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Intentional Experience - designer intent and player experience (Topic Discussion)
Description
Designers don't like it when players criticise their board game, and the response often is that the game was intentionally designed that way. Players complain that a strategy feels unfair, a mechanism is frustrating, or a game simply isn't very clear. Designers reply that that just misses the point. Similar disagreements exist in films, novels, and art, yet board games seem to have them more often, and they are often more personal. Part of the reason may be that board games are not passive experiences. Players are not simply watching events unfold, but instead are interpreting rules and shaping the experience themselves every time the game hits the table.
Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/05/26/intentional-experience-designer-intent-and-player-experience-topic-discussion/
Useful Links
- Dune review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/02/08/dune-saturday-review/
- BGG article The Design Process by Gerry Paquette: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/550/blogpost/2529/the-design-process
- What is Player Experience?: https://bg-px.com/what-is-player-experience/
- UX in board game design by Jason Kogan: https://uxdesign.cc/ux-in-board-game-design-97bfcdb1d581
- Perception vs Reality in Game Design by Joseph Z Chen: https://fantastic-factories.medium.com/perception-vs-reality-in-game-design-67181c0e6b0e
Music
Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)
Music: "Inspirational Flight", "Documentary Soundtrack" and "Success" by AShamaluevMusic.
Website: https://www.ashamaluevmusic.com
Support
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog