Game Design Fundamentals

Game Design Basics Workshop

@aalto.fi Miikka Junnila

Why Game Design Basics?

The aim of the course is to introduce the basic concepts and practice of game design

If you want to work in the games industry, whatever role you take in a game company, understanding what the company is doing is crucial

Understanding what games are about is a useful thing also outside the traditional games industry, as playful interaction can be something to strive for also outside actual games

Schedule

Monday Lecture: Game Design fundamental concepts Playing games Exercise

Tuesday Playing yesterdays exercise Lecture: What is game design? Exercise

Wednesday Playing yesterdays exercise Lecture: Chance and skill Exercise

Thursday Playing yesterdays exercise Lecture: Decisions Exercise

Friday Playing yesterdays exercise Wrapup & feedback

10.1.2014 Deadline for post-mortems

Summary of this lecture

How I became a game designer? Game Design fundamental concepts Examples

How I became a game designer

How I became a game designer

How I became a game designer?

Semantic Computing

What is a game?

Game Design Fundamental Concepts

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Game Design Fundamental Concepts

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Game Design Fundamental Concepts

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Game Design Fundamental Concepts

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Game Design Fundamental Concepts

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Game Design Fundamental Concepts

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

More about game definitions: Half-Real

Interactivity

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Introducing myself as a game designer

Rules

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Tear

Meaning

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

MoiPal One of our TV ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3KLzxRGvac

MoiBand

Challenge

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Goals

A game is an interactive structure of endogeneous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal. Greg Costikyan

Conclusion

As game designers, we need to focus on Interactivity Rules Meaning Challenge Goals

Conclusion

And of course be ready to experiment to extend the boundaries of games, while keeping these basics in mind!

Links & Resources

Games you can try Snowman in Hell: http://mlab.uiah.fi/snowman Tear: From any supermarket close to you Veden varassa: Ask me

Books & articles mentioned Greg Costikyan: I Have No Mouth And I Must Design: http://www.digra.org/dl/db/05164.51146.pdf Johan Huizinga: Homo Ludens Jesper Juul: Half-Real Jesse Schell: The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses Aki Jrvinen: Games Without Frontiers:

http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=11046 Drachen & Canossa: Towards Gameplay Analysis via Gameplay Metrics: http://andersdrachen.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/p202-drachen.pdf

http://artofgamedesign.com/cards/

Questions, comments?

Time to play!

We will play some games now Settlers of Catan

Board game Carcassonne

Board game Today I die

http://www.ludomancy.com/games/today.php?lang=en Journey

PS3 Meat Boy

http://www.kongregate.com/games/Edmund/meat-boy Plants vs. Zombies

Steam The End

http://www.playtheend.com/game

Discussion

Did you like the games? Why? Why not? Any thoughts on the five themes of today?

Interactivity Rules Meaning Challenge Goals

Exercise 1 Race to end as the goal of the game 2-4 players

Progressing the game from A to B Victory condition: who reaches B first wins

As a game designer you: Figure out the theme The board/cards/tokens etc. The mechanics

Exercise 1 suggested process

Determine a theme and a goal Identify mechanics

Start simple how to create a track? How to progress? Dice? Cards? Find conflict between players Remember risk/reward

Playtest, iterate Create deliverable, prepare to present the game (5 min

presentation & demo game) I encourage you to save your files (rules and stuff) somewhere where

you can find them later too, and take a picture of boards and cards and stuff so that you can return to the game. Also share these files with each other in the groups

Game Design FundamentalsWhy Game Design Basics?ScheduleSummary of this lectureHow I became a game designerHow I became a game designerHow I became a game designer?Slide Number 8Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11What is a game?Game Design Fundamental ConceptsGame Design Fundamental ConceptsGame Design Fundamental ConceptsGame Design Fundamental ConceptsGame Design Fundamental ConceptsGame Design Fundamental ConceptsMore about game definitions: Half-RealInteractivityIntroducing myself as a game designerSlide Number 22RulesTearMeaningMoiPal One of our TV adsSlide Number 27Slide Number 28Slide Number 29Slide Number 30MoiBandChallengeSlide Number 38GoalsSlide Number 40ConclusionConclusionLinks & ResourcesSlide Number 44Questions, comments?Time to play!DiscussionExercise 1Exercise 1 suggested process