GDCOnline: revisiting A Theory of Fun

So the third thing I will be doing at GDCOnline has now been announced:

A Theory of Fun 10 Years Later

Design | 60-Minute | Track Keynote | All
TBD

Ten years ago, at the very first Austin Game Conference, online gaming pioneer Raph Koster delivered an inspiring keynote on why games matter, how they teach players, and what fun is. That talk served as the foundation for his valuable book, A Theory of Fun for Game Design, challenging game makers to build entertaining, engaging, and addictive experiences. Now, for the tenth anniversary of his presentation, Koster will revisit A Theory of Fun to discuss what has changed in the science and the theory in the intervening years.

Yup, this is actually the tenth anniversary of the original Theory of Fun talk. Hard to believe! I think most did not become aware of it until I reprised it as the keynote of the Serious Games Summit at GDC the next year… And then, of course, the book also followed later that year too.

Needless to say, this little talk, the cartoons for which were hastily scribbled the night before, changed my life in many ways. One of the highlights of my life is the number of young folks who come up to me to tell me about their experiences with the book and how it shaped their notions about our medium.

Credit where it is due: the talk would never have happened were it not for conversations with Dave Rickey an Noah Falstein. (The book has a whole other set of midwives).

For anyone who hasn’t seen them, the original slides are here. I have to come up with a new presentation format this time around. 🙂