GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Designing for System Suspense
Alexei Pepers (Technical Systems Designer, Independent)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Design
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
Have you ever been playing a game that took a sudden swerve so surprising that it left you thinking woah, what is this game even going to do next? Even better, did that feeling linger as you tested new hypotheses and re-evaluated your understanding of how the game worked and what was possible within it? If those experiences stick with you, then you'll be in good company as Alexei Pepers shares the work of likeminded designers to define this feeling we call 'system suspense'. She'll share how we can apply the concepts of suspense and surprise to the way that players build mental models of game systems, and then dig into examples of successful techniques for evoking system suspense in games such as Blaseball, Elden Ring, and Baldur's Gate 3.
Takeaway
Attendees will be introduced to the concept of system suspense and learn how to identify it as a distinctive experience that can be evoked in players. They'll also learn practical techniques for designing systems that integrate suspense in their design, and concrete reasons why it's beneficial to do so.
Intended Audience
This session is aimed at designers who appreciate a feeling of being surprised in games and want to create the kinds of systems that have a sense of hidden depths, twists and turns, and an overall willingness to defy player expectations. No specific previous knowledge is required.