Tim Cain on Internet's Impact on Game Design

Tim Cain, co-creator of the Fallout series and a veteran game developer, discussed in a recent YouTube video how the internet, social media, and influencers have reshaped game design and player opinions.

Titled "How The Internet Changed Game Design," the video, published last week, responds to a subscriber question about the impact of streaming and online platforms. Cain, who recently rejoined Obsidian Entertainment to work on an unannounced project, explained that developers now prioritize elements that perform well in short clips shared by streamers and content creators.

"Many designers like myself, we frequently thought, 'Well, how is a certain event in the game going to look like when someone's playing it live or recording themselves playing it to put up as a stream?'" Cain said. He cited considerations for cinematics, end bosses, and unusual weapons, noting that particle effects grew prominent to create visually striking explosions. "You didn't just want to go boom. You wanted a big explosion, and you wanted it to be pretty and colourful and all these things, especially in a clip because people will see that on some channel where someone's talking about the game, and they...