Toys Before Games

Before Rahul Vohra built Superhuman, he was a professional game designer. One of the principles that stuck with him:

'Make fun toys and then combine those into games. A ball is a toy, but football is a game. As it turns out, the best games are constructed out of toys. Why? Because then they are fun on both levels.'

Watch a child play. They don't need rules first. They need objects that are inherently interesting - toys that 'indulge playful exploration.'

A stick is a toy. Pretending you're on a quest with that stick is a game.

Blocks are toys. Building a tower to knock down is a game.

The mistake is jumping straight to the game - the rules, the structure, the 'right way to play.' Kids don't need that. They need interesting objects and the freedom to discover what those objects can do.

The rules emerge naturally. The game builds itself. But it only works if the toys are fun first.