Good day!
My name is Zakhar Govin, and you are on the Game Gestalt site. I have studied psychology for 10 years: four years in school, five years at Herzen State Pedagogical University (where I earned a specialist diploma), and one year in the postgraduate program at St. Petersburg State University (though I did not complete it). In parallel, I have been working in UX design for 6 years—both as an in-house specialist and as an independent consultant.
Since the end of February 2016, I have been working as a game designer—first as a freelancer, then in various studios. I have had the opportunity to work:
- at Game Insight on Paradise Island 2,
- at 1C on franchises Space Rangers and on King’s Bounty II,
- at Owlcat Games on Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous,
- and currently at Gaijin Entertainment on an unannounced shooter.
In addition, I have had two unsuccessful entrepreneurial ventures:
- Daography — an online printing service for business cards,
- Bamboo — an internet marketing services company.
I have also been running tabletop role-playing games for nearly 15 years (mostly D&D 5th edition) and even worked as a live quest host at Questoria.
What can you find on the site?
- Analysis of game mechanics and the psychological aspects of game design.
- Stories from practice and case studies on how to (and how not to) make games.
- Discussions about game development as a business and as a career.
- An introduction to psychology and UX design for game designers and those interested in them.
- And also jokes, quirky ideas, and sudden thoughts about game development.
Why is the site called Game Gestalt?
Gestalt is all about holistic perception. In games, this manifests in everything—from the balance of mechanics to emotional engagement. When studying or working on any single aspect of a game, it’s essential to remember that what truly matters to the player is the overall gestalt of the game (or UX, but more on that later).
I look forward to your questions, ideas, and discussions.