Keith Burgun

Game designer, author

Outside, Dungeon, Town: integrating the Three Places in Videogames

Videogames, at least the kind I’m talking about (RPGs, adventure kinds of somewhat narrative videogames, Zelda games, Elden Ring, etc), have essentially three “places”: Outside – Hyrule field. Most of the game is Outside, just running around in a grassy area or a snowy mountain. It’s kind of the glue between all of the elements …

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Strategy games should always be moving toward their conclusion

One of the principles that has been important to me over the years, which I have talked about a lot, is the idea that strategy games should always be moving toward their conclusion. In a way, this extends from the basic Clockwork Game Design model. In this model, you have a goal, and a “core …

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I’m making an RPG!

WIP pixel artwork by Wizbane

(Above: some WIP pixel art from Wizbane) You might have noticed I’ve been writing about and playing a lot of RPGs recently. Starting somewhere in 2020, I started this huge dive into the Final Fantasy series – strangely enough, starting with the XIII trilogy. Over the past year and a half I’ve been diving hard …

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