Does this puzzle spark joy? [Meme]

17 February 2019

1 minute

Meme of Marie Kondo asks, "Does this puzzle spark joy?"

Something to consider when designing a game:

Each puzzle should be there for someone to enjoy.

If a puzzle is present for the sole purpose of slowing a team down or making the game hard… consider replacing it with something that’s actually fun.

One response to “Does this puzzle spark joy? [Meme]”

Nathan (@Moriash)

February 18, 2019 at 10:23 am

Yes, this. A thousand times this. Deliberate time sinks are obvious to any mildly experienced ER player. Worse, they’re not obvious to inexperienced players. Instead, they just see “not fun.” Not a great first impression.

Of course, good, enjoyable puzzles take time, creativity and usually money. Paragraph long substitution ciphers and “Jane likes strawberry jam. Bob drives a Cadillac.” logic puzzles are cheap and easy to make. So of course they bring the game makers joy!

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🖋️ Author

Written by

David Spira

Co-Founder of Room Escape Artist & Co-Host of Reality Escape Pod. David conceived of Room Escape Artist because he saw the potential of this new entertainment medium back in 2014. From the start, he applied his professional skills as a digital experience designer to the burgeoning industry of escape rooms. David is full of ideas: from in-depth research pieces to new content types… like cute animals solving puzzles. He is always pushing REA to try new things, take risks, and be something more.

Room Escape Artist