How is Minimalist Design Applied in Digital Games, and Why Do Developers Choose to Use It?
March 2023
Introduction
The games industry is frequently at the forefront of new technological advancements. Year on year, developers utilise emerging technologies to create titles that feature deeper systems, higher graphical fidelity, and ever-increasing amounts of content (Amenabar 2022). Barriers to production are no longer determined by technological capabilities, rather by more tangible restrictions pertaining to time, budget, and labour.
It is these inherent constraints that often lead indie teams to carve niches outside of the maximalist approach taken by most AAA studios (Lowry 2017). By setting self-imposed constraints to development and adopting a more minimal approach to design, these developers can avoid becoming overwhelmed with possibility and create unique, focused experiences. Although uncommon, larger studios have been known to employ minimalism in select areas of a game’s design to create more accessible experiences that have greater market potential.
This essay examines minimalism in its various cultural forms, before relating the core principles to the discourse of game design. The presence of minimalism is highlighted and interrogated within a variety of case studies, intending to better contextualise why developers choose to apply it as a methodology. My findings indicate that minimalism has several benefits on the development process, as well as providing unique value propositions for players. The resulting narrative is one which celebrates subtractive design and advocates for a greater embracement of self-imposed constraints as enabling tools in creativity.
Defining and contextualising minimalism
Minimalism, described as “a style or technique that is characterised by extreme spareness and simplicity” (Merriam-Webster.com 2023), is most often associated with the eponymous artistic movement of the 1960s. This emerged in response to the dominant movement of abstract expressionism, which saw artists working in a spontaneous improvisatory manner, creating pieces characterised by gestural brush strokes and emotive compositions (The Artist Editorial 2018). Inversely, minimalism focused on the use of clean lines, limited colours, and basic shapes. Minimalist artists rejected the expression of emotion and metaphor in their work, instead intending for the work to speak for itself, representing “qualities such as harmony, simplicity, truth and honesty” (Allievi 2021). This intention is best summarised by minimalist painter Frank Stella: "What you see is what you see” (Stella cited in ARTnews 2015) (fig. 1).
Fig. 1: Frank STELLA 1959. The Marriage of Reason and Squalor, II. [painting]
Minimalism has also presented itself as a school of architectural design, originating from the styles of Cubism and Bauhaus in the 1920s. Minimalist architecture rose to prominence in the 1960s, made famous by architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who's phrase “less is more” (Mies van der Rohe cited in ArchDaily 2021) is still widely used today. Sharing many similarities with the artistic movement of the same name, this form or architecture aims to create calming spaces through a focus on “structure, light, materials and space” (Puisis 2022). Minimalist architects seek to use simple building materials and neutral palettes, often opting to use colours already inherent to the materials. An effort is also made to exclude unnecessary ornamentation from the design, aiming to create high impact with a small number of resources.
More recently, minimalist philosophies have been popularised within areas of psychology and self-improvement, becoming adopted as a way of life for many people. Self-proclaimed minimalists make conscious efforts to limit their number of possessions, rejecting “the lie that the good life is found in accumulating things” (Becker 2019). By living with intentionality in their material lives, they aim to make space for deeper introspection and reassign value to human connection and experience. Research supports these claims, with minimalists previously being reported to have increased feelings of ‘autonomy’, ‘competence’, ‘mental space’, ‘awareness’, and ‘positive emotions’ (Lloyd and Pennnington 2020). In a world of increasing hyper-consumption and perceived material value, to live minimally is a counter-cultural rejection of dominant Western ideals.
It is easy to reduce minimalism into aphorisms such as ‘quality over quantity’, but in reality, the practice is more nuanced - as much concerned with reflection as it is with subtraction. Across its many incarnations, qualities of reduction and fundamentalism can be observed. Whether in design, art, or as a wider cultural philosophy, minimalism is concerned with eliminating perceived unnecessary or excess elements. In doing so, the creator has more time and space to hone and perfect features deemed necessary in order to make for a more focused whole. With this broader understanding of minimalism, one can better visualise how its principles can be applied to game development. A game’s mechanics, narrative, visual identity, UI systems, and audio all become elements with the potential to be stripped back if deemed superfluous to the holistic play experience. Minimalist sensibilities may be employed in many, or all areas of the design to accentuate a core element, increase accessibility, or better play to the developers’ strengths and weaknesses.
Minimalism in games
The use of minimalism in games has been well documented. Fumito Ueda first coined the term ‘design by subtraction’ (Ueda cited in Costa 2021), when discussing development of Ico (2001), and it has since become a trademark characteristic of his subsequent titles. This mentality saw the developers remove all extraneous elements of the game that were not supporting the core theme and world. Speaking on this, Ueda stated that he utilises restrictions so that “the world created can be expressed with consistency and harmony” (Ueda 2019). Ueda’s works are permeated with the ancient Japanese notion of ‘Ma’. Literally translated to “the space between” (Matsumoto 2020), Ma represents a deep reverence for the relationship between form and non-form, described as “a pause in time, an interval or emptiness in space.” (Matsumoto 2020). Ma can be seen in the quiet, contemplative sojourns that punctuate each grandiose battle in Shadow of the Colossus (2005). The physical and temporal space afforded to the player between each fight (fig. 2) provides not only a sense of anticipation, but also gives them space to reflect on Wander’s journey and the desolation of the Forbidden Lands. Without these quiet periods of emptiness, it could be argued that the impact of each battle would be lessened significantly. Ueda’s focused vision has inspired countless developers, who have adopted the philosophy of subtractive design and embraced minimalism in their games. Minimalism is growing in popularity, occupying its own dedicated tag on the Steam (2003) storefront. Equally, this popularity has translated into it becoming a common theme of game jams worldwide. By proxy, game jam events are constructed upon the notion of working within strict constraints, being well situated to accommodate minimalist design. While it has certainly gained heightened exposure in recent years, minimalism’s application within games extends much further back.
Fig. 2: Saed 2018. Image illustrating the space afforded between fights in Shadow of the Colossus. [gameplay screenshot]
By necessity, minimalism has held a presence in game design since the industry’s inception. Early hardware platforms were severely limited in what they could run, leading to heavy constraints on the development process. These restrictions led to creative abstractions on multiple levels. Released in 1977, the Atari 2600 had only 128 bytes of RAM; 1/32 of that found in microcomputers at the time (Montfort and Bogost 2009). Even working within these enormous constraints, developers were able to utilise the tiny amount of space in a “wide variety of ways to achieve surprising results” (Montfort and Bogost 2009). Pong (1972) featured a highly abstracted, monochromatic colour scheme (fig. 3), and only one available mechanic – the ability to raise or lower the player’s paddle. Despite (or perhaps as a result of) its simplicity, the game was a huge commercial success, and established Atari as a leader in the home gaming industry (Parker and King 2008). It is worth noting that titles of this era often followed reductionist design out of necessity, rather than self-imposed constraints, and therefore their validity as minimalist games could be challenged, as spareness may not have been core to the designers’ intent. The industry has advanced dramatically since then, to the point that technological limitations are now almost non-existent, however inherent time and labour limitations are still present, especially for indie teams with small budgets. It is largely in this context that we have seen the rise of minimalism being employed as a self-imposed creative choice, where it was once a necessity.
Fig. 3: Cantante 2021. Image illustrating Pong’s monochromatic visual design. [gameplay screenshot]
Recent years have seen ‘lo-fi’ engines be used by indie and hobbyist developers to make small, often experimental games with pared back visuals and mechanics. Engines such as Bitsy (2017), Twine (2009) and Pico-8 (2015) have dedicated followers and active online communities. In the case of Pico-8, the engine was even used to create the progenitor of indie success Celeste (2018). The popularity of these tools can be accredited to their purposeful limitations; by doing away with most features of contemporary game engines, they have a far shallower learning curve, and are therefore more accessible to general users. While it could be argued that they impose too many constraints on development to be viable outside of the realm of hobbyist creations and rapid prototyping, their popularity implies a definite appreciation of minimalism within the industry.
Academics have explored the concept of minimalist games, creating definitions and taxonomies that broaden understanding of minimalist game design. Researchers conducted an experiment in which they received over 100 minimalist games, produced by both students and professionals (Lanzi et al. 2022). A key finding of this experiment was that the games submitted spanned a wide array of genre, including action, memory, puzzle, and rhythm. Modes of interaction were also varied, and some games required multiple players. This study provides evidence that minimalism is a methodology that exists outside of the bounds of genre and can work in conjunction with a “variety of themes and mechanics” (Lanzi et al. 2022). In a seminal paper, Nealen et al. proposed ‘Minimalist Game Design’ as a methodology that embraces artificial constraints as a key factor in exploratory design (2011). Minimalist games were defined to have “small rulesets, narrow decision spaces, and abstract audiovisual representations”, without sacrificing depth of play (Nealen et al. 2011). Core to the argument, was that minimalism can be employed in video games at audiovisual level, at control level, and/or at system level (Nealen et al. 2011). This implies that it is possible for minimalism to be introduced in select areas of a game, while other areas can be developed under less restraint. Titles that adhere to this could be considered ‘partial minimalist’ games, with the term applying to a diverse array of genres. Mirror’s Edge (2008) could be considered partially minimalist, as it is a game with a complex parkour system and high skill ceiling yet features a restrained aesthetic with a limited colour palette to make for highly readable sequences (Soderqvist 2008).
An advocation for minimalist design
There is no doubt that minimalism has a presence within the games industry, but what makes it a worthwhile methodology to apply to development? Minimalism presents several benefits throughout the entire development pipeline, as well as posing unique value for consumers.
A studio may choose to use minimalism to best play to the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Particularly applicable within independent studios where workforce is limited, this methodology sees developers employ minimalism in select areas of a game to work around deficiencies in the team’s make up. Mike Bithell did this when working as a solo developer creating Thomas Was Alone (2012). Bithell’s background in design and programming subsequently meant he was lacking extensive artistic experience. Rather than spending valuable time developing these skills or employing freelance artists and straining the project’s budget, he employed minimalism in the game’s visual design. The characters and world were created using simple geometric shapes (fig. 4). Due to the strong writing and narration, players became attached to each character despite their minimalistic appearances, which only varied in dimension and colour. Their simple designs allowed for players to personify the characters in their mind, with some dedicated fans creating artwork depicting how they envisaged each member. As we can see in this example, it is possible for a developer to embrace their limitations and adjust the project’s design to account for them. Minimalism can be an empowering approach to design that not only allows developers to work around constraints, but to transform them into creative choices.
Fig. 4: Faria 2021. Image illustrating the geometric characters of Thomas Was Alone. [in-game screenshot]
Minimalist game design can also be employed to make compact titles that maximise enjoyment whilst respecting players’ time. People have grown up alongside the existence of home consoles since 1972. As these generations have matured, the age of the average gamer has also increased, to the point where people aged 35-54 years old made up a combined 25% of gamers in the United States last year (Clement 2022). Gamers of this age are likely to have increased responsibilities over their younger counterparts, often working full-time jobs and potentially raising a family. These increased responsibilities result in a reduction of available leisure time. Statistics support this, with members of the 45-54 years demographic spending just 0.28 hours playing per day (Clement 2022). Gamers with such limited time to play have a harder time committing to AAA epics with 100+ hours of content, instead opting for shorter experiences that can be completed over the course of a small number of play sessions. Successful titles such as INSIDE (2016), and A Short Hike (2019) indicate the existence of market demand for smaller games with tight runtimes. Minimalist design is uniquely situated to help developers create this type of product, as by thoroughly examining a game and subtracting excess elements, you will often be left with a core experience that values brevity over verbosity. Many games sell themselves on a vast wealth of content, adhering to a ‘bigger is better’ mentality; minimalist design can recontextualise this, creating experiences that wield their concise duration as a tool, and value player’s limited free time.
While discourse and action around accessibility in games has advanced greatly in recent years (Alsaab 2023), there is still important progress to be made. Disabled gamers are frequently prevented from enjoying commercial games due to a lack of accommodation for players with audio-visual, motor, and/or cognitive impairments (Porter and Kientz 2013). While there is no substitute for true accessibility options allowing play to be tailored to an individual’s needs (Molloy and Carter 2020), it could be argued that minimalist design has the potential to lower the barrier of entry for players and increase a game’s accessibility. Minimising input complexity can aid those with physical impairments that have difficulties using traditional control schemes. Tight coupling of controls, and smart use of context sensitivity can help designers to allow for a wide array of actions to be performed with a minimal control scheme. This common feature of minimalist games, where complex outputs are mapped to simple inputs, is what Steve Swink has described as “amplification of input” (2008: 322). Likewise, when a minimal aesthetic is used in conjunction with skilful colour coding (fig. 5), as exemplified by SUPERHOT (2016), visual clutter becomes greatly reduced and the visibility of salient game elements increases. This is a valuable feature for those with low or partial sight, who may struggle with identifying objectives amongst busy scenery. When minimalism is introduced at a system level, the player’s cognitive load is lightened due to a decrease in concurrently available mechanics, and they can better focus on the task at hand. It is important to note that the exact relationship between minimalist design and accessibility is unknown, and more research needs to be done before empirical claims can be made.
Fig. 5: Peckham and Raab 2016. Image illustrating effective colour-coding used in SUPERHOT. [in-game screenshot]
The smaller scale of minimalist game projects means that they are inherently well situated to explore experimental themes and gameplay. A reduction in resources often entails a reduction in risk aversion, due to less financial investment in the project’s success. This is already evident in our industry, as indie studios with less funding are given more creative freedom to experiment with aesthetic, gameplay and narrative. Meanwhile, AAA titles with multiple stakeholders and investors often follow a proven formula that, while potentially lacking in innovation, aim to make crucial return on investments. Anna Anthropy’s Queers in Love at the End of the World (2013) is a minimalist text-based game which experiments heavily with gameplay and narrative. The player has just ten seconds to carry out their final actions before the world ends. The extreme brevity of the experience is the vehicle for its core message, placing time pressure on the player to make meaningful final actions before “all is wiped away” (Anthropy 2013). The minimalism on display in this project, alongside its non-commercial aspirations, allowed for greater design risks to be taken by the developer.
Conclusion
Traditionally, constraints have been viewed as having a negative impact on the creative process, often seen as obstacles that must be removed before creativity is able to emerge (Amabile and Kramer 2011). Research studies (Rosso 2014) have reshaped the conventional narrative, offering a perspective that suggests constraints provide creative challenges and offer a sense of focus that “motivates people to search for and connect information from different sources to generate novel ideas” (Acar et al. 2019).
This essay has sought to contribute to that discourse, highlighting the history and importance of minimalist design within the games industry, and advocating for a wider adoption of constraints as an empowering tool for creativity. This methodology is one that can circumvent development shortcomings (pertaining to labour, time, or skill), increase accessibility, and create concise play experiences that respect the players time without sacrificing depth and breadth of play. While heavily advocated for within this essay, minimalism is just one of many approaches to the development process. Many games thrive on maximalism, and to apply subtractive design would negatively impact their core gameplay experience. Nevertheless, the arguments presented within this essay suggest that, when used correctly, there is power in restraint and economy.
In his seminal text, Donald Norman stated that “design is the successive application of constraints until only a unique product is left” (Norman 1988: 158). By embracing constraints and working with them, rather than in spite of them, developers can design unique games that while small in stature, use every element of their minimal design to create maximum impact.
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List of figures
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