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. This month, let's talk about needs. Your needs! Join us as we analyze video games not through graphics or frame rate, but as to how they fulfill the basic hierarchy of needs we all share: "},"id":"b672735e-540e-4dde-b9d2-f61a277d4275","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/oxcs3ueityjzbrud"],"src":"","alt":"The Lens of Needs showing Maslow's hierarchy of needs","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"71eec1d7-8f65-4542-9210-a6968cfca5a8","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"The Lens of Needs","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: To use this lens, stop thinking about your game, and start thinking about what basic human needs it fulfills. Ask yourself these questions: "},"id":"9b307f1f-f5b4-469c-8c52-0aa55592571f","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"text":" On which levels of Maslow's hierarchy is my game operating? Does it fill the needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness? How can I make my game fulfill more basic needs than it already does? For the needs my game is already filling, how can it fill those needs even better? "},"id":"714409d1-7e94-4e55-94ba-9b7b89849660","isHidden":false,"type":"listBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hIVP4TnSYEc","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 - Monster Train 2","customid":""},"id":"99b646d6-8218-4cb2-a381-81fb85f84b1e","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" After putting in [REDACTED] hours for Big Fan Games' Monster Train , my hype level for Monster Train 2 's release in 2025 was off the charts. But as I delved into run after run of this unique deckbuilder, it did make me reflect on just what makes this game so compelling. Sure, I love the art style and hell trains are rad. But is there something more... "},"id":"a092870c-3c32-41c5-8218-b148b0704d11","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/q9werrx38vvwd7bc"],"src":"","alt":"Screenshot of Monster Train 2","caption":"Pyre, I will always protect you. Except when I can't or don't","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"b090142e-7929-4e2d-903f-b57c526b9b42","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":" ...of course there is! In fact, the entire gameplay loop of Monster Train 2 could be interpreted as an extension of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Have I completely lost it? Let's find out. At the most basic level, the goal of Monster Train 2 is to protect your Pyre. You can lose all of your cards and tons of units over and over, but once the Pyre is gone, your run ends. Your Pyre is the bottom of Maslow's pyramid - safety and security. Every choice you make has broad implications, but in the end, your relief after each round comes from protecting and defending your Pyre. Sometimes you even need to choose your Pyre and restore health to it rather than going for deeper upgrades to keep a run alive, a strategic choice that changes a gameplay health bar into an emotional anchor. "},"id":"36a102d8-a537-4cfb-94af-4d961fb9be62","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/gnqqtlvjrqo8mxae"],"src":"","alt":"Screenshot of Monster Train 2","caption":"Wriggling out of this mess takes me to the top of the Hierarchy of Needs","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"e8c3cad8-c18c-4ddf-8032-761d101e02f5","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":" As we progress more into the game systems, you can naturally start to see them as further extensions of the higher levels of Maslow's hierarchy. Love and belonging in a single player game? Not so fast! Monster Train 2 fosters belonging with in-game codes that allow players to compete against the same challenges, and the Reddit and Discord communities for this game further let people with a shared love of this title find that sense of belonging. Even if you never use these features, your choices of what clans you choose from the very beginning will influence how you personally identify with the game (Underlegion\/Pyreborne players, @ me). This extends all the way to the top of Maslow's pyramid. Monster Train 2 is not an easy game, and simply completing a base run with all of the clans is more than enough to satisfy esteem needs for players. But if that's not enough, there's leaderboards and a Covenant ranking system that provides incredibly deep challenges. Achieving Covenant 25 is seen as the pinnacle of conquering this game, and is a rank I will continue to chase for my own esteem needs. At the tippy top is self actualization. While the specific parameters of how you might experience this in Monster Train 2 might wildly differ, I thought I'd share my own experience as a guide. Going up a Covenant rank is great, but the happiest I am playing Monster Train 2 is when I figure out a new combination of cards that bends the game to my will. Getting a perfect synergy that turns a common card into an unkillable nightmare? Finding a way to get out of an impossible jam with 1 Pyre health left? That's self-actualization, baby! "},"id":"556e8bc8-44b7-4191-8359-74c29d8621b2","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"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. 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The Lens of Needs

September 2, 2025 · insights

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