Reputation Overload - The Evolution of RPG Reputation Mechanics by Josh Sawyer

Josh Sawyer, a veteran RPG designer who played an integral part in the creation of Icewind Dale II, Fallout: New Vegas, and the Pillars of Eternity series among other things, is quite dissatisfied with how GDC (Game Developers Conference) runs things.

In order to fully express his dissatisfaction, and in a way show that there is a better way to do things, he recently livestreamed a presentation dedicated to the evolution of reputation mechanics in western RPGs. During this hour-long talk he traced this feature’s evolution from the early 90s to the present day while using plenty of examples and personal anecdotes. Check it out: