Schell Games

[{"content":{"text":" Schell Games' commitment to education is something we live every day; in the products we create, the work environment in the office and the ways we share that knowledge with others. Each month, we'll be dissecting a different Lens from The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by our CEO Jesse Schell and applying it to a noteworthy title. It's our hope that you use these as you develop your game or are looking to critically analyze what makes someone else's game successful. And what better month than July in the United States to celebrate, what else, independence? That's why this month we're tackling: "},"id":"b672735e-540e-4dde-b9d2-f61a277d4275","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/hIyeZDURoPEOxM3n"],"src":"","alt":"The Lens of Presence showing a person using a mirror to cheat at a poker game","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"71eec1d7-8f65-4542-9210-a6968cfca5a8","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"The Lens of Freedom","customid":""},"id":"279fe410-e550-4f12-a690-1c05d145c226","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" How This Works: Use this Lens (full text below as well) and picture your game at the same time. See how you answer each question and how difficult it is to arrive at these conclusions. Repeat and refine until complete - how much different does your potential game look than when you started? Full Text: A feeling of freedom is one of the things that separates games from other forms of entertainment. To make sure your players feel as free as possible, ask yourself these questions: "},"id":"9b307f1f-f5b4-469c-8c52-0aa55592571f","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"text":" When do my players have freedom of action? Do they feel free at these times? When are they constrained? Do they feel constrained at these times? Are there places I can let them feel more free than they do now? Are they are places where they are overwhelmed by too much freedom? "},"id":"714409d1-7e94-4e55-94ba-9b7b89849660","isHidden":false,"type":"listBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=965Km7t6KwM","video":[],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"a237d431-cb72-4792-a05f-de86cde9edf7","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Example - The Alters ","customid":""},"id":"99b646d6-8218-4cb2-a381-81fb85f84b1e","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Light gameplay spoilers follow 11 Bit Studios has been a studio to watch since 2014's This War of Mine , and I put an ungodly amount of time into their follow-up Frostpunk . So, expectations were sky high for their 2025 release, The Alters . And they delivered, with a unique take on the survival genre featuring an incredible sci-fi setting an an even-more engaging throughline of what makes us human. Survival games can be tricky when it comes to player freedom. Too much freedom can be overwhelming and lead to analysis paralysis. Too little freedom and the survival aspects can become oppressive. But get that balance just right, and survival becomes a beautiful mix of time management, exploration, and efficiency to conquer all of the tasks in front of you by making quick, intelligent decisions. "},"id":"a092870c-3c32-41c5-8218-b148b0704d11","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/ZCqn3oRinqkzvUMl"],"src":"","alt":"Screenshot of The Alters by 11 Bit Studios","caption":"And can we talk about how the minimal HUD lets me focus on these gorgeous environments?","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"b090142e-7929-4e2d-903f-b57c526b9b42","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":" The Alters is a fantastic example of following the lessons from The Lens of Freedom. And it starts from the very beginning, with a prologue perfectly designed to acclimate the player to what the game expects. You are given some simple resource gathering challenges, a small map to explore, plenty of time, and no true dangers besides the radioactivity surge at night. So you feel confident when the game truly opens up in the next area, quickly tacking on systems, advanced basebuilding, environmental hazards, and personnel conflicts that all must be handled in addition to what you already know. But the player is never left floundering. Alerts will ping you well in advance when there's a problem, your trusty manuals can remind you of anything you've forgotten, and crewmates are easy to assess for their needs. It's a robust system of alternating freedom and constraint that works wonders. Just when I feel like my team is really making progress, a new hazard or problem seems to creep up. And even when multiple systems fail at the same time and I'm low on resources, I seem to find a way to fight back and keep the mission going. The progress I make makes me keep playing the game, but it's those comeback victories against the environment that I'll remember when it comes to why this game is so engaging. "},"id":"36a102d8-a537-4cfb-94af-4d961fb9be62","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/mUc0VjSOf1quuQy4"],"src":"","alt":"Screenshot of The Alters by 11 Bit Studios","caption":"And just when I was making progress...lava river","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"e8c3cad8-c18c-4ddf-8032-761d101e02f5","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"The Art of Game Design","customid":""},"id":"0d883239-9628-4b2a-b02c-f851cbd51cb9","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" This is just one quick example of all of the knowledge and expertise contained within The Art of Game Design . Learn more about the book, the 110+ Lenses that come with it and more about CEO Jesse Schell on The Art of Game Design website. "},"id":"d20c64ba-e079-4341-b8c7-b86c6101df96","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"link":"https:\/\/schellgames.com\/art-of-game-design","text":"Read More","class":"","id":""},"id":"d83375af-b2e5-4f35-a026-239ad00239cc","isHidden":false,"type":"buttonBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/hxonirhhjVdS96jM"],"src":"","alt":"The Art of Game Design and Deck of Lenses","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"28d92694-0e36-4bf5-b855-ead2013bde3f","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"View More Lenses","customid":""},"id":"f067b7d2-afdb-46cb-8f86-afad4e5398bd","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" All Lenses can also be accessed digitally for no cost. Use the Deck of Lenses for inspiration when developing an experience, playtesting, brainstorming, and anything in between. "},"id":"937bdf5d-63a6-43a4-9ae3-3856f93d036a","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"link":"https:\/\/deck.artofgamedesign.com\/#\/","text":"Deck of Lenses","class":"","id":""},"id":"2a31427e-1455-4ff5-ac51-1b0289e9add8","isHidden":false,"type":"buttonBlock"}]

The Lens of Freedom

July 1, 2025 · insights

Related Articles

Let's work together.