1. Elements Of GamePlay

2. Starting Points for New Ideas
Gameplay New idea for a way to play the game
Technology Now we know how to do clothes, we’ll make a clothes designer game…
Story I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut on a new planet…
Sport
Let’s make a curling game?
Character
James Bond game

3. Inspiration Story you’ve written
Ideas from movies, books, songs, comics
Market research (What the public wants)
Hybrid: Mix ideas from other games.

4. Interactivity Think about the game from the player’s perspective:
What will the player DO?
What will the player see?
Would you want to play it?

5. Inside-Out Approach Begin on the “inside” of the game: gameplay
Work “out” to the story and plot
Begin with defining primary gameplay mode

6. What Players Want A Challenge
Socialization - or - dynamic solitary experience
Bragging Rights
Emotional Experience
To Explore
To Fantasize
To Interact

7. What Players Expect Consistency To understand the world’s bounds
For reasonable solutions to work
Directions
Accomplish Tasks incrementally
Immersion
Setbacks
A Fair Chance
To Not Repeat themselves
To Not get hopelessly stuck
To Do, not watch

8. Anticipatory vs Complex Systems
Anticipatory Systems
Try to predict everything the user might do and hardwire the reaction
Complex Systems
Model a complex state for each object
Even un-anticipated actions should follow the physics of the world

9. Game Perspectives First-person Third-person Side Scrolling
Doom
Third-person
Tomb Raider
Side Scrolling
Mario Bros
Aerial - isometric or top-down
Football
Can have multiple modes

10. Game Settings Physical Temporal Environmental 1D, 2D, 3D Scale Factor
Grid-based or continuous space
Temporal
Real-time or turn-based
Any variableness? Adjustable?
Environmental
Cultural beliefs, attitudes, values, family structure
Physical surroundings, weather, plants, buildings
Level of detail

11. Game Settings Emotional Ethical Realism Chance Character emotions
Player emotions
Ethical
Victory/defeat defines “good” and “bad”
Watch for real-world look without real-world ethics
Realism
How real does the world look?
Chance

12. Types of Challenges Physical Races
Speed/reaction time (twitch games)
Accuracy & Precision (steering / shooting)
Timing and rhythm (DDR)
Learning special sequences of moves (fighting)
Races
Logical Challenges (Don’t use trial & error)

13. Types of Challenges Exploration Conflict Doors & Traps game Mazes
Strategy, tactics, logistics
Survival
Defending resources

14. Types of Challenges Economic Conceptual Accumulate wealth Efficiency
Acheiving balance / stability
Caring for living things
Conceptual
Understand something new
Deduction, observation
Detective games

15. Types of Challenges Construction / Destruction Storytelling
Build a city
Upgrading
Planning
Destroying
Storytelling
Ask characters what’s going on
Listen to stories
Dicker with merchant

16. Game Economy Resources Sources Drains Ammunition, hit points, life
Power ups, clips, potion
Drains
firing weapons, being hit

17. Emergence Emergence Desirable aspect of gameplay
Player-unique solutions
As players play, they find a strategy that uses the rules of the gameworld to his advantage
Ex: When all the grubs are gone, a new batch gets dispatched. Player kills all but one
Discovery gives sense of pride to player and spreads by word-of-mouth.

18. Positive Feedback Needed for emergence to work
An achievement makes the next easier
Tell the user they are doing well
Draw them into the game
Examples:
Power ups become available
Monopoly: more houses = more money
Better I do, worse for enemies

19. Controlling Positive Feedback
Introduce negative feedback
Gold is heavy
Ahead in race, more likely to get lost
Introduce element of chance
Game gets harder as you go
Game that does this well is called balanced.

20. Non-Linearity Ways in which the user can choose Types
Story takes different turns (“Choose your own adventure”)
Multiple solutions
Order of levels or puzzles
Selections: You can solve puzzle A or puzzle B

21. Modeling Reality More real = more immersive
More real = more compelling
More real = Boring
More real = More frustrating
Ask yourself – Does it add to the game?

22. Teaching the Player First few minutes are crucial Start simply
Introduce controls in a safe environment
Give simple rewards in beginning
Make easy controls (& icons)
Make easy outputs (screens, maps, vitals

23. Look at the Big Picture
What statements about the world are you making?
Stereotypes
Ethics
Culture
Right/wrong