thread: 2005-06-16 : Craft and Innovation
On 2005-06-19, Paul Kimmel wrote:
Vincent, I'm not dismissing Paul's suggestion. But I think we're talking about two different things here. When you say, "It seems to me that you can teach yourself game design the same way." I'd have to say, "Sure." But if we're talking about taking the craft of RPG design to the next level, I'd have to say, "No way."Or, to put it another way: you taught yourself to cook very well in eight years by fumbling around. But I bet you could have done it in two years had you been working with a proven system of chef training.
An art example: I enjoy American "primitive" paintings. They have a directness and "honesty" that's appealing to me. But the artists who painted them made them look that way because they had no choice. I can love these paintings in spite of their limitations or even because of their limitations, but I can't deny that they have limitations. These artists never learned to overcome their blind spots.
It might come off that I think the situation's hopeless—I don't. In fact, I think we're very close to getting the kind of competent instruction that will allow RPG design to blossom as an art form. And perhaps this is the issue: RPG designers at this point in time are all self-taught. Do they resist the implication that there is a better way to learn?
