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The Number One Educational Resource for the Game Industry

Session Name: Design Philosophies and Lessons from Developing 'Merge Dragons!'
Speaker(s): Ray Mazza
Company Name(s): Gram Games
Track / Format: Design

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Overview: 'Merge Dragons!' is an independent mobile game turned breakout hit. It mashes a match-3-like mechanic of merging directly into a puzzly-collection game with cute simulated dragons. How is such a strange game so successful? Why do players play? How does the game make money? And how did Gram Games manage this with just 1 or 2 designers? Join in this session and Senior Creative Director Ray Mazza will take you on a journey from how this unlikely concept was born, through how the design pillarsof discovery, infinite play, and "merging everything" shaped the design into a deeply engaging game with strong monetization. The session will share many design insights and even a few fun stories, like how a duck accidentally ended up in agame about dragons (and why that is great).

GDC 2019

Ray Mazza

Gram Games

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Design

Design