Piotr Iwanicki (SUPERHOT): We start from the black screen and work from that. How do you keep their attention? That’s game design.

Esposito, Stone, Russ, Dube, and Hunicke

Kara Stone: I describe it in different ways to different people at different parties. If I say, “I make videogames,” people often try to interrogate me to see if I’m “really a gamer.” If people just don’t understand, I’ll say I make “super artsy games.” If I don’t want to engage or if I want to sound fancy, I’ll say I make “interactive art.”

Jay Tholen: Game design is essentially defining the rules of an interactive world. Many people see it as mysterious and intangible, and often don’t realize that real people craft every facet of the games they enjoy. For the completely uninitiated, I like to describe games as a young medium, similar to cinema a century ago.

Dabbous, Dawkins, Flesser, Pettit, and O’Reilly

Will Dubé: To make a game, you need four things: artists to make the game beautiful, programmers to make the game work, business people to make the game make money, and game designers to make the game fun. Game designers often don’t code or draw. They’re in charge of what the player does in the game — what are the rules of the game and what makes the game fun.

Samyn (with partner Auriea Harvey), Beck, and Iwanicki

Paloma Dawkins: When I explain my job at parties, I usually tell people that I create alternate dimensions, and mirror universes that reflect our own but are really just my pre-baked dreamscapes that you float through, unnoticed. Then I steal their drink and leave with the band.

David Beck (Divorce! The Game): I once had a rather unpleasant woman at a bar laugh at it as a career choice. But she knew what I was talking about. I think that means gaming isn’t really a mystery to the world anymore.

Douglas Wilson (Die Gute Fabrik): I try very hard to avoid explaining my job at parties.