Title: Minimalism in Game Design: Examples, Tips, and Ideas
Headings: Minimalism in Game Design: Examples, Tips, and Ideas
Minimalism in Game Design: Examples, Tips, and Ideas
What is Minimalism?
A Brief History
The Basics
Examples of Minimalism in Popular Games
Super Hexagon
Dwarf Fortress
Mirror's Edge
Passage
Metal Gear Solid 3
Thomas Was Alone
Nintendo Wii / Wii Sports
Journey
Shadow of the Colossus
Ludum Dare 26: Minimalism
Limitation vs. Intention
Minimalism in Game Development
Aesthetic Design
System Design
Narrative Design
Conclusion
References

Content: It depends on the message you want to convey, your delivery method, and your intended audience. As a game developer, your game is your message. Minimalism is the brevity of game design: a way to engage your audience more efficiently by favoring simplicity over complexity. But don't confuse a lack of complexity with the lack of challenge or depth, because many successful games have proven that minimalism and traditional game design philosophies can coexist beautifully. Examples of this range from the rhythmically challenging, geometric simplicity of Terry Cavanagh's Super Hexagon to the epic scale of Fumito Ueda's emotionally deep Shadow of the Colossus . Whether it's a straight-forward aesthetic implementation or a metaphorical, narrative-focused approach, this article will help you to use minimalism in your projects and prove the old adage that 'less is more'. What is Minimalism? A Brief History
Minimalism, as an art movement, arose in the 1960s as a by-product of philosophical modernism. Modernism was a rejection of outdated ways of thinking, and this directly affected artistic expression.