Gerald Poon
Lead / Principal Game Designer
I feel that applicable and repeatable design processes are an important part of being an effective designer. While pure creativity is partially innate and difficult to quantify a process for improvement, analytical / scientific aspects of game design are things that every designer can improve upon simply by learning from others. Having gained much experience over the years as a game designer, I have some habits and workflows that may be of interest to other game designers!
Analyse other games in depth
In the video below I explain my process for rapid prototyping and highlight the importance of developing solid analytical skills. I break down Overwatch's shooting mechanic as an example, and try to recreate them in my own shooter prototype. The idea is that rather than trying to "reinvent the wheel", studying other games and applying those findings to your own project will kickstart your prototype and help you achieve a polished state much sooner. In short, "reverse engineer" benchmark examples of whatever system you're making in order to get a head start.
There are many other design topics I'd like to discuss and potentially make videos on. Stay tuned!