Close your eyes. Now imagine, just for a moment, that you're Blizzard Entertainment. 

How do you design a game built around collectible cards in a digital space that is visually compelling, and still feels anchored in the World of Warcraft universe? At GDC 2014, Blizzard's Ben Thompson succinctly explained how a clear set of guiding principles, relentless iteration and a healthy dose of creativity fueled the art design of Hearthstone.

It was a great talk on a rarely-broached topic -- designing art that's instructive and enthralling in an effort to make your game look like it could actually be played in a fantasy world. 

Now, you can watch Thompson's Hearthstone art talk for free via the offical GDC Vault YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech