Because it has constant micro goals-such as don't let this column touch the top, bring down this column so I can make words later, or clear out some blank tile-players' moves always have importance to them.' 'The difficulty also gives the game a weight that I don't think games like Bookworm have. 'It's not just about knowing words, it's about knowing when and where to use words,' Gage explained. SpellTower took those concepts and added much more of a 'game' around them. Most spelling games simply reward you for making words, giving you a higher score for longer words. Why not create something that would appeal to people who historically didn't enjoy word games? The challenge was making sure the people who were playing the game continued to have fun, and he also needed to enjoy the game. He experimented with new modes in SpellTower, and continued to play-test the game with his friends. He began playing word games himself, learning what people liked about them, and what he felt had to change. 'I've never been into word games at all, but I decided if I was going to make one, I had better play a few, so I checked out Wurdle and Bookworm, and asked my friends for game recommendations.' 'Trying to unravel their addiction opened up my eyes to the whole genre of word games,' Gage said. He had the skeleton of a really good game already, now he just had to figure out why it was good, and to get a feel for a genre of games that he was never interested in. This was fascinating to him, and he began to work on the project in a unique way.

Gage created a prototype for SpellTower, and his friends became hooked on the concept. It also affords me the possibility of stumbling on something new that nobody's ever tried before.' 'Doing something I don't understand keeps me focused because I'm learning so much and everything is so exciting. I'm a big proponent of 'Outsider Art' and I think the same tenets apply to game design,' Gage told Ars. 'Making games in a genre that I don't enjoy is a lot of work, but its also an incredible amount of fun. There was, on the other hand, one small problem.

After all, he was in the middle of four other titles. When he saw the described game being played in front of him, he realized his ideas were very different, and he went to work creating his own game, hoping to release the smaller-scale project quickly.

A friend told developer Zach Gage about a game that was like ' Tetris and Boggle,' and he immediately had an idea of how that game would look and play. It's always tempting to ask those who create games where their ideas come from, but video games are like all creative endeavors: the idea is rarely as important as someone's ability to execute on that idea.

Spelltower problems