Feedback loops you can feel

Today

Feeling is not magic. It is structure: loops that reinforce or balance what players do.

Read a loop (10 min)

Pick a familiar game. Name:

1. Core loop (do → get → decide)
2. Resource that grows
3. Something that checks growth (a balancing pressure)
4. A failure state

Draw it as boxes and arrows. Label positive vs balancing edges.

Model in a spreadsheet (20 min)

Build a 10-turn economy with one income dial and one cost dial.

Change one dial. Predict the curve before you fill it. Then fill it.

Analog fallback: same table on paper; chart the bank column by hand.

Playtest as an experiment (20 min)

Write a hypothesis you could lose:

If I raise cost by 2, players will stall by turn 6.

Run a 10-minute play. Separate said from did. Kill one loved feature if the evidence demands it.

Accessibility pass (5 min)

Name one cognitive-load or input barrier in your prototype. Treat it as design material, not compliance paperwork.