Richard Garriott, executive producer of the MMORPG Tabula Rasa and creative director of NCsoft America, spoke about the importance of game design during the recent Independent Game Conference in Austin, Texas.

As a game designer himself, Garriott  emphasized the importance of researching your game designs and going the extra mile by thinking independently instead of merely regurgitating previously successful ideas.

The point, according to Mr. Garriott, is to come up with something that is both unique and fun at the same time. But Richard Garriott admitted that the difficulty lies in defining what is "fun".

Nevertheless, he encouraged game designers to avoid taking the path of least resistance by exploring and experimenting with possibilities in order to find what really works for them. Mr. Garriott concluded the discussion with a final bit of advice: specialize in whatever it is you're trying to tackle.

To read more about the speech, refer to the "Via" link below.