#042 - Mark Rosewater

“Magic is a game about change…we’ve been spending the last twenty-five years figuring out how to make it even better.” The legendary Mark Rosewater, Head Designer for Magic: The Gathering, joins “Humans of Magic” to discuss the finer nuances of designing for the best game on the planet. Hear Mark talk about why building a Magic set is like building a house, how his process has evolved, and why you should be excited about Magic’s future. Timestamps: 2:55 Introductions 6:00 Mark’s family and Rosewater gaming night 10:16 Playing games with Richard Garfield 12:00 Mark’s role at Wizards—the “building a house” metaphor 14:26 What feeds exploratory and vision design? 17:58 What skillsets do Magic designers need, at each stage of the process? 22:42 The evolution of the design process—then vs. now 27:55 Designing the house for different player demographics 30:32 Compartmentalized design teams—what are the tradeoffs? 34:21 “Game design is about iteration” 40:58 Inspiring everyone working at Wizards to live the core values 44:12 Transparency, open communication, and cross-team collaboration 47:17 What does Magic need to do to stay relevant? 49:04 Thoughts on the state of Organized Play? 49:57 What advice would Mark give to a younger version of himself? 52:01 What advice would Mark give to a first-time tournament player? Enjoy! To support the Humans of Magic podcast go to: www.patreon.com/jameshsu