Novelty and complexity budgets
What the best game designers can teach us about limiting the unfamiliar and complex in our work
Why Spanish Colonial Revival is the best architecture for Southern California
The rational case for a comeback
Flow disruptions: why tiny glitches break our focus
The science of attention — and the unexpected
What makes things interesting?
The science of attention and curiosity
Why do we like cartoon and animal characters so much?
The science and theory behind the appeal
English is made of Saxon words and Latin words. Here’s how to use them.
What great writers teach us about using English
How doors and buttons look can ruin video games. Here’s how to fix them.
The science of intuitive visual design
3 enduring lessons from the writer of The Princess Bride
William Goldman’s wisdom is timeless
The making of Terraria for consoles — Part 1, Signing the deal
How we brought the best-selling 2D sandbox game to Xbox and PlayStation
The making of Terraria for consoles — Part 2, The Controls
How we adapted Terraria's unique PC controls to Xbox and PlayStation
The making of Terraria for consoles — Part 3, Split-screen & Menus
How split-screen multiplayer was a game changer for Terraria and Minecraft
The making of Terraria for consoles — Part 4, New Content & Release
How we designed the tutorial, UI, and game trailers for a smash hit debut
The making of Terraria mobile — Part 1, Breaking ground
How we brought the best-selling sandbox game to iOS & Android
The making of Terraria mobile — Part 2, Touch controls
Why we had to invent completely new controls for touch screens
The making of Terraria mobile — Part 3, Crafting a new UI
How we simplified the extensive PC user interface for touch
The making of Terraria mobile — Part 4, Game balance and release
Lessons in survival from the toughest audience: kids