However, there are two ways of interacting with an abstraction layer: as shorthand for an understanding of what it is doing on your behalf, or as a black box. I think engineers are most capable and most effective when abstraction layers serve as shorthand rather than a black box.
For instance, sometimes we create abstraction layers that allow people to create things on top of them explicitly without having to understand anything beneath them. We call those “platforms.” The expectation is that when we create abstraction layers like that, we should see an explosion of creativity
As we’ve made it easier to build games, we have certainly seen more of them. But the number of highly rated games (in this case as recorded by metacritic) does not seem to be increasing over time.
I think we can only truly create when we truly understand what we have to create with.
The qualities that make a good engineer are often the same ones that create a good engineering organization. Both start with deep understanding as the basis for innovation – cultivating the curiosity to look inside the black boxes.