Common Terms in Game Design From: “Challenges for Game Designers” by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber Course Technology,

Terms: (1) Game: no definition has been agreed upon for this – how would you define it? Core dynamic: the single thing gameplay is about – the single experience the designer is trying to convey Prototype: a playable early version of a game or part of the game constructed by the designer to assist in understanding and enhancing the player experience Balance: the state of a games systems are wither “balanced” or “unbalanced” – if unbalanced, the play is too easy, too difficult, or optimal only for certain groups of players. Individual game elements can be “balanced” with each other – the cost of obtaining it is proportional to its effect (cards in a collectible card game, weapons in a first-person shooter, etc) Mechanics: the rules of a game – how something works e.g. turn taking, rolling a die and moving e.g. race to the end, territorial acquisition Dynamics: result when rules are put in motion e.g. race to the end, territorial acquisition, building, exploration, destroying the opposite side, collection System: a collection of game mechanics that is responsible for producing a given outcome within a larger game such as character creation, combat, or casting spells

Terms: (2) Avatar: the direct representation of a player in a game – in non-digital games may be called “tokens” Playtesting: the systematic testing of gameplay, systems, balance, and interface to fins all the errors, inconsistencies, or issues and report them to the design team Platform: the console, device, or system upon which a game will be played Game Bits: the pieces and parts that ship with a game

A little deeper… Some common game mechanics: – Setup – one rule that describes how the game begins – Victory conditions – describes how the game is won… some open-ended games (RPGs) do not have victory conditions so some designers won’t consider them games – Progression of play – who goes first, next, etc. – Player actions – called “verbs” which describe what a player can do and what effect those actions have on the game – Definition of game view – mechanics define exactly what information each player knows at any given time – some mechanics may change the view