What game design teaches about good engineering

Youtube - Game Maker's tool kit

01:44 - Identify the problem
03:35 - Iterate on solutions
05:14 - Identify the levers
06:48 - Make big changes
08:02 - Flip it on its head
09:06 - Solve it elsewhere
10:17 - Solve multiple problems
11:27 - Study player behaviour
12:27 - Implementing solutions

Identify the problem

Go deeper and identify the root cause, instead of chasing the most obvious solution

Iterate on solutions

Tool up to rapidly try a number of things and find the solution that way

Identify the levers

Call out what you can and can't change, but be aware of what your biases are about what truly can't be changed.

Make big changes

If you're going to make a change, double it of halve it, or else you won't know if something works or not, or if anything has changed.

Flip it on its head

Turn a reward into a punishment, or a punishment into a reward. It's all about perspective.

Solve it elsewhere

It might be that the solution isn't a head-on solution at all.

Solve multiple problems

Try to solve multiple issues. It may mean that delaying until you have more information may be the right choice.

Study player (user) behaviour

Watch how the user actually uses the system.