Jesse Schell Quotes

Powerful Jesse Schell for Daily Growth

About Jesse Schell

Jesse Schell is a renowned American video game designer, educator, and author, best known for his work in interactive entertainment and gamification. Born on March 14, 1964, in Michigan, USA, Schell grew up with a passion for art, storytelling, and technology. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Computer Graphics from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where he later became a faculty member. Schell's career began at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he worked on various attractions at Disney theme parks. He then joined the video game industry, working for companies such as Electronic Arts and Schell Games, which he founded in 2007. In 2008, Schell published his seminal book, "The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses," a comprehensive guide to game design that has become a bible for designers and developers in the industry. The book presents the concept of 'lenses,' or different ways to approach and evaluate game design. In 2010, Schell gave a keynote speech at the D.I.C.E. Summit, where he introduced the concept of "The Ultimate Question" in game design: "Is it fun?" His speech sparked a significant debate in the industry and was later expanded into a TED Talk titled "Gamification is Creeping Into Our Lives—Here's How It Should Be Done." Schell continues to work in the gaming industry, advocating for ethical and engaging game design. He is also a frequent speaker at conferences and events around the world, inspiring future designers with his insights and experiences. His influence can be felt in many areas of interactive entertainment, making him a key figure in the field.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The secret of life is making the most of it."

This quote by Jesse Schell suggests that living a fulfilling life is about maximizing one's potential and experiences in the time we have. It encourages us to make every moment count, to embrace opportunities, and to strive for personal growth and happiness in our daily lives. Essentially, it underscores the importance of living an engaged, meaningful, and purposeful existence.


"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

This quote emphasizes that one's future is largely shaped by their own actions, decisions, and efforts. In other words, rather than passively waiting for circumstances or others to determine our future, we have the power to actively shape it according to our desires and goals. It encourages a proactive approach to life, urging individuals to take charge of their destinies and strive towards creating the future they wish to see.


"Play is more than just fun and games. It is an essential part of the human make-up."

Jesse Schell's quote emphasizes the indispensable role play holds in human nature. He suggests that play is not merely a source of amusement, but rather an integral component of our being as humans. Play serves as a means to explore, learn, express creativity, develop skills, and cope with stress or emotions, making it essential for emotional, mental, and social growth and development.


"If you want a great game, make great experiences."

The quote by Jesse Schell emphasizes that to create an exceptional video game, one must focus on providing outstanding player experiences. It suggests that the quality of a game isn't solely determined by its graphics or mechanics; instead, it is largely influenced by how enjoyable and engaging the overall experience is for the player. In other words, prioritizing great experiences will lead to the creation of a great game.


"The biggest challenge with any interactive system is not technical—it's figuring out what to let the user do."

This quote emphasizes that the main challenge in designing any interactive system, such as a video game or an app, lies not in the technological aspects but rather in determining what actions the user should be able to perform within it. In other words, understanding what kind of interactions will be engaging, intuitive, and meaningful for the user is crucial, as this directly impacts the overall user experience and success of the system.


Why is it that big companies fail when the technology changes? It happens in every industry, so what's the pattern? What are they all doing wrong?

- Jesse Schell

Changes, Doing, Big, Big Companies

A good game gives us meaningful accomplishment - clear achievement that we don't necessarily get from real life. In a game, you've beaten level four, the boss monster is dead, you have a badge, and now you have a super laser sword. Real life isn't like that, right?

- Jesse Schell

Achievement, Boss, Game, Sword

LinkedIn's got a little progress bar. It wants you to do things like sign up 10 of your friends. It does that near the end. At the beginning it's like, 'You put in your name. 20 percent progress! How about some other information?' People want to fill in that progress bar. They like to complete a task. They like to check a box.

- Jesse Schell

Beginning, Some, Other, LinkedIn

Is it OK for Amazon to know every word of every book you've read? Are you comfortable with that? Maybe you are. Is it OK to let everybody know you eat Corn Flakes? OK, but then there are certain products you might not want people to know that you're using.

- Jesse Schell

Everybody, Using, Read, OK

I often think of it this way: The 21st century is going to be a war on the attention of humanity. Where civilization focuses its attention, I mean, that's what defines what the civilization cares about.

- Jesse Schell

Think, Civilization, Cares, 21st Century

More and more women are going online.

- Jesse Schell

More, Going, Online, Women Are

Games are starting to creep into every aspect of our day.

- Jesse Schell

Games, Aspect, Creep, Starting

The main way to reduce stress in the workplace is by picking the right people.

- Jesse Schell

Stress, Reduce, Main, Right People

One of the main things that's appealing about games is that you know a game can be won. It's an unusual game that's impossible to win.

- Jesse Schell

Game, Impossible, About, Unusual

People don't just stop playing Facebook games. They divorce them.

- Jesse Schell

Games, Stop, Facebook, Divorce

Everybody is playing games. There are games now for pretty much every age, every demographic.

- Jesse Schell

Now, Pretty, Everybody, Demographic

We all know the place you're in has a big impact on how you feel. How you feel has an impact on the quality of work. Why wouldn't we put a lot of effort into making the place we work as efficient and productive and pleasant as possible?

- Jesse Schell

Big, Making, Efficient, Productive

You don't want the office to be a completely relaxing place. You want it to be a vibrant place.

- Jesse Schell

Office, Want, Vibrant, Relaxing

The thing that all sports have in common is that they have no fantasy elements, which is a little weird.

- Jesse Schell

Weird, Fantasy, Which, Elements

We are shifting into an enjoyment-based economy. And who knows more about making enjoyment than game developers?

- Jesse Schell

Game, Developers, Making, Shifting

New video gaming systems are coming out that track every joint of your body. It's basically going to become a normal thing for us to allow Microsoft to put a three-dimensional camera on top of your television set looking at you, which sounds like a Big Brother scenario if ever I heard one, but, still, it's what we're going to allow.

- Jesse Schell

Big, Big Brother, Allow, Microsoft

Microsoft isn't stupid.

- Jesse Schell

Stupid, Microsoft

Our affluence has allowed us to move to a place where we tend to make things pleasurable, as opposed to efficient.

- Jesse Schell

Move, Efficient, Opposed, Affluence

Usually, the best ideas come from having to fix a really hard problem.

- Jesse Schell

Best, Problem, Having, Fix

To be connected to the real world is healthy and important.

- Jesse Schell

World, Important, Connected, The Real World

Games have no other purpose than to please.

- Jesse Schell

Purpose, Other, Than, Games

Facebook is terrifying to the traditional games biz.

- Jesse Schell

Terrifying, Traditional, Facebook

I jokingly call this convergence of games into reality the 'Gamepocalypse:' the moment when every moment of life is actually a game.

- Jesse Schell

Life, Moment, Game, Convergence

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