Game design
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Game design is the process of designing the content and rules of a game. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in an actual game as well as documentation that describes such a design.
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[edit] Game Design Concepts of Gaming
[edit] Interaction with other design disciplines
Some types of game design involve integration of many varying disciplines. Video game design, for example, requires the co-ordination of:
- Game mechanics
- Visual arts
- Programming
- Production Process
- Audio
- Narrative
All the above have designers elements to them, which makes the clear and concise definition of video game design difficult. The complex nature of video game development arises because of interdependencies between these design disciplines. Decisions made in one area tend to create constraints in others. For example, art specifications can conflict with technical constraints, or the design might appear coherent overall, but impractical to build.
These interdependencies, although typically less complex, are also applicable to more traditional game design, such as board games, where the designer might seek to make the game fun, but may also wish to make sure that it is possible to mass produce, market and sell it and turn a profit.
[edit] Design method
A document which describes a game's design may be used during development (often called a design document), although this is not the only way to design a game. Many games have been developed primarily through iterative prototyping which, depending on the type of game, can be a more appropriate way of discovering new designs than theorizing on paper. This was particularly true of early video games where the programmer was often also the designer and designs were much more constrained by technology, while at the same time new and ingenious programming techniques were being devised in parallel with the game design itself. In practice, some combination of forward planning and iterative design is used in the development of a game.
Iterative design tends to be more suitable for core game mechanics (or gameplay) where the emergent properties of the design can be very hard to predict. On the other hand, game elements such as story, setting, logical flow and level designs often lend themselves to being designed on paper, although almost invariably some unforeseen issues will arise that will need to be dealt with through a modification of the paper design. Thus, even a design document can and usually does undergo some kind of iterative process during the development of a game, either formally or informally.
[edit] Narrative elements
Games often have narrative elements which are used to give a context to the activity of a game, make the activity of playing it less abstract and enhance its entertainment value, although narrative elements are not always clearly present or present at all. Tetris is an example of a game apparently without narrative. It should be noted that some narratologists claim that all games have a narrative element. Some go further and claim that games are essentially a form of narrative (see "Ludologists versus narrativists" below). Narrative in practice can be the starting point for the development of a game, or alternatively can be added to a design that started as a set of game mechanics.
Some narrative elements directly relevant to game design are:
- Subject
- Example: City crime
- Example: Survival in a dangerous urban environment
- Example: Playing the role of a young criminal working their way up through the criminal underworld, in a major American city.
Narrative elements of a game are the primary aspect of games that are used in marketing, due to the ease with which they can be related in non-interactive media.
[edit] Activities
Games invariably involve activities in which the game player engages, usually for the purpose of entertainment, education or training. Some examples are:
- Racing
- Shooting
- Commanding
- Hiding
- Trading
- Escaping
- Finding
- Solving puzzles
- Stunts
- Role Playing
- Learning/Education
Many games have multiple interrelated activities.
[edit] Gameplay
Gameplay is a commonly used term used to describe the interactive aspects of a video game design. In recent times it has also come to be used in the context of more traditional games. An alternative name for gameplay that is finding favor with academics is game mechanics, although there are arguments that gameplay and game mechanics are different concepts . Gameplay is what distinguishes a game from a non-interactive medium such as a book or film. Often the game designer seeks to provide challenges to a player through the design of game mechanics that it is hoped the player will find entertaining. Key concepts in gameplay design are:
- An environment
- Objects within the environment that may change state
- Rules governing changes of state of objects, such as position, in response to the state of other objects and/or decisions made by the player
- The rewards and punishments given to the player as a result of changes to the state of the game
[edit] Ludologists versus narrativists
There is ongoing debate between two academic viewpoints on game design. Narrativists take the view that a game can be understood as a form of narrative. Ludologists take the view that a game needs to be understood in terms of its rules, interface, and also in terms of the concept of play. A third group believes this distinction is artificial and that ludology does not exclude the so-called "narratology". For more information see Game studies: Ludology and narratology.
[edit] Video and Computer Game Design Process
The design process varies from designer to designer and companies have different formal procedures and philosophies.
The typical "textbook" approach is to start with a concept or a previously completed game and from there create a design document. This document is intended to map out the complete game design and acts as a central resource for the development team. This document should ideally be updated as the game evolves throughout the production process.
Some developers advocate a prototyping phase before the design document is written to experiment with new ideas before they become part of the design.
[edit] Designers
Games are designed either by individuals or teams. Designers are generally creative individuals with broad backgrounds. A wide frame of reference is commonly used to generate new ideas or entertaining content, as well as having an understanding of all the technical and production issues. Additionally designers need to be able to juggle a very large number of interrelated constraints, making creative decisions to resolve conflicts, so an analytical mind is an asset. For example, because of the demands of the market, designers are often required to design games based on licensed properties or intellectual property—some of which may place very stringent and difficult to negotiate constraints upon the design. In these cases, the designer(s) must exercise great creativity and patience while forming a game that meets all the desired constraints, including that the game be fun and interesting.
Some designers are well known within the industry and beyond, however this is relatively rare in recent times. Some companies favor the approach of having no readily identifiable designer of a game, preferring to distribute design responsibilities among team members. Others will have an individual that takes ultimate responsibility for the design of a game. A few designers are sufficiently famous that having their name on the box will help the game sell.
[edit] References
- Rules of Play, a book on game design by Eric Zimmerman and Katie Salen
- Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games by Neal Hallford and Jana Hallford
- The Game Design Reader, about game design and criticism by Eric Zimmerman and Katie Salen
[edit] See also
- Computer and video game genres
- FuturePlay
- GNS Theory
- List of books on computer and video games
- List of gaming topics
- Simulated reality
[edit] External links
- Game design veteran Tom Sloper's game biz advice, including lessons on game design
- Game Industry Map - a searchable database of Game Design companies around the world
- ACM Queue article "Game Development: Harder Than You Think" by Jonathan Blow
- The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford
- Game design at the Open Directory Project
