Open-ended discussion on creation and design

[Putmalk]

I think it's the player's role to understand how the game plays and how to interact with the game, but it's the designer's role to understand the systems in play and analyze every detail. Ever notice how a game loses its fun when the intrigue is stripped away? This is how I felt when I played Civilization...the minute the player understands how to game the system and understand how everything works, the less enjoying it becomes, in my opinion at least.