Vector Image of Mike Selinker

March 11, 2015
Mike Selinker, Lone Shark Games

Few people have so closely observed and helped shape the evolution of tabletop and alternate reality game design as Mike Selinker. He has pioneered the development of games and puzzles in the analog and computer space, discovering new ways to torment players in the most enjoyable manner. His job is to stay one step (or many steps) ahead of the internet and player base, so that their advances are met with immediate new challenges. In the last few years, his successes have included the interactive puzzle novel The Maze of Games, the tabletop smash Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and the interactive Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom attraction at Disney World. Mike Selinker shares his observations on how to create engagement through frustration, success through incremental victories, and the theory of encouraging permission to fail. Trust us, it’ll all make sense.

About the Speaker

Mike Selinker is a game and event designer in the hobby game industry. His work spans trading card games, board games, puzzles, live-action events, and computer games. Mike has handled many of the largest intellectual properties and the biggest selling games in the world. For eight years he worked in design and development at Wizards of the Coast. Since 2008, he has been a partner in Lone Shark Games, Inc., a major game design studio in Seattle, WA, which contracts with companies to make and improve games. In his spare time, Mike Selinker is a puzzle creator for Games magazine and a contributing editor for Wired.


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Creating Enjoyable Frustration from CHIFOO Communications on Vimeo.