Design Composition Review Chapter 1 Design Composition Review

Game Composition A game is a specific type of activity with three parts Game environment is an area that enables gameplay Rules state how a game is to be played A victory condition is what it takes to win the game What is different about toys vs games? Toys do not have all three parts and are not games

Three parts of a game

Video Game Classification Gameplay is what the player does Core mechanics is the computer programming used to enforce the rules Genre is a major category of video game gameplay Genres are further broken down into themes Examples include action, fighting, and puzzle ???????????????

Examples of Genres and Themes Board Games, Card Games, Game Show Action Adventure Bat and Ball Crime Flight Horror Platform Tactical Educational/Edutainment Fighting Martial Arts Other Music and Party Dance Music Party Singing Puzzle Guessing game Logic puzzle Transport puzzle Word puzzle Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Examples of Genres and Themes (Continued) Sports Baseball Basketball Bowling Fishing Football Golf Hockey Hunting Racing Skateboarding Tennis Wrestling Strategy Turn based Toys Al pets Screen savers Role Playing (RPG) Single/ multiplayer Massive Shooter First Person Side Scrolling (shoot ‘em) Third person Simulation A-life Flight Sim Tycoon Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Genres 

Video Game Design Team A design team is a group of people who bring the idea of a video game into a playable version A design team is made up of specialists who have the right skills for a project Examples include artists, programmers, and game writers

Video Game Scope Video games have a life cycle Video game publishers fund most major video games The publisher manufactures, markets, and supports each video game, or title To finance your game, you need to convince a publisher to take on your game project

Project Composition Video games are developed following the five Ps of video game publishing… Name all 5……. Pitch Preproduction Production Post production Patch and return distribution

Pitch A pitch document is used to sell the game idea to the video game publisher The high-concept document is a one-page overview of the basic idea for a game The game-treatment document explains the vision of the game in greater detail A game-treatment document should be designed as a leave-behind document. An example is a Brochure.

Preproduction Preproduction includes concept elaboration and prototyping Design documents contain all of the decisions used to make the game The proof of concept shows that the concept can work Provisional approval means approval has been given to start the project

Preproduction (Continued) Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Production Production is the stage where specialists build all the parts for the game The art bible contains a drawing or mock-up for every asset that needs to be created The technical bible is a binder filled with all the programming structure for the game The first playable level is the first iteration of the game’s first level that can be tested

Production (Continued) The design team discusses progress and issues with the game project All changes are recorded on the design history Major changes result in a new version The project is broken down into tasks A length of time is assigned to each task Using the critical path method (CPM), all tasks are prioritized

Post Production Post production includes testing, tuning, and distribution Games are tested for functionality and playability Tuning is polishing the game to perfection Porting is converting a game from one platform to another Distribution is how the game is sent to the customer

Post Production (Continued) Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Patches and Return Distribution When a customer purchases a game and it does not work, the game has to be fixed or refunded A patch is a software installation program that fixes known bugs or damaged programming The publisher will try to put a positive spin on patches The patch may be called an upgrade

Five Ps of Video Game Publishing Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Piracy The video game design process is threatened by piracy Piracy is the illegal copying or distribution of copyrighted material, such as a video game Piracy is a form of theft If the companies that make games do not receive money for their work, they may stop creating new games

Types of Business Ownership In the game industry, there are many of each type of business organization An indie company is small and considered to be independent A corporation is a legal entity that limits the personal liabilities of its owners Corporations are owned by stockholders Corporations may pay dividends to stockholders

Types of Business Ownership (Continued) A partnership is owned by two or more people Partners may share ownership equally or unequally A limited partner does not take part in running the company A limited partnership or company limits the personal liability for its owners A sole proprietorship is owned by a single person

HOW TO MARKET YOUR FIRST GAME © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Which genre of video games do you find most interesting or challenging Which genre of video games do you find most interesting or challenging? Why? Consider the various jobs of specialists on a game design team, such as game writer and creative director. Which job appeals most to you as a possible career choice?

“Review your knowledge” Questions 1-20 Pages 47-48 Textbook assignment “Review your knowledge” Questions 1-20 Pages 47-48 Type out all questions in full sentences with answer.

Level 2 (PM)

“Review your knowledge” Questions 1-20 Pages 47-48 Textbook assignment “Review your knowledge” Questions 1-20 Pages 47-48 Type out all questions in full sentences with answer. On-Line REVIEW G-Wlearning.com Game Design Book 2 Composition E-flash cards Matching Activity Vocab game