One of our friends, who introduced us to and gave us some of our favorite games, had an interesting mentality when it came to solving problems. Like us here at K-tech, he liked the process of finding the perfect solution to an issue. What made his perspective different was that he thought very technically, but was not very familiar with programming in general. His understanding of technology tended to be at a more physical level, like someone who would be really good at using red-stone in Minecraft. The closest thing he had to programming experience was using actual circuits or boards programmed with nothing more than switches. From this perspective, he tended to see the core components of a problem and come up with the simple solution first, unlike most of us. Here's an example.
So our friend worked at so and so factory that processed parts. A particular conveyor belt had parts being run down it but had a problem. If these parts were not centered and lined up correctly on the conveyor when they were transferred to the next checkpoint, they would block the exit. This meant someone was always un-jamming the thing. What's your first thought on how to fix this? Mine was to make sure that the parts always are put on the conveyor correctly, but that would mean making something new to place the parts, which could require lots of experimenting and involve many potential complications to make. This was our friend's solution. Put two simple arms on either side of the conveyor, and as the parts come by, if they are out of place, they are simply nudged to the center by the arms. Simple, doesn't require anything complicated or difficult, just an easy addition to the conveyor, and presto, problem solved.
Now there are an innumerable amount of ways to solve a problem, and almost all of them are more complicated than they need to be. Anybody with a general knowledge of mechanics knows that the best solution is the simplest solution that gets the job done. The saying that, "An engineers job is done when he can't remove any more parts," is so true. What's funny is that because simple solutions are simple, they often seem un-smart, but the irony of the human brain is that it is often much easier to come up with complicated solutions rather than simple ones.
I've come to call these solutions "stupidly simple," but you must understand that I have deemed them this with only the highest esteem. Stupidly simple solutions make better video games as well as machines, and it is with this core principle in mind that I now consider every piece of design that I can influence while making games.