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. "},"id":"b672735e-540e-4dde-b9d2-f61a277d4275","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/hxb6nytfl3m6sybm"],"src":"","alt":"The Lens of Utopia. Full text of this card is typed out below","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"71eec1d7-8f65-4542-9210-a6968cfca5a8","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"The Lens of Utopia","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 be sure you are headed to a better world, ask yourself these questions: "},"id":"9b307f1f-f5b4-469c-8c52-0aa55592571f","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Am I creating something that feels magical? Do people get excited just hearing about what I am making? Why or why not? Does my game advance the state of the art in a meaningful way? Does my game make the world a better place? "},"id":"714409d1-7e94-4e55-94ba-9b7b89849660","isHidden":false,"type":"listBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Example - Cyberpunk 2077","customid":""},"id":"99b646d6-8218-4cb2-a381-81fb85f84b1e","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":" I'll admit, I have pushed off Cyberpunk 2077 for going on five years. But with CD Projekt's recent news that it sold 35 million copies and is now the studio's main source of income, I decided the time was right to see what the hype was. As I was drenched in the neon squalor of high-tech dystopia, I instantly thought of the juxtaposition of this game's setting with the Lens of Utopia, and the long road this game has been on from initial release to the lauded title it is today. "},"id":"a092870c-3c32-41c5-8218-b148b0704d11","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8X2kIfS6fb8","video":[],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"bf38de21-7601-4217-941b-98d69d5e48f2","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Jesse Schell\u2019s Lens of Utopia asks game creators to hold their projects to the highest possible standard and to ask if the experience they created magical, exciting, innovative, and ultimately beneficial. Applying this utopian framework to Cyberpunk 2077 , a game steeped in corporate dystopia, reveals a fascinating, complex failure-to-redemption arc. From the moment of its grand reveal, the promise of Night City achieved the first measure of success: creating something truly magical. The game established a unique open world offering unparalleled immersion through its environmental density, sophisticated atmosphere, and cohesive integration of its diverse locations (corporate skyscrapers, seaside slums, run-down shantytowns) directly into the quest structure. This commitment to visual and environmental storytelling allowed players to experience the world through the protagonist's first-person POV gaze, making simple navigation inherently rewarding. However, the perceived sense of magic was missing at launch. While the aesthetic achievement created a powerful passive magic (i.e. the game looked beautiful) the game failed to deliver active magic: the expected, complex interaction with that high-tech world. A long list of core systemic deficits, ranging from a lack of cosmetic cyberware or vehicle upgrades to the absence of features like functional self-driving vehicles or subways, made Night City feel visually spectacular yet mechanically static. Promises of a live city with advanced artificial intelligence and automation, and thousands of NPCs following handmade routines failed to materialize. This dissonance ultimately undercut the initial feeling of utopian potential. "},"id":"36a102d8-a537-4cfb-94af-4d961fb9be62","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/zfonkdxcd2qmxynt"],"src":"","alt":"Night City in Cyberpunk 2077","caption":"How could something so visually stunning be so lifeless at launch?","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"b090142e-7929-4e2d-903f-b57c526b9b42","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":" The second question was initially fulfilled to an overwhelming degree, as well. Fueled by CD Projekt Red \u2019s sterling reputation from The Witcher 3 and the star-studded casting announcement of Keanu Reeves, pre-release excitement reached astronomical levels. Yet, this spectacular success in generating hype became a root cause for the initial failure. The launch disaster, defined by widespread technical issues and catastrophic performance on last-generation consoles, decimated player trust. This demonstrated that the magnitude of excitement directly amplifies the severity of a product's subsequent crisis, forcing an unprecedented level of accountability. "},"id":"556e8bc8-44b7-4191-8359-74c29d8621b2","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/ltnkwgqv4x4rtjus"],"src":"","alt":"Screenshot of Keanu Reeves' character in Cyberpunk 2077","caption":"If not even Keanu can get your marketing team a W, it's time to rethink.","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"e8c3cad8-c18c-4ddf-8032-761d101e02f5","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":" This leads to the third question: \"Does my game advance the state of the art in a meaningful way?\" On one hand, Cyberpunk 2077 pushed visual engineering boundaries and was a clear graphical advancement. On the other hand, the core systems of the game were regressive; critical features like AI, the police system, and world logic were broken or overly simplistic. The true innovation was not in its launch, but in the subsequent, multi-year redemption arc. The massive, free overhauls (Patch 2.0\/Phantom Liberty) rebuilt nearly every core system, delivering on the initial promises and hype train. This level of comprehensive post-launch systemic reconstruction, delivered to all base game owners, established a new industrial standard for developer dedication and product lifecycle management, ultimately advancing the state of the art in commitment to quality. "},"id":"f6fa9ef1-f5fa-441a-b722-9db496bb2146","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/31fjprrujhntbdck"],"src":"","alt":"Action screenshot of Cyberpunk 2077","caption":"Dramatization of video game devs trying to escape crunch culture","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"9041c3bd-4d36-4dd3-9f56-a654d64dad2d","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Finally, \"Does my game make the world a better place?\" Cyberpunk 2077 offers a powerful thematic take from the first scenes, depicting a realistic and plausible future ruled by corporate interests and extreme wealth disparity. It successfully uses the narrative to explore transhumanism, warning that while the technology may be neutral, its commodification and abuse by corporations will inevitably lead to social stratification and control. In a world currently struggling with the advent of AI technologies and the discussions and implications surrounding them, this critique provides relevant social value. However, these themes also butt up against current, bigger problems of the gaming industry such as crunch culture and profits-driven production, making this a fantastic issue for even more discussion. As I wrap up V's story and the expansion DLC in my current playthrough, I think the lessons of Cyberpunk are far-reaching and just beginning to be understood by the gaming community and academic circles. Just how prophetic the warnings of Cyberpunk 2077 are; well, that's up to us, isn't it? "},"id":"2c40c7b7-502f-4157-8d4a-1d3a93645d99","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. "},"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 Utopia

December 2, 2025 · insights

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