Look and Feel Guidelines for Casual Games Themes Visual Design Audio Writing Polish

Audience Demographics Drive Look and Feel NOT THE SAME AS CORE GAMERS Core gamers are mostly: Young Male Often favor adolescent power fantasies

Who Is The Casual Gamer? Older More female Less experience with videogame canon

Themes Choosing well is key to Helping users understand your game Building a sense of comfort, safety, and excitement

Themes Non-violent, family friendly

Themes Non-violent, family friendly

Themes Aspirational fantasies

Themes Fun, quirky themes

Themes Abstract can be OK

Visual Design Key to telling the audience “this is for me” Sets the tone for the audience’s connection to your game Presented in varying flavors of escapism

Visual Design Good looking, but usually stylized

Visual Design Detail OK if not too realistic

Visual Design Don’t get too gritty

Visual Design Beware of getting “too cute”

Real Time 3D Bad idea Especially if used for 3-space mechanic Often leads to photorealism. Boo! Especially if used for 3-space mechanic Difficult for non-gamers, especially women Cuts out chunks of the market

Real Time 3D Using 3D assets to express a 2D game

Real Time 3D This is a 2D game, honest

Audio Design Key tool for building immersion Often undervalued in game production (not just casual) Worth making multiple passes

Sound Effects Sound effects need to communicate the moments of your games Back-of-monitor test Keep the sounds aligned with the player’s emotions. Celebrate the big moments Don’t be afraid to go large

Music Composition Build out the feel of your world and game Music can be used to connote game state as well Mainline gameplay Hazard Victory Side note: Beware of crazy-making loops

Writing Guidelines Avoid excessive text Computer is a bad place to read Middle of a game is a bad place to read

Writing Guidelines 6 dialogs, 2 in-game interactions

Writing Guidelines Keep the story aligned with the game

Writing Guidelines Delivering great stories Write more than you show Leave the audience wanting more

Writing Guidelines Great story delivery Show, don’t tell Reveal through gameplay

Polish Going above and beyond to make the game look and feel special Polish counts everywhere Casual games have professionalized

Polish Amateur quality shows But may be non-fatal

In Summary Theme: An inviting metaphor that rationalizes your game Visual Design: Let the audience know the game is for them Audio Design: Help the player get immersed in the game experience Writing: Show, don’t tell. Keep it short. Polish: Do as much as you can afford to make the game feel great