In this episode, Joel and Tim focus in on the problem of designing space games as if you were designing amusement park rides -- by bolting a lot of experiences together based on player expectations, rather than allowing an idea to grow organically. We use Elite: Dangerous as an example to talk about why so many game designers fall into the trap of trying to emulate existing universes rather than creating their own, and end up creating a somewhat bland and forgettable world as a result.