what kind of criticism do you actually find helpful?

Would it be useful if someone described what they thought your game was versus what you intended it to be?