I’m currently in a class called “Interactive Media & Storytelling,” which has been an interesting and strange journey so far. However, as I was reading a chapter in my game design book by Jesse Schell tonight (the art of game design), he made a point that stuck with me.

He said that out of all skills for a game designer to develop, the most important skill is listening. On p. 5 he goes on to say that:

Game designer Brian Moriarty once pointed out that there was a time when we didn’t use the word ‘listen,’ instead we said, “list!” and where did this come from? Well, what do we do when we listen? We tip our head to one side – our head literally lists, as a boat at sea. And when we tip to one side, we put ourselves off balance; we accept the possibility of upset. When we listen deeply we put ourselves in a position of risk. We accept the possibility that what we hear may upset us, may cause everything we know to be contradicted. It is the ultimate open-mindlessness. It’s the only way to learn the truth.

I couldn’t help but think about all of the scenarios in which this applies. Most of all, I’m glad that I’m developing my ability to really listen and consider others. Do any of us ever truly listen?