One of the most significant structural shifts in modern game design is something I call interaction compression. It refers to the reduction of layered, multi-step mechanical processes into simplified activation. What used to require coordination between systems is now often resolved through a single input. In earlier systemic designs, success came from aligning multiple variables. A stealth scenario wasn’t a button prompt. It was a negotiation between light, sound, positioning, and timing. The player wasn’t triggering stealth. They were constructing it through interaction...
