# The 100 Games That Taught GMTK Game Design <div class=iframe-container> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/gWNXGfXOrro?si=JbV4lnN4tgoVQvUG" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> [The 100 Games That Taught Me Game Design](https://youtube.com/watch?v=gWNXGfXOrro) by Mark Brown for Game Maker's Toolkit I am 90 or so minutes through Mark's banger list. My biggest takeaway is you don't get this level of insight to game design without *playing the games*. Mark has spent the last decade reading articles, watching keynotes, talking with developers, designing [[GMTK is Making a Game|his own game]], and playing *a lot* of games. It's like authors reading books. I become a better writer when I read. And when I read, I want to write. It's this never ending cycle. And the other key? Ship it. Mark has also spent the last decade creating over 200 videos on game design. He's had [[How Stealth Game Guards See and Hear - School of Stealth – GMTK|mini-series]], franchise deep dives, and covered so much more in that span of time. The only way to get there is to chip away and make the thing. That's why a video like this works from Mark. He has the years of experience and work to make a two hour video on the games that taught him design. Now for some interesting tidbits I've noticed so far... - Mark makes a good effort to mention current, legal ways to play the games. There aren't links to every game, just ones that work in a browser it seems, but he does at least mention platform and availability. - Every now and then, a game is one the list for a "bad" lesson, which I respect. Not every game is a shining example of design principles. - Quite a few staple series got their first iteration on the list and not a superior or refined sequel i.e. *[[Super Mario Bros.]]* or *Pokémon*. I was super surprised with *Mega Man*. Respect the originals. - I was going to say "look at how many came out within the last five years," but its not that many.[^1] Most of the list is the "HD era" thought, which surprised me. Then I looked and realized that the 360 and PS3 were out in 2005/2006 and felt old. [^1]: How was *Breath of the Wild* seven years ago?