One of the hardest things to do as a game designer is the balancing act between being clever and being obtuse. Sitting with our own ideas for too long we often start to subconsciously justify our decisions, thinking that they’re more obvious than they are. We’re then flabbergasted when other people don’t immediately grasp the things we thought were simple.

Brenda Brathwaite considers the same question on her blog, Applied Game Design, and comes to the conclusion: “change your design, not the player.”

While I think that a large part of games actually is about changing the player’s natural instincts and inclinations, or at least tweaking them a little, she is right when she maintains that the solution is not trying to press your point. It’s better to simply give in and try something different. There’s a good chance that in the end it’ll make for a better game. Failing that, it’s always good to work with tangible design challenges.