Patrick Curry’s Thoughts on Game Design

Holy crap, Stranglehold is done. Two years, a dozen skus, and a hellofalota overtime later, and we’re done. Being done with the game is a tremendous feeling, not just because I’m finally caught up on sleep, but because I’m really proud of the game we made. The final product is very close to the game we set out to make, and even though some good bits always end up on the cutting room floor, there are by far more good bits in the game than not.

It’s especially rewarding to see the game on shelves, play it with friends and family, and to be able to sit back and enjoy it as a game… and not as a job. As time goes by I get more and more perspective on Stranglehold, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one side I can more clearly critique my own work, so of course I’ve started my wish lists and todo lists for the next game. But on the other side, I really should be in full-on vacation mode, catching up on that huge stack of games that’s accumulated over the last few months, and enjoying being a gamer instead of a developer.

And it’s not like there’s a lack of games to play this season. It seems like every single “big” next-gen game got delayed to this three month window right before the holidays, which is putting more than a little strain on the bank account. Especially considering I was just in the UK, which is not a particularly cheap place for us Yanks these days. But there were a few things there I couldn’t pass up… like that copy of Stranglehold for sale at the supermarket. The supermarket! There’s a country with its priorities straight. You can buy beer, soda, crisps and Stranglehold at all at once. God Save the Queen!

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