The language of the game was clear from those few moments. From that little bit of teaching, the logic behind the puzzle that the player was struggling with at the end was simple to understand, and it was easy to see how further complications could add up to some interesting and challenging problems.

So… semiotics win!

I also read an interview with you a week or two ago, talking about game development and where so many developers go wrong, or rather just don’t take the time to go right. I understood what you were saying there and I appreciate you for saying it and for not doing the same thing as so many other developers.

You also talked a little bit about The Witness in that interview and between that and what you had to say about development in general, I was intrigued. Then I stumbled across this early gameplay video and watched it. If I just watch that as an in-development gameplay trailer, it looks pretty but it doesn’t look that special. But when I look at it within the context of what you said in that interview and how I saw people reacting to Braid, it’s a totally different experience. I’m fascinated, and I can see so much potential even in that video. I’d pay for the game right now if only for the assurance that I won’t somehow overlook it when it’s completed and released.

I think for a game trailer when it’s ready to be released, you might start out with something saying “What is The Witness? It’s not something you can communicate with words or video. The Witness is more than that. It’s something that must be experienced.” Intersperse some gameplay footage in amongst those lines so people know what it looks like, and then spend the rest of the trailer showing the faces and reactions of some people actually playing and experiencing the game– as they’re “getting it.” That’s probably the best bet, since it seems like you’re not giving people game mechanics, but an experience via those game mechanics. So to show people what the game is all about, communicating the game mechanics isn’t the way to do it, communicating the experience of it is. I think people will be able to relate to that.

I’m looking forward to it when you get it finished. Probably more than any other game on my radar at the moment. It sounds a little like The Longest Journey crossed with Lost and Myst, but with a little Zen sprinkled on top. I think it’ll be a rare and beautiful treat.

Best of luck Jonathan!

Thank you in advance!

Do you have a blog where u write about your design process? I would be very keen to read it. If not, it might be a good idea to start one. Writing things down might get u to different places and other people might have some inspiring input.

Maybe it helps to think of something u really like, then ask yourself why it is exactly why u like it and try to convey its essence into an abstraction that u can port to something else.

For instance i like sports, i have played football (soccer) and the aspect i liked the most was the special moment of looking into the eyes of a teammate and connecting on a intuitive level. You know what he is gonna do, and he knows what u will do, and u know what your opponent will do. All tough diverse in content, many team-games capture this same feeling, at its most abstract one finds it in a game of rock-paper-scissors.

So in its essence the attraction i talk about is a mind game where u try to predict the future. And the connection with someone else is brought about when u predict the same future. My suggestion is to focus on the things that you want to evoke in people’s mind and/or body first, and then think about a suitable way to achieve this with the use gameplay and in doing so discover how exactly the idea can be communicated in better and/or in new ways.

first of all – thank you for responding to this – I really appreciate the time.

I think it’s quite amazing what is happenging here – even on the blog I was able to find and feel certain mystery regarding the game. When I looked at one of the screenshots I saw a tower. And close to the tower is a couple fo mazes. It’s interesting, since the mazes seem to have some spatial similarity to the touch screens. Also, in one of your talks you mentioned that since you first build a prototype out of blocks, it lets you see things fast – for instance what shadow and light could look like in the mazes – which is very interesting.

The reason I am writing all this is that I am a game developer who has made a couple of real simple games. But I need to move on and want to create a “bigger” and “meaningful” game. I’ve been searching for the idea but am not able to find anything inspiring. I stumbled upon this blog and I must admit I am thinking that whatever I come up with won’t be nearly as good as your game. I am not in this for the money. I have money. I want to create something I’ll enjoy and don’t want it to be another FPS or strategy.

I’ve listened to maybe all of your talks on the Internet. And I’m discovering there’s something very strong that you are saying: “Think of us as men who built telescopes and microscopes” – this is very deep and your suggestion to make a system that will help reveal some universal patterns of the universe is too.

I am trying to search for such an idea but am really struggling. Do you please mind sharing a bit more on how to approach this? If possible, I’d like to get in touch with you, I believe you can see my e-mail address.

I already feel reading about the witness has given me something I can’t describe. And the game is not even ready yet….

Something amazing’s going on here, I can feel it.

But they haven’t overshadowed the original idea, which is still in the game very strongly.

Thank you for answering – I respect fully what you’re doing.

It’s extremely unlikely that the game would ever be released on the Wii. Maybe if a Wii 2 comes out…

thx

I felt it was extremely important that I leave this comment so I hope it gives you more confidence in the games you make and what you want to achieve as someone who makes games. Thank you again for your effort.

I really, really, really loved Braid. You probably heard it a million times before but I love that game. I love you man. Keep making more games. If I was a billionaire I would shower you with money.

After reading this post, I’m not just reassured, I’m extremely excited and intrigued. I don’t need to see a single video or screenshot after this. One of the reasons I thoroughly enjoyed playing Braid was how I never saw a single video of the game beforehand. Your attitude and confidence is certainly a good sign.

Best of luck to you, Blow. I just know that I’m gonna enjoy a game that focuses on player experience more than anything else.

No pressure.

you don’t need to be concerned, you don’t need to explain anything. just remain true to what you want to do, that’s the whole point of being indie, right? if you start thinking about what people want or expect, you might as well get a contarct with activision!

Braid is the best game i have played, all the things you talk about are in it. its a example of how to make games, for me. the video from pax at kotaku looked beautiful, you really nailed down that middle-of-day-sunshine. you have a lot of followers, they are all waiting for your next game, they will spread the word about the Witness.

and i am waiting for more examples of how to make games that are meaningful to people. just when i heard that your next game was 3D i got super excited, just to see how you deal with it and learn more things from a technical perspective.

good luck!

It’s just that these blog posts / videos / etc are supposed to be communicating effectively about the game (even if just in a limited fashion right now), so if I feel like something is getting miscommunicated about the nature of the game, it seems best to fix that early on.

That said, I find it a bit amusing that you got this defensive even though the Witness is not even published yet. Anyway, I have complete trust on your design taste. Good luck with the finishing touches!

Wish you the best.

I just hope that you can keep up your enthusiasm for the project when you’re, to reduce it completely, seemingly just now coloring in the lines. Or maybe it’s closer to painting a sketch?

PS.
You are allowed to say that Braid is a good game.

Can’t say I blame you for being careful about what you release about The Witness before it’s done.

I’m not a big fan of sharing work-in-progress – even to people very close to me. (Actually – *especially* to people close to me).

The kind of criticism you encounter at an early stage is not always helpful, even if it’s coming from good intentions.

All the best with the game. To say The Witness is highly anticipated from all the fans of Braid is definitely an understatement.

Can’t wait to see the finished product.
–Phil