GoKawiilUX Designer and Game Theorist Raph Koster Explore Video Game Design Lessons
A UX designer describes an eight-week collaboration with Raph Koster, author of 'A Theory of Fun,' to study how video game design principles could inform app UX beyond traditional gamification tactics like achievements. The piece explores the initial tension between game design's use of 'juicy' visual feedback and tension-building mechanics versus UX design's typical goal of minimalism and simplicity.
As concerns grow about addictive app design and the ethics of engagement-driven UX, this exploration offers an alternative path: borrowing deeper structural insights from games rather than manipulative reward loops. It suggests that game design's handling of tension and feedback could inform more thoughtful, human-centered digital product design.
- The author sought game-design insights beyond outdated 'gamification' tactics like badges and achievements.
- Games and traditional UX seem contradictory: games thrive on tension and sensory feedback, while UX often favors simplicity.
- A collaboration with game theorist Raph Koster aimed to reconcile these philosophies by deconstructing game design fundamentals.
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See 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: news.ycombinator.com, 2026-09-20
Published there as: “Video games inspire great UX (2019)”
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