Veteran game designer Josh Sawyer, best known for directing Fallout: New Vegas, believes developers should look far beyond video games when creating memorable experiences.
In a recent YouTube discussion, the Obsidian Entertainment design director argued that the best game design draws inspiration from a wide range of artistic media, including Greek plays, films, paintings, literature, and music. According to Sawyer, the goal of game design is not simply to create fun mechanics but to evoke meaningful emotions and encourage players to think.
Responding to a question about how artistic inspiration fits into his design process, Sawyer rejected the idea that art and gameplay are separate stages of development. Instead, he said inspiration should remain constant throughout production.
Speaking in his latest YouTube video, Sawyer explained, “The heart of the design process” is understanding that “you’re trying to get a person to think or feel something about something” rather than simply entertaining them.
Greek plays and classic films continue to shape modern game design
One of Sawyer’s most notable examples came from classical theater. Reflecting on the emotional impact of ancient storytelling, he said,
“Greek plays, they knocked it out of the park thousands of years ago—why not look at them?”
He argued that game developers should actively study works that have already mastered emotional storytelling instead of limiting themselves to modern gaming trends.
Sawyer revealed that his own projects have borrowed inspiration from a variety of artistic sources. While developing the Honest Hearts expansion for Fallout: New Vegas, he looked to Robert Bolt’s screenwriting in Lawrence of Arabia and The Mission to shape characters and dialogue. During the development of Pentiment, he drew from the moral dilemmas and ethical conflicts commonly found in Greek tragedies, using them to create difficult player decisions with lasting emotional consequences.
Beyond theater and film, Sawyer cited Stephen Sondheim’s musicals, medieval illuminated manuscripts, the paintings of Mark Rothko, artwork by Amedeo Modigliani and Andrew Wyeth, and even misunderstood lyrics from Florence and the Machine as creative influences.
Emotional experiences matter as much as gameplay systems
Sawyer emphasized that players often spend dozens—or even hundreds—of hours with a role-playing game, making emotional consistency just as important as combat or progression systems. Because of that, developers should continually evaluate whether every mechanic supports the intended experience.
He pointed to Pentiment as an example, explaining that difficult story choices were repeatedly refined to ensure players genuinely questioned their decisions instead of selecting options without reflection. Likewise, Fallout: New Vegas included details such as spinning revolvers and stylish reload animations to reinforce the game’s western atmosphere and strengthen the player’s fantasy of becoming a cowboy in a post-apocalyptic world.
Sawyer also noted that even seemingly ordinary mechanics like inventory systems influence player psychology. While opening menus may interrupt immersion, he explained that they intentionally shift players into a different mindset where they begin thinking about weight, value, and resource management rather than exploration or combat.
Inspiration should never stop during development
For Sawyer, artistic inspiration is not something reserved for the beginning of a project. Instead, it should guide decisions throughout development, whether they involve narrative, world-building, gameplay systems, or visual design.
Summing up his philosophy, he concluded, “So yeah, you can pull inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. And I think it can be continual—and probably should be continual—throughout the process of working on anything.”
The comments offer a rare look into the creative mindset behind some of Obsidian’s most acclaimed RPGs and highlight why Sawyer believes developers should continue learning from centuries of storytelling instead of relying solely on existing games.
