Game Design TC 455 Brian Magerko From Rabin’s Intro. to Game Dev.

What is a Game? How do games differ from static media? Books Film Stories How do they differ from toys?

Computer Games A new form of entertainment How do they differ from traditional games? Board games? Even the simplest games, like Pong, give an experience wholly novel compared to others What makes a game fun?

Natural Funativity Theory Basic concept is that all fun derives from practicing survival and social skills Key skills relate to early human context, but often in modern guise Three overlapping categories Physical, Social, and Mental

Physical Fun Sports generally enhance our strength, stamina, coordination skills Exploration is fun Both of local area and knowledge of exotic places Hand/eye coordination and tool use are often parts of fun activities – crafts

Social Fun Storytelling is a social activity A way to learn important survival and social lessons from others Gossip, sharing info w/friends popular Flirting, showing off, finding mates is a key interest in social fun Language has become paramount

Mental Fun Our large brains make humans unique Pure abstract reasoning practice is fun Pattern matching and generation Music, Art, and Puzzles all pattern based

Multipurpose Fun Many fun activities have physical, social and mental aspects in combination Games that mix these aspects tend to be very popular Incorporate ways to practice these skills to increase the popularity of games

Descontructing Halo Physical Mastering controls Hand-eye coordination Move combinations Social Playing in teams against others Following stories Sharing stories of previous games Mental Developing tactics Choosing weapons Adapting to others

Definition of a Great Game Sid Meier’s paraphrased canonical definition: A great game is a series of interesting and meaningful choices made by the player in pursuit of a clear and compelling goal

Interesting and Meaningful Choices Choices may be dull and uninteresting because it was easy to code that way Or it may be the reflection of a lazy designer Meaningful choices are perceived by the player as having significant consequences May not have actual consequences…

Clear and Compelling Goal Clear goals Because it is not fun to flounder aimlessly Avoid the “protagonist with amnesia” cliché Compelling goals follow the concepts in Natural Funativity Survival is always a compelling goal

A Series of Choices No choice

A Series of Choices Meaningless choices Obviously fold back into same path Players discover this quickly

A Series of Choices Infinite choices Quickly become unmanageable

A Series of Choices Choose wisely Kill off player with any wrong choice Better but frustrating (Dragon’s Lair)

Classic Game Structure A convexity Starts with a single choice, widens to many choices, returns to a single choice

Convexity Qualities Go from one to many to one Can be a level, an act, an episode Can be any kind of choice Geography, weapons, tools, skills, technologies, quests Examples Exploring an island Technology build tree

Fractal Structure Large scale structure repeated on medium, smaller scales, like a coastline In the case of convexities, each circle is not a single choice, but a convexity Age of Empires example “Take a defensive stance”  create squad to defend left flank, collect resources to build a legionnaire, etc.

A Series of Convexities Many games are chains of convexities Points of limited choice (A) alternate with points of many choices (B)

A Series of Convexities Many overlapping convexities in great games Examples include Halo, Zelda games, Civilization, Diablo II, many others Player can be starting one task or area, in the middle of another, and at the end of a third, all simultaneously E.g. choosing which skills to build right before a boss encounter

Why Is This Structure So Good? Give the player choice but not an infinitely expanding set of choices Mix of some “any order” choices (B) and some in fixed order (A), blending freedom with linear storytelling Can be structured so players see most of the game, minimizing waste Can have difficulty go up in new levels

Design Overview There is no one “right” way to design There are many successful approaches Specific requirements and constraints of each project and team determine what works and what does not. This introduction is but a scratch

The Language of Games Game development – a young industry Standards are still being formulated Theory Practice Terminology

The Language of Games Debate continues over high-level views Lack of standard (concrete) definitions Game Play High-level concepts tricky to articulate

Aesthetics and Frame Aesthetics Emotional responses during play Naïve practical approach, not classical Frame The border of a game’s context Inside the frame is in the game Outside the frame is real life

Approaching Design Computer games are an art form Game design practices can be taught Technical discipline like music, film, poetry The art of making dynamic models

Approaching Design Mental/Cognitive Concepts Beliefs Maps Examples: Locations Relationships Mathematical Equations Formulas Algorithms A model represents something

Approaching Design Abstract model Conceptual and idealized A tool for investigating specific questions Simplifies thinking to help understand problems May include assumptions thought to be false Abstract game One rule The piece is moved to the open square

Designs as Models Game designs are formal models of games We need to understand and focus on the player experience Games as a “co-processor model” Good abstraction is key “Potato chip” model of player reward

Game Rules Procedures The processes and techniques used to reach the game goals Delimiters The restrictions placed on possible actions (i.e. challenges)

A Player-Game Model Mechanics Things the player does Interface Communication between player and game System Underlying structure and behavior

A Player-Game Model A model of the player – game relationship

Control and State Variables Defined by Isaacs in Differential Games Control variables Inputs from players State variables Quantities indicating game state

Play Mechanics Gameplay Feelings of playing a particular game Activities engaged in a particular game (Play/game) Mechanics Specific to game activities “What the player does”

Seven Stages of Action Execution Intention to act Sequence of action Execution of action sequence Evaluation Evaluating interpretations Interpreting perceptions Perceiving states

Seven Stages of Action A goal is formed Models the desired state The desired result of an action Examples: Have a glass of water in hand Capture a queen Taste ice cream

Seven Stages of Action Goals turned into intentions to act Specific statements of what is to be done

Seven Stages of Action Intentions put into an action sequence The order internal commands will be performed

Seven Stages of Action The action sequence is executed The player manipulates control variables

Seven Stages of Action The state of the game is perceived State variables are revealed via the interface

Seven Stages of Action Player interprets their perceptions Interpretations based upon a model of the system

Seven Stages of Action Player evaluates the interpretations Current states are compared with intentions and goals

Seven Stages of Action Donald Norman’s approximate model A game mechanic, at finest level of detail, is one complete turn of the seven stages (e.g. jumping) Actions not often in discrete stages Not all actions progress through all stages

Seven Stages of Action Scales to… …an individual mechanic A “primary element” Examples: Move Shoot Talk …an entire game A generalized model of interaction

Designer and Player Models Systems are built from designer mental models Design models may only anticipate player goals

Designer and Player Models Players build mental models from mechanics Based upon interactions with the system image The reality of the system in operation Not from direct communication with designers Player and designer models can differ significantly “The user is not like me…”

Core Mechanics Typical patterns of action Fundamental mechanics cycled repeatedly Examples: Action shooters – run, shoot, and explore Strategy game – explore, expand, exploit, exterminate referred to as the “four X’s”

Premise The metaphors of action and setting Directs the player experience Provides a context in which mechanics fit Players map game states to the premise E.g. The objects, characters and actions available to Link in The Legend of Zelda

Premise Story is the typical example of premise Time Place Characters Relationships Motivations Etc.

Premise Premise may also be abstract Tetris operates under a metaphor The metaphor: arranging colored shapes Encompasses all game elements Player discussions use the language of the premise

Premise Games are models Activities being modeled form premise Actions may appear similar in model Usually are fundamentally quite different Sports games are good examples Playing video games isn’t like playing the sport

Premise Goes beyond setting and tone Alters the players mental model Basis of player understanding and strategy Different premise with the same underlying representation can vastly affect player’s model

Choice and Outcome Choice A question asked of the player Outcome The end result of a given choice Possibility space Represents the set of possible events A “landscape” of choice and outcome “A game is a series of interesting choices…” -Sid Meier

Choice and Outcome Consequence or Weight The significance of an outcome Greater consequences alter the course of the game more significantly Choices are balanced first by consequence

Choice and Outcome Well-designed choice Often desirable and undesirable effects Should relate to player goals Balanced against neighboring choices Too much weight to every choice is melodrama Orthogonal choices – distinct from others Not just “shades of grey”

Qualities of Choice Terms in which to discuss choices Hollow – lacking consequence Obvious – leaves no choice to be made Uninformed – arbitrary decision Dramatic – strongly connects to feelings Weighted – good and bad in every choice Immediate – effects are immediate Long-term – effects over extended period Orthogonal – choices distinct from each other

Goals and Objectives Objectives Designed tasks players must perform Rigid requirements – formal Goals An intentional outcome Notions that direct player action Scales all levels of motivation From selecting particular strategies… …to basic motor actions (e.g. pressing a button)

Goals and Objectives Objectives and goals can differ Players goals reflect their understanding of the game Designers must consider how the game communicates with players Affordances – the apparent ways something can be used

Resources Things used by agents to reach goals To be meaningful, they must be… Useful – provide some value Limited – in total or rate of supply

Economies Systems of supply, distribution, consumption Questions regarding game economies: What resources exist? How and when will resources be used? How and when will resources be supplied? What are their limits?

Constraints Platform General description of hardware and software Personal computer – PC, Mac, etc. Console – Game Cube, PlayStation, Xbox, etc. Handheld – DS, Game Boy Advance, PSP, etc. Mobile device – Cel Phones, NGage, PDA, etc. Arcade – custom vending games (e.g. Time Crisis)

Constraints Game Saves Save triggers Save-anywhere Save points Coded text saves

Genres Genre – a category describing generalities of conventions, style, and content

Genres Action Adventure Arcade Casual Education Fighting First-person shooter Platform Racing Rhythm Role-Playing (RPG) Simulation Sports Strategy Puzzle Traditional

Audiences Target audience Group of expected consumers Demographics Study of relevant economic and social statistics about a given population Demographic variables The relevant factors

Audiences Market Demographic segmentation of consumers Market segments Smaller sub-segment of the market; more tightly defined Demographic profile Typical consumer attributes in a market

Audiences Heavy Users Those of the numeric minority of potential users responsible for majority of sales of any product “80/20 rule” Hardcore gamer Game industry term for heavy video game users Casual gamer Game industry term for all other gamers

Audiences Typically assumptions of the hardcore: Play games over long sessions Discuss games frequently and at length Knowledgeable about the industry Higher threshold for frustration Desire to modify or extend games creatively Have the latest game systems Engage in competition with themselves, the game, and others

Audiences Why We Play Games – Nicole Lazzaro Internal experience Enjoyment from visceral activities Hard fun Challenge of strategy and problem solving Easy fun Intrigue and curiosity – exploration and adventure Social experience Stimulating social faculties – competition, teamwork, bonding, and recognition

Iterating Waterfall method Development methodology Design and production are broken into phases Iterative development Practice of producing things incrementally Refining and re-refining the product

Iterating Prototypes Early working models of the product Used to test ideas and techniques Physical prototypes Non-electronic models; physical materials Software prototypes Used regularly during iterative development

Iterating Software testing Process of verifying performance and reliability of a software product Tester Person trained in methods of evaluation Bug Discrepancy between expected and actual behavior Problem/Bug report Description of the behavior of the discrepancy

Iterating Focus test Testing session using play-testers Testers represent the target audience Lots of feedback at one time Data can be compromised by group think

Iterating Tuning Developing solutions by adjusting systems Iterations are faster Changes are less dramatic Balance Equilibrium in a relationship Player relationships, mechanics, systems, etc.

Iterating Intransitive relationships Multiple elements offer weaknesses and strengths relative to each other as a whole Balanced as a group Example: Rock-Paper-Scissors (RPS)

Creativity Ability to create Ability to produce an idea, action, or object considered new and valuable

Creativity Classic approach - Graham Wallace Preparation Background research and comprehension Incubation Mulling things over Insight Sudden illumination – Eureka! Evaluation Validating revealed insights Elaboration Transforming the idea into substance

Creativity Brainstorming Generating ideas without discrimination Evaluation after elaboration Can be unfocused

Creativity Six Thinking Hats White Hat – neutral and objective Red Hat – intuition, gut reaction Black Hat – gloomy, naysayer Yellow Hat – Pollyannaish, optimistic Green Hat – growth and creativity Blue Hat – process and control Symbolize perspective worn by people involved in the creative endeavor Edward de Bono

Inspiration Board games Spatial relationships Card games Resource management Paper RPGs Dynamic narratives Books Fantasy and agency Sports Team competition Film Continuity techniques Television Serialized stories Music Temporal systems Martial arts Discipline in action Children Invention