Table of Contents

• Design Pillars
  • Number of Design Pillars
  • Design Pillars Can Cover
  • Questions to Find Your Pillars

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Design Pillars

Design pillars are fundamental principles or key elements that guide the development of a game. They serve as the foundation for all decisions made during the game’s design and development, ensuring a cohesive vision. A pillar would be composed of a word, a concise phrase or a statement that encapsulate a core idea, emotion, or mechanic that the game should embody.

Number of Design Pillars

3 to 5 pillars are ideal to avoid dilution of focus or underdevelopment of important aspects.

Design Pillars Can Cover

• Gameplay Mechanics
• Narrative and Storytelling
• Art and Aesthetic
• Player Experience and Accessibility
• Emotion and Atmosphere
• Innovation or Unique Selling Point (USP)
• Replayability and Longevity

Exeample:

Subnautica’s Pillars:

Intoxicating Creation:

The overwhelming excitement of being able to build anything.

Thrill of the Unknown:

Excitement, dread and tension of exploring the unknown. No idea what dangers/rewards are down there.

Cascading Hysteria:

Uncontrollable outburst of emotion, fear, irrationality, laughter, weeping, etc. FTL style chain of “oh sh!t” dependencies, where a failure in one system can affect others, until you’re suddenly in trouble.

Questions to Find Your Pillars

• What core emotion or experience do we want the player to feel most often?

  Example: Thrilling, intense, relaxing, immersive.

• What is the most important aspect of gameplay we want to emphasize?

  Example: Strategy, combat, exploration, creativity.

• What makes our game stand out from others in the same genre?

  Example: Innovative mechanics, unique art style, narrative focus.

• What is the primary goal of the player in the game?

  Example: Survival, discovery, puzzle-solving, building.

• How do we want players to interact with the game world?

  Example: Solving problems, experimenting, competing.

• What core feature or system drives the game’s progression?

  Example: Combat mechanics, resource management, character development.

• What should players remember most after finishing the game?

  Example: Story-rich, challenging, ewarding, visually striking.

• What kind of relationship do we want the player to have with the game’s world?

  Example: Exploration-based, strategic planning, immersive narrative.