One of the fundamentals of good level design ensures that the player has fun when navigating a space. That is, according to one of the ten principles Dan Taylor lays out. 

Level designers are often tasked with constructing an environment that's engaging to a player without giving them too much or too little information. What steps can they take to make sure their levels are intuitive and well thought out? 

In this 2013 GDC session, Square Enix Montreal's Dan Taylor provides a Ramsian-style breakdown of how to create well designed levels, which distills the art and science of level design down to a set of fundamental principles for innovation and engagement.  

Level designers may appreciate that they can now watch the talk completely free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying 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 or VRDC 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.

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