A Game Design Vocabulary by Anna Anthropy

Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design

A compact, opinionated guide that proposes a practical vocabulary for talking about and making games, centering craft, play, and the designer’s intentions. It critiques mainstream assumptions and highlights how rules, mechanics, narration, and player experience can be shaped for expressive, personal, and political ends, while encouraging accessibility, low-barrier tools, and the value of small, experimental games as meaningful cultural work.