Interdisciplinary

Procrastination, productivity and inspiration: how research is like designing video games

AI Insight

Bennett Foddy, a former academic who became a video game designer, draws parallels between the creative processes involved in game design and scientific research. In an interview published in Nature, he discusses how concepts such as procrastination, productivity, and inspiration manifest similarly in both fields. His perspective suggests that the iterative, exploratory nature of game development shares structural and psychological similarities with the way researchers generate and develop ideas.


These reflections may offer researchers practical frameworks for managing creative blocks and improving productivity by drawing on strategies used in creative industries. Understanding cross-disciplinary parallels could encourage more flexible approaches to the research process in academic environments.


Nature, Published online: 14 May 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00895-0

After leaving academia, Bennett Foddy sees connections between games design, creativity and research, as he tells John Tregoning.

Source: Procrastination, productivity and inspiration: how research is like designing video games