Browser games and small design experiments
Small games.
Thoughtful ideas.
Thirty original guides to understanding rules, prototyping game ideas, designing clear controls and keeping useful test notes.
Start here · Read the game
Read the rule.
Explore the decision.
Find the available action and its consequence.
Read the guide
Prototype the idea
Score, Progress and Victory
Controls and instructions
Frames and Elapsed Time
Read the game
5 articlesRead the game
Read the Rules Before the First Move
Find the available action and its consequence.
Read the articleRead the game
The Goal and the Losing Condition
Success and failure deserve separate descriptions.
Read the articleRead the game
The Core Loop in One Short Example
Describe the repeated decision, not the entire story.
Read the articleRead the game
Visual Theme and Game Mechanic
Changing the artwork need not change the rule.
Read the articleRead the game
Constraints Give a Puzzle Its Shape
A limit should affect the player’s choices.
Read the articlePrototype the idea
5 articlesPrototype the idea
Score, Progress and Victory
Three signals can describe different states.
Read the articlePrototype the idea
Test the Idea with Paper Tokens
A simple prototype can expose unclear rules.
Read the articlePrototype the idea
One Mechanic Is Enough for a First Prototype
Choose one question the build should answer.
Read the articleObjects and space
5 articlesObjects and space
Coordinates Describe Position
Choose the origin before describing movement.
Read the articleObjects and space
Collision Is a Rule About Contact
The visible outline and collision shape can differ.
Read the articleObjects and space
Updating and Rendering
Changing a state and showing it are separate tasks.
Read the articleControls and instructions
5 articlesControls and instructions
Frames and Elapsed Time
A display count is not a duration by itself.
Read the articleControls and instructions
Keyboard, Mouse and Touch
An action can have several input methods.
Read the articleControls and instructions
Write a Controls Guide That Answers a Task
Explain the action alongside its input.
Read the articleControls and instructions
Keep Instructions Available After the Opening
A player may need to read them again.
Read the articleControls and instructions
Contrast in a Small Game Interface
Check the important information in its actual state.
Read the articleInclusive play
5 articlesInclusive play
Colour Can Work with Shape and Labels
Provide another way to identify the category.
Read the articleInclusive play
Offer a Visual Alternative to an Audio Cue
Decide which information the sound communicates.
Read the articleInclusive play
Difficulty Options Need Understandable Labels
Explain what an option changes.
Read the articleInclusive play
Observe a Beginner Without Leading Every Move
Let the test reveal the interface’s explanation.
Read the articleTesting and records
5 articlesTesting and records
A Reproducible Game Bug Report
Separate the steps from the interpretation.
Read the articleTesting and records
Local Storage and Session Storage
Persistence depends on the storage mechanism.
Read the articleTesting and records
Why Browser Progress Can Disappear
A local record is not automatically a synchronised account.
Read the articleTesting and records
A Small Change Log Helps Testing
Connect a result with the version tested.
Read the articleTesting and records
Document a Prototype’s Limits Honestly
Tell readers what the build is meant to demonstrate.
Read the articleA considered approach.
Independent educational reading about browser games and design. Fictional illustrations and paper examples; no affiliation with a game platform or former domain owner.