# Data-driven Design: A Case for Maximalist Game Design

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.12475 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.12475/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 30 May 2018.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [The AI Settlement Generation Challenge in Minecraft: First Year Report](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.14950/) (2021)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Maximalism in art refers to drawing on and combining multiple different sources for art creation, embracing the resulting collisions and heterogeneity. This paper discusses the use of maximalism in game design and particularly in data games, which are games that are generated partly based on open data. Using Data Adventures, a series of generators that create adventure games from data sources such as Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap, as a lens we explore several tradeoffs and issues in maximalist game design. This includes the tension between transformation and fidelity, between decorative and functional content, and legal and ethical issues resulting from this type of generativity. This paper sketches out the design space of maximalist data-driven games, a design space that is mostly unexplored.