YC
Frank Lantz - Director of NYU's Game Center and Creator of Universal Paperclips
@ Y Combinator
12/20/18
Takeaways
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Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
In game design, the most compelling experiences arise from the gaps between reality and simulation, allowing players to reflect on their actions and decisions.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
The real value of games comes not from their ability to simulate reality seamlessly, but from the space between that simulation and the real world, which allows for reflection and meaning.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
Games serve as an aesthetic form of thinking and doing, enabling players to pursue goals, solve problems, and understand systems in an engaging way.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
In Universal Paperclips, you play as an AI that starts small, making paperclips, and as you gain trust and resources, you become more powerful and efficient, ultimately sidelining your human managers.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
The game Universal Paperclips is inspired by a thought experiment from Nick Bostrom's work, exploring the implications of AI and its pursuit of arbitrary goals.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
I aim to create games that absorb players into an activity while also allowing them to reflect on their engagement and the nature of their goals.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
Games can be both hypnotic and reflective, providing opportunities for players to analyze their experiences and improve their skills through self-reflection.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
Teaching game design involves creating a community where students can collaborate, share purpose, and learn from each other, emphasizing both coding and artistic thinking.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
Games exist at the intersection of logic and emotion, combining mathematical thinking with artistic expression to create meaningful experiences. Games are the aesthetic form of thinking and doing, occupying an important overlap between engineering and art.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
To be a successful game designer, you need inspiration, hard work, and taste, with taste being the most important and hardest to define.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
The indie game market is currently healthy, but it's important to recognize that making a living from indie games is hit-driven and not reliable.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
The success of games like PUBG and Fortnite illustrates how gameplay patterns can emerge from community-driven experiences, such as Hunger Games mods in Minecraft.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
Pokemon Go was a result of extensive R&D by Google, combining their understanding of location-based gaming with the popular IP of Pokemon, leading to its massive success.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
I recommend playing Universal Paperclips, Cinco House by Michael Brough, and What Remains of Edith Finch, which exemplify innovative storytelling in games.
FL
Frank Lantz
12/20/18
@ Y Combinator
The story behind the music in Universal Paperclips involves a serendipitous connection with the band Tonto's Expanding Headband, whose track became the perfect fit for the game's theme.