“Humans of Magic” interview series: 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.

Listen to it here:

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!