About this site

This website is a collection of short, practical essays on game design — pieces that explore why games work the way they do and the general principles designers can apply to their own projects.

My goal is to make game design theory useful: clear ideas you can apply directly, supported by examples and explanations of the underlying mechanics and psychology.

Who I am

Hi! I'm Ananda Guneratne. I design tabletop games and think a lot about how game systems work to create fun, meaningful experiences. Writing and posting mini-essays helps me clarify my thinking and serves as groundwork for the game design books I eventually hope to write.

I also co-host The Tabletop Takeaway, a podcast where two other designers and I deconstruct published games in search of design takeaways we can apply elsewhere.

My board game Sprocketforge is available in stores, with other games in development.

What I focus on

I am particularly interested in finding general principles that apply across many games and in explaining what makes them work, when they matter, and how they improve games. I try to keep each essay short, actionable, and illustrative.

Follow along

If you’d like to get new essays as I write them, you can subscribe to the newsletter. It’s the best way to stay updated, and it helps support this project — thank you.