Rules of the Game 2025: Uncommon Techniques from Insightful Designers

Every designer knows that game rules are what create gameplay, but figuring out the rules we use to make games is entirely more difficult. In addition, game design rules are much more open to personal style and preference. The popular Rules of the Game session is a great place to see just how wide-ranging design opinions can be. Returning for 2025, this session brings together a cohort of experienced game designers, each of whom have shipped amazing games. In the session, each designer gets 10 minutes to share a technique they use in the creation of their projects, each exploring a different facet of game design. GDC returns to San Francisco in March 2026! For more information, be sure to visit our website and subscribe to the GDC mailing list: http://www.gdconf.com/subscribe. GDC talks cover a range of developmental topics including game design, programming, audio, visual arts, business management, production, online games, and much more. We post a fresh GDC video every day. Subscribe to the channel to stay on top of regular updates, and check out GDC Vault for thousands of more in-depth talks from our archives.