“Magic is a game about change…we’ve been spending the last twenty-five years figuring out how to make it even better.”

The legendary Mark Rosewater, Head Designer for Magic: The Gathering, joins “Humans of Magic” to discuss the finer nuances of designing for the best game on the planet. Hear Mark talk about why building a Magic set is like building a house, how his process has evolved, and why you should be excited about Magic’s future.

Timestamps:

2:55 Introductions

6:00 Mark’s family and Rosewater gaming night

10:16 Playing games with Richard Garfield

12:00 Mark’s role at Wizards—the “building a house” metaphor

14:26 What feeds exploratory and vision design?

17:58 What skillsets do Magic designers need, at each stage of the process?

22:42 The evolution of the design process—then vs. now

27:55 Designing the house for different player demographics

30:32 Compartmentalized design teams—what are the tradeoffs?

34:21 “Game design is about iteration”

40:58 Inspiring everyone working at Wizards to live the core values

44:12 Transparency, open communication, and cross-team collaboration

47:17 What does Magic need to do to stay relevant?

49:04 Thoughts on the state of Organized Play?

49:57 What advice would Mark give to a younger version of himself?

52:01 What advice would Mark give to a first-time tournament player?

Enjoy!

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