What types of game mechanics create the sort of depth that keep a game fun for a long time?

At GDC 2015, Riot Games' Tom Cadwell noted he and his colleagues seek to understand this question in order to improve their projects -- both League of Legends and other R&D efforts. 

He went to deliver an intriguing talk about the roguelike genre, and how the core mechanics underlying it have the potential to foment incredibly strong long-term replayability, driven by players' pursuit of mastery.

In his talk Cadwell discussed what game makers can learn from studying the roguelike approach to designing for mastery, and how those learnings can cross-pollinate into other game genres and lead you to game design innovation.

If you missed it in person, no worries -- Cadwell's talk is now freely available for anyone to watch over on the official GDC YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault 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.

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