Here’s a bold statement: Players are selfish, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s the secret sauce behind some of the most beloved games in history. Chris Avellone, the mastermind behind Fallout 2 and Planescape: Torment, built his entire game design philosophy around this idea. But here’s where it gets controversial: Avellone argues that catering to players’ selfishness isn’t just smart design—it’s essential. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not about pandering; it’s about creating a shared experience where players feel like the story revolves around them.
Avellone’s journey into game design began long before he became a household name in the industry. Growing up, he was captivated by Dungeons & Dragons at just nine years old. ‘It was like make-believe with rules,’ he recalls, ‘a way to challenge your imagination without guaranteeing success.’ This early exposure to tabletop gaming taught him that the best experiences are those where players feel in control, even if they’re not always successful. But here’s the twist: Avellone didn’t start out wanting to be a game master. He preferred being a player—until he realized no one else wanted to take the reins. ‘I bit the bullet,’ he says, ‘and discovered I loved crafting interactive stories.’
This love for storytelling led him to experiment with coding on a TRS-80, inspired by text adventure games. The results? ‘A steaming, buggy mess,’ he jokes. But those early failures taught him how games worked under the hood. Unlike today’s aspiring developers, who have access to online tutorials and communities, Avellone relied on programming manuals from the library. ‘I definitely would have benefited from a mentor,’ he admits, highlighting the isolation of learning in the early ’80s.
Despite his success, Avellone never set out to design video games. ‘I sort of fell into it,’ he says. His dream was to write pen-and-paper modules, comics, and adventure books. But when an opportunity arose to work in the computer game industry, he took it—and found his calling. ‘Computer game design became fun in itself,’ he explains, ‘like being a virtual game master.’
One of Avellone’s core principles is understanding players’ motivations. ‘What’s their power fantasy?’ he asks. In Planescape: Torment, he made the game entirely about the player, even turning death into a narrative tool rather than a fail state. This idea, born from his frustration with ‘save scumming,’ challenged traditional gaming conventions. But here’s the controversial part: Avellone believes players shouldn’t be penalized for how they choose to play. ‘It’s not your story,’ he says. ‘It’s a shared experience.’
This philosophy extends to character design and player agency. ‘Every player should have their ‘shine moment,’ where they feel like a hero,’ he explains. Whether they’re min-maxers or heavy role-players, the game should cater to their style. This approach is evident in his work on Fallout: New Vegas, where he incorporated lessons from the canceled Fallout Van Buren project, including playtesting with a tabletop RPG to ensure every character build had its moment to shine.
But Avellone isn’t without his missteps. He once took away hard-earned rewards from players at the start of a new adventure, nearly causing a mutiny. ‘Don’t give, then take away,’ he warns. It’s a lesson he carries into his current project at Republic Games, where he’s helping develop a dystopian fantasy game. ‘Some discussions have fallen back on old RPG designs,’ he teases, leaving us eager for more.
So, here’s the question: Do you agree that players’ selfishness is the key to great game design? Or is there a line where catering to players goes too far? Let’s debate it in the comments—Avellone’s philosophy is sure to spark differing opinions.
