[Inquiry] Game Design <---> Forum Design
Okay, so here's my thinking: some basic game design philosophies can be used for the CB layout and mindset. Now, first off, I'm not a game designer. I would like to think I know a bit after doing a small amount of research, but I'm just a hyper-interested player. So feel free to correct me on my parallels.
Anyway, let me explain.
##Feedback loops
CB already has this going to a point, 'new' comment feature, Rioter comment indicator, the voting system in general and probably the most often used 'my updates' page are all thing on the CB that can produce a (usually) positive or a sometimes negative feedback loop. And I can think off the top of my head a few additions like visible stat trackers, rewards and reputation mechanics. Those are just examples, though, they have their individual flaws but can be used to show possibilities for additional feedback loops for the end forum user.
##Iteration Time
A little more of a stretch, the concept of iteration time can be applied to things like scrolling, finding old posts, and the general time it takes to get to where we want to go. For example, I jump to the front page all the time to check out any interesting recent posts and sometimes I get an idea for a WiP post I have tucked away somewhere. Specifically, a WiP post with a general title like 'Here's an Idea' or 'Help!' could be very very heavy on the iteration time. Essentially lowering the iteration time (shorter time to get to posts) can improve the experience.
##Power Creep
We all know it, am I right? But on the CB this can be re-named to "Population creep", an the effect can be the same. Higher population means the individual upvote matters less, and it will take a higher base mount of upvotes to stay relevant immediately on posting. As the population goes up, so does the need for additional weight for the end-game of visibility.
##Spectacle Creep
So we have icons in the toolbar. You know what would be awesome? More icons, better icons, maor maor maor! And more formatting options! And font colors! And.....
Essentially the better options get, the better the next options seem to need to be to stay exciting and awesome. The Beta tag helps with this imho, but once it's off?
##Satisfaction Factor
When someone posts, I assume one should feel at least a little satidfied about posting, whether that be to be seen, or to look clever, or to do something that they wanted to do in some form. Just as Sona is a great champ but has a lot of invisible power, some posts can have AWESOME content but be too wall o' texty, incomplete (i.e. champ concepts) or simply hard to read. Things like anchors, favoriting (which is being worked on last I heard), and other in-post visibility mechanics can really make a user feel better about putting their posts out there.
#So what's your point?
Essentially, the way I understand it, if a Rioter Game designer wants a working break, a fun side-project or maybe even a silly Thunderdome project they can come over to the CB team and give a fresh pair of eyes and be a vehicle for cool new ideas, a sounding board, or generally just chip in for the CB design in a broad sense. Crazy idea, but I thought it would be fun to propose. I'm sure my above examples have been thought through already but I hope I represented the overall mindset alright. Thanks for reading!