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Blogs

Jon Shafer's Blog   Expert Blogs

Hi, my name is Jon Shafer and I'm a Producer & Lead Designer at Stardock Entertainment.

Check out my articles on game design, project management and the business as a whole over at:

www.JonShaferOnDesign.com

Expert Blogs

Asymmetry  Featured Blogs
Posted by Jon Shafer on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:54:00 EST in Design
Let's look at the ups and downs of asymmetric design, with a particular focus on Civ & Starcraft.
Read More... | 2 Comments

Turn-Based VS Real-Time  Featured Blogs
Posted by Jon Shafer on Mon, 07 Jan 2013 06:02:00 EST in Design
In this article we examine the real design differences between turn-based and real-time games.
Read More... | 8 Comments

The Digital & Tabletop Convergence  Featured Blogs
Posted by Jon Shafer on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 01:47:00 EST in Design
We look at what differentiates digital and tabletop games, plus the ways they're now converging.
Read More... | 6 Comments

Abstraction & Civilization  Featured Blogs
Posted by Jon Shafer on Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:27:00 EST in Design
In this article we look at abstraction in games, using several examples from the Civilization series.
Read More... | 12 Comments

JRPGs & Persona 4  Featured Blogs
Posted by Jon Shafer on Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:37:00 EST in Design
In this article we dig into what makes JRPGs tick, and why Persona 4 might be the best one ever.
Read More... | 9 Comments

Randomness & Quarriors  Featured Blogs
Posted by Jon Shafer on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 03:44:00 EST in Design
Let's look at randomness in the context of the tabletop game Quarriors and other deck-builders.
Read More... | 2 Comments

[More Jon Shafer Blogs]   

Jon Shafer's Comments

Comment In: JRPGs & Persona 4 [Blog - 11/28/2012 - 01:37]

I wouldn 't dispute that ...

I wouldn 't dispute that the story and characters are key components to what makes Persona 4 what it is. But just as there are a variety of ways to write a good book or film a good movie there are different ways to tell a story in a game. ...

Comment In: Building a Solid UI [Blog - 09/24/2012 - 06:13]

Some good points everyone, and ...

Some good points everyone, and I can 't say I disagree. Looking back on it now, the point I made is not really what I 'd intended. r n r nWhile I prefer the OOTP12 version because of its readability, I wouldn 't actually call it GOOD. The OOTP13 version ...

Comment In: The More You Know: Making Decisions Interesting in Games [Feature - 01/15/2013 - 12:00]

It 's kind of ironic, ...

It 's kind of ironic, because I actually enjoyed Chrono Cross quite a bit - probably played it for close to 200 hours over the years. That having been said, the combat system was definitely NOT why I found the designer 's choice to have three basic attack types with ...

Comment In: Adaptation [Blog - 05/22/2012 - 01:08]

I agree that unfairness can ...

I agree that unfairness can sometimes be a good thing. A point I noted in the article is that meeting player expectations is ultimately all that really matters. If someone wants a game to be easy and it 's not, they 're upset - and the reverse is just as ...

Comment In: Take-Two losses mount, but revenues exceed analyst expectations [News - 01/15/2013 - 05:07]

Doesn 't the article state ...

Doesn 't the article state that revenues declined from 2011 to 2012 r n r n Take-Two saw revenues of 825.8 million ... down significantly from the 1.14 billion the company saw in 2011. r n r n- Jon

Comment In: Design Case Study: Unity of Command [Blog - 05/02/2012 - 11:40]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts ...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Justin You definitely make some good points. r n r nAlong with the basic forces of supply and demand, a designer also has to find ways to make players COMFORTABLE with the idea of spending. If they re aren 't pushed towards using up their ...

[More Jon Shafer Comments]   

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