Instructors: Magy Seif El-Nasr, Eric YangTeaching Assistant: Ai Nakatani

Class OverviewLearn by doing (design,

develop, test, prototype cycle)

Learn about tools

Learn to Critique other’s work

Developinga game

Lab assignments

Blogs (individual assignment)

What would you learn?Why games work, Game design principles

(what?)Interaction modelsBalanceFeedbackMotivationImmersion

Design and Development cycle (how?)Tools: rendering engines, game engines,

prototyping tools

Books Tracy Fullerton’s Book:Game Design Workshop: Designing,

Prototyping, and Playtesting. 2004

Structure Lectures:

more on how-tos rather than theory (that is IAT 312)

Labs Lab tutorialLab assignment

Presentations Quick Be preparedSend us presentations before class (MUST)

Schedule Course webpage:

http://www.sfu.ca/~magy/courses/IAT410-Fall07/index.html

Tentative at: http://www.sfu.ca/~magy/courses/IAT410-

Fall07/schedule.htmlThis is where you go for DUES and UPDATES

GradingProject

Group of 5 (individual grade: weekly assessment, and attendance)

45% on deliverables 5% Concept presentation (individual) 15% paper prototype, testing doc, and presentation 15% prototype, testing doc, and presentation 10% final game, testing doc, and presentation

20% labs30% critiques (on ur blogs)5% weekly assessment

IMPORTANTAll deadline are to be submitted before the

class, i.e. Monday midnight

Send all assignments, presentations, and documentations by email to magy@sfu.ca with subject [IAT-410], all emails without this subject will be ignored.

Note about LABS, no email necessary (check marked)

1. Setup blog for this class and email me the link (easy?)DUE Monday 9/10, 11:59p

2. Game Concept – Presented and Voted onDUE Monday 9/17, 11:59pPresented in labs, 9/18

3. No labs or lecture next week, get ready for the concept competition

How to present your game idea?

How do you design a good game?Do a lot of researchHave a good teamTest, test, testPrototypes (small, use all tools possible)You can use some of the frameworks around:

MDA framework (this week’s labs)Game balance, fit to an old model (e.g. rock,

paper, scissors)Read Tracy’s book (chapters 1-5)There are several other good books and papers I

can recommend

Let’s see if you know the games I play …

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Game Trivia

Outside Resources: Fogg Conceptual Designs (handout)

Concept DocumentUse the template supplied by Fogg1. Title Page

Title Visual to situate your game, genreDesign Challenge: what is new about your game

2. Overview Genre, if one existsdiscuss aesthetics of your game (use MDA to refer

to a list of aesthetics)

Concept Document3. User Description

Who is the audience? Age? Gamers?4. Storyboard of experience : discuss gameplay

What is the player doing? GamePlaypoint out the features of your gameshow the mechanics that will achieve the

aesthetics you pointed out earlierDiscuss underlying systems of your game

Concept Document5. Prototyping: nothing there6. Features/Functionality

More details on the game systemMore details on the aesthetics More details on the mechanics of the game

7. Justification of the DesignIs it based an already accepted system? Or new

(can argue for originality)?Basically: why should we give you money to build

this game?

Concept Document8. User Testing: nothing there9. Shortcomings

List problems of the designList Risks

10. ExpansionWhat are the alternative designs you are thinking

of trying?11. Next Steps12. Summary

MDA frameworkSlides are Marc’s slides, used at GDC 2005Marc is a great guy, look up his game Oasis

(Warning: very very addictive), but a MUST play

Designer

Player

Designer

Player

GameGame

Designer

Player

Creates ConsumesGameGame

Designer

PlayerBook

Creates ConsumesGameGame

Designer

PlayerBook

Movie

Creates ConsumesGameGame

Designer

PlayerBook

MoviePainting

Creates ConsumesGameGame

Designer

PlayerBook

MoviePainting

Chair

Creates ConsumesGameGame

Designer

PlayerBook

MoviePainting

ChairCar

Creates ConsumesGameGame

Designer

PlayerBook

MoviePainting

ChairCar

Pizza

GameGameCreates Consumes

Designer

Player

The difference is the way that games are consumed.

GameGameCreates Consumes

An Extreme Opposite Example:A Theatrical PlayThe “design team” knows:ScriptLightingAcousticsSeatingIntermissions

Games, on the ContraryThe designer doesn’t know:When will the player play?How often? For how long?Where? With Whom?

And most importantly...What will happen during the game?

Obligatory Editorial

This lack of predictability is the essence of play.

It should be embraced, not eschewed.

Code

Code Process

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules Activity

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules “Fun”Activity

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules “Fun”Activity

Code RequirementsProcess

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules “Fun”Activity

Mechanics

RequirementsProcess

“Fun”Game

Mechanics Dynamics

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

DefinitionsMechanics: The rules and concepts that

formally specify the game-as-system.

Dynamics: The run-time behavior of the game-as-system.

Aesthetics: The desirable emotional responses evoked by the game dynamics.

Designer

Player

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics Player

Mechanics AestheticsDynamicsDesigner

Three “Views” of Games

But they are causally linked

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

The Building Blocks: Formal ModelsNo Grand Unified TheoryInstead, lots of little modelsWe can think of models as “lenses” Models can be formulas or abstractionsDiscovering new models is an ongoing

process

MDA is a “Taxonomy” for Models

Knowledge of AestheticsKnowledge of DynamicsKnowledge of Mechanics

Knowledge of the interactions between them

Properties of Good ModelsWe want our models to be: Formal (well-defined)Abstract (widely applicable)Proven (known to work)

On any given game, we expect to use several different abstractions, not one big one.

Part III: MDA in detailIn this part, we discuss Aesthetics, Dynamics

and Mechanics in detail.

Mechanics AestheticsDynamicsDesigner

Understanding AestheticsWe need to get past words like “fun” and

“gameplay.”

What kinds of “fun” are there?

How will we know a particular kind of “fun” when we see it?

Eight Kinds of “Fun”

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation Game as sense-

pleasure

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy Game as make-believe

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative Game as unfolding

story

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge Game as obstacle

course

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge5. Fellowship Game as social

framework

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1.1. SensationSensation

2.2. FantasyFantasy

3.3. NarrativeNarrative

4.4. ChallengeChallenge

5.5. FellowshipFellowship

6.6. DiscoveryDiscovery Game as uncharted territory

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge5. Fellowship6. Discovery7. Expression

Game as self-discovery

Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge5. Fellowship6. Discovery7. Expression8. Submission

Game as mindless pastime

Clarifying Our Aesthetics• Charades is “fun”Charades is “fun”

• Quake is “fun”Quake is “fun”

• Final Fantasy is “fun”Final Fantasy is “fun”

Clarifying Our Aesthetics• Charades isCharades is

Fellowship, Expression, ChallengeFellowship, Expression, Challenge• Quake isQuake is

Challenge, Sensation, Competition, FantasyChallenge, Sensation, Competition, Fantasy• Final Fantasy isFinal Fantasy is

Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Challenge, MasochismChallenge, Masochism

Each game pursues multiple aesthetics.Again, there is no Game Unified Theory.

Clarifying Our GoalsAs designers, we can choose certain

aesthetics as goals for our game design.

We need more than a one-word definition of our goals.

What is an “Aesthetic Model?”

A rigorous definition of an aesthetic goal

States criteria for success and failure

Serves as an “aesthetic compass”

Some examples…

Goal: CompetitionModel: A game is competitive if players

are emotionally invested in defeating each other.

Success:Players are adversaries.Players want to win.

Failure:A player feels that he can’t win.A player can’t measure his progress.

Goal: Realistic Flight SimulationModel: Flight dynamics match user

expectations. Success:

Match a mathematical formulaPass our “realism checklist”

Failure:Counter-intuitive system behavior.

Goal: DramaModel: A game is dramatic if:Its central conflict creates dramatic tension.The dramatic tension builds towards a climax.

Dra

ma

tic

Te

nsi

on

Narrative Time

Conflict Resolution

Climax

Goal: DramaSuccess:

A sense of uncertaintyA sense of inevitabilityTension increases towards a climax

Failure:The conflict’s outcome is obvious (no

uncertainty)No sense of forward progress (no

inevitability)Player doesn’t care how the conflict resolves

On to Dynamics...

Understanding DynamicsWhat about the game’s behavior can we

predict before we go to playtest?

How can we explain the behavior that we observe?

RulesInput

Output

State(Player)

(Graphics/Sound)

The “State Machine” Model

Examples: Chess, Quake

Models of Game DynamicsAgain, no Grand Unified Theory

Instead, a collection of many Dynamic Models.

Dynamics models are analytical in nature.

Some examples…

Example: Random VariableThis is a model of 2d6:

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Chance

in 3

6

Die roll

Example: Feedback SystemA feedback system monitors and regulates its own state.

Room

Too Cold

Too Hot

An Ideal Thermostat

Thermometer

Controller

Cooler

Heater

Example: Operant ConditioningThe player is part of the system, too!

Psychology gives us models to explain and predict the player’s behavior.

Where Models Come FromAnalysis of existing games

Other Fields: Math, Psychology, Engineering…

Our own experience

On to Mechanics...

Understanding MechanicsThere’s a vast library of common game

mechanics.

ExamplesCards

Shuffling, Trick-Taking, BiddingShooters

Ammunition, Spawn PointsGolf

Sand Traps, Water Hazards

Mechanics vs. DynamicsThere’s a grey area

Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules.

Others are indirect.“Dynamics” usually means the latter.

Mechanics vs. DynamicsThere’s a grey area

Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules.

Others are indirect.“Dynamics” usually means the latter.

Dynamics and Mechanics are different views of games.

Mechanics vs. DynamicsThere’s a grey area

Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules.

Others are indirect.“Dynamics” usually means the latter.

Dynamics and Mechanics are different views of games.

Dynamics emerge from Mechanics.

Interaction ModelsHow do specific dynamics emerge from

specific mechanics?

How do specific dynamics evoke specific aesthetics?

Example: Time Pressure“Time pressure” is a dynamic.It can create dramatic tension.Various mechanics create time pressure:

Simple time limit“Pace” monsterDepleting resource

Part IV: Tuning

Tuning is an iterative process.

TestTest AnalyzeAnalyze

ReviseRevise

Use of Sissy fight as an example gamePlay the game

Reflect

Fiddle with the mechanics to create an aesthetic

Play test