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Why Game Design?

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Playing and designing games is good for learning

“The success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change. These are the skills U.S. employers increasingly seek.”

-Federation of American Scientists

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The game design learning pathway

Designing a successful game involves

•Systems thinking•Creative problem solving•Art and aesthetics•Writing and storytelling•User experience design•Communication and collaboration•Cultural literacy

Builds a motivation for STEM learning and careers

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More than just writing code

game design

art

music & sound

business

programming & engineering

Making a successful game involves collaboration across a combination of artistic, technical, business and other disciplines

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Build masteryMaking games requires a mastery of the subject material explored in the game world including characters, settings, history, science and

culture

designing Civilization requireda deep understanding of history;all of the game the algorithms &

rewards have point-of-view

designing Spycraft requireda deep understanding of

post Cold War politics& morality

designing Tony Hawk Pro Skater required a deep

understanding of physics &contemporary culture

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Plus… get recognized as one of the nation’s top young game designers

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Game Design 101

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Games are systems

Just like mechanical, natural and social systems, games are systems. The game designer arranges the elements of the system to create a fun experience for the player through the balance of challenges and rewards.

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Elements of a game system

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Elements of a game system (continued)

•Space – the part of the world where the game takes place. Can be part of the real world (e.g. soccer field) or virtual (as in video games).•Goals – what players try to achieve to win the game.•Mechanics – the actions that happen in the game. The ‘verbs’ of the game (e.g. running, jumping, racing, solving).•Components – the things that are part of the game. Can be physical (e.g. ball, base, umpire) or virtual (e.g. avatar, enemy, power-up).•Rules – indicate the things that can (and cannot) happen in the game.

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Exercise: the elements of… basketball

Can you identify an example of the space, goals, mechanics, components and rules of basketball?

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The elements of game systems are connected

Like the gears in a machine, the elements of a game are connected. Making a change to one affects the rest of the system.

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Exercise: modifying the greatest game ever

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Game Revision

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The iterative design process

Game design is an iterative process. Even the best designers don’t get it right on the first try: they play lots of games, plan their designs, make their games, get feedback from users, analyze data and use it to improve the game… over and over.

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Design and iterate on a physical game

Design a game using only the objects in this bag (see activity

plan)

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The game creation process

Pre-production Production Post-production

Many professional game developers use a process like this one to make their games. It can happen over a day at a game jam or over years on a AAA title. Thinking about these steps can help you make a better game.

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Pre-production

PHASE PURPOSE MILESTONES & RESULTSPre-concept Market research to validate

your ideaGameplay notes, market research report, preliminary budget

Concept Create the game design and visual concepts

Game Design Document (GDD), visual samples, style guide, technology plan

Planning & Prototypes Know that you can actually make the game and have a plan for it

Project plan, budget, prototypes of key features/mechanics

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Production

PHASE PURPOSE MILESTONES & RESULTSVertical Slice Validate that your game is fun

and engaging for playersPlayable demonstration of one complete ‘slice’ of the game experience at near final quality

Production Make the game No new features being added

Alpha Polish of all game features All features complete

Beta Eliminate all bugs Submittable build

Submissions Submit final version of game for distribution

‘Gold Master’ package

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Post-production

PHASE PURPOSE MILESTONES & RESULTSPost-release support Ongoing bug fixing and user

support after launchPost-release patches and update builds

Constant playtesting and iteration happen during production and post-production as user feedback is used to improve the game.

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The Game Design Document

The Game Design Document is a key outcome of the game design process. It tells the people who will make the game how to realize the designer’s vision. Check out the resource materials for more info and examples.

PlatformGenre

Audience

Mechanics

Controls

Visual Style

Characters

& Storyline

CoreGameplay

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Game Design Tools

College/Professional

High School

Middle School

Elementary School Game Design

ModdingTools

C++

Programming

Scaffolded/Constrained Unscaffolded/Unconstrained

There are lots of great tools for learning game design and making games. Some are designed for beginners who want to learn (no programming!). Others let you make games like the pros!