Diablo creator says speeding up leveling in modern ARPGs spoils the experience

Gameplay loop and pacing are two of the main things a game designer has to deal with in order for his work to be successful. If the game goes too fast, there is no sense of challenge-reward, and if it is too slow, the player may exhaust their desire to play before they get anything in return. It's a very narrow path to success, and for the head of design and programming for the first game in the Diablo series, David Brevik, he believes that many of today's titles err on the side of "speeding up" the experience for the player.

It was during an interview with Videogamer (thank you, VGC) that Brevik reflected on the leveling system in today's ARPGs.

"In my opinion, when you shorten the journey and make it ridiculous, you've cheapened the whole experience," says Brevik, who says that the fun of an ARPG "isn't getting to the end, it's the journey."

Brevik was also a project and design lead on Diablo II, and says that in that game, progression was "great" because it takes longer for the player to level up, and because slower progression makes it more satisfying to get to that new level of power and stats. You get a better taste of triumph, if you want to put it that way.

Do you agree with David Brevik and do you think games tend to reward the player's actions quickly and not value effort?