Transcript Microsoft Certified Partner

How to: the Process of
Game Design
Dr. Lewis
Pulsipher
Copyright 2008 Lewis Pulsipher
Who am I
 Designed my own games while a teenager
 Began playing commercial wargames in 1963
 Played the original Atari 2600 and have
played some PC games heavily, but rarely
play any video games these days; never
owned a game console
 My favorite game is “the game design game”
July 15, 2015
Who am I
 Designer of six commercially-published board
wargames (most recently November ‘08),
more to come
 Active designer of board and card games
(playtesters solicited!)
 My main job is teaching video game design
and development in college
 My book “Get it Done: Designing Games from
Start to Finish” is in draft, “on hold” at
Cengage (their game design books aren’t
selling well enough!)
July 15, 2015
Two forms of game design
 Video games and non-video games
 Scale is different
– “big time” video games are produced by
dozens of people, cost millions of dollars
– “big time” non-video games produced by a
few people with budgets in the thousands
• Yet a few sell more than a million copies
July 15, 2015
Prototypes—”testing is sovereign”
 To best improve a game, you must have a playable prototype
– Firaxis’ Sid Meier-Civilization series, Pirates
– The sooner Firaxis got a playable version of Civ 4, the more they
could learn
– A playable prototype includes “artwork” or physical components,
and rules or programming
 The rules for a non-video game are the equivalent of the
programming of a video game
– Programming must be precise and is very time consuming (game
engines may help in the future)
– A playable set of rules can be much less precise, relying on the
mind(s) of the designer(s), and notes
 It’s also much easier to change the non-video prototype to test
different approaches
 It’s much easier to produce the physical prototype, than to
create the artwork for a video game
July 15, 2015
Learning to design
 So we can have a playable, testable
non-video game much more quickly
than a computer game of similar scope
or subject
 Consequently, it’s much easier to learn
game design with physical games than
with video games!
– Kevin O’Gorman’s concurrence
July 15, 2015
Art vs. Science
 As in many other creative endeavors, there
are two ways of approach
– These are often called Romantic and Classical, or
Dionysian and Apollonian
 Or: art and science
– Some people design games “from the gut”
– Others like to use system, organization, and
(when possible) calculation
 Mine is the “scientific” approach, which is
more likely to help new designers
– I think design is 10% art and 90% science
July 15, 2015
One way to look at the difference
 Art is something created by an
individual, then presented to the public
“as is”
– There is no “testing” or “focus groups”
 Science is something subject to
repeated testing
– And almost all good games are thoroughly
playtested
– A sign of an “amateur” designer is
insufficient testing
July 15, 2015
Who is the audience?
 A game must have an audience
– What are the game-playing preferences of
that audience
– Short or long?
– Chance or little chance?
– Lots of story or little story?
– “Ruthless” or “nice”?
– Simple or complex?
 There is no “perfect” game
July 15, 2015
What makes a game “good”?
 “Fun” is hard to design
– And not everyone plays for fun—even if we can
define what “fun” is
– Educational value (history, children, crosswords)
– Some want laughs, not strategy (family games)
– Games are social occasions
– “Entertainments” vs. “Competitions”
 So I prefer to use the word “enjoyable”, with
all the variation that implies
July 15, 2015
What makes a game “good”
 Some play to win
– Players must be able to influence the outcome of the game by their
choices amongst non-obvious alternatives–otherwise it’s not a
game (though it might be a story or a toy or a puzzle)
 “Shark” players don’t want to be
“gypped”
– Will the expert win every time?
 Romantic vs. Classical players and
games
 Planners, adapters, and improvisors
 There are many, many points of view
July 15, 2015
Genre
 Video games are more limited by genre
than non-video games
 Most video games and many others fall
into a clear genre category
 Each genre has characteristics that
come to be “expected” by the consumer
 Much easier to market a video game
with a clear genre
July 15, 2015
Typical genres
 Video games: Shooters, RTS (real-time
strategy), RPG (role-playing game),
action, adventure, vehicle simulation,
etc.
 Non-video: card games, board games,
role-playing games, CCG
– Strategy, action, “Euro” style, and all the
genres of computer games
July 15, 2015
How to design games
 Constraints lead to a conclusion:
– Characteristics of the audience (target
market)
• “People don’t do math any more”
– Genre limitations
– Production-imposed limitations
• “Board cannot be larger than X by Y”
– Self-imposed limitations
• “I want a one-hour trading game”
July 15, 2015
Publisher-imposed limits
 Some are publisher preference, some
are market-dictated
 For example: many publishers want
nothing that requires written records in
a game (FFG Britannia example)
 Another example: consumers strongly
prefer strong graphics, whether in a
video or a non-video game
July 15, 2015
Self-imposed limits
 You have your own preferences
– Don’t design a game you dislike to play yourself
– If you dislike it, why should anyone else like it?
– But don’t design a game “just like you like to play”—it may
already be out there, right?
– “Pro” designers will design games other people like, that
they’re not so thrilled about themselves
 Limits/constraints improve and focus the creative
process
– Great art and music is much more commonly produced in
eras of constraints, rather than eras without constraints
 Example of a limit: I want to produce a two-player
game that lasts no more than 30 minutes
July 15, 2015
The idea is not the game
 Novices tend to think the idea is the
important thing
– Ideas are “a dime a dozen”. It’s the execution,
the creation of a playable game, that’s important
 The “pyramid” of game design:
– Lots of people get ideas
– Fewer try to go from general idea to a specific
game idea
– Fewer yet try to produce a prototype
– Fewer yet produce a decently playable prototype
– Very few produce a complete game
– And very, very few produce a good complete
game
July 15, 2015
The Design Pyramid: Milestones
on the way to production
July 15, 2015
How do you get ideas?
 Ideas don’t “just come” to you
 Thomas Edison: “Success is 1% inspiration
and 99% perspiration.” I prefer 10 and 90.
Same applies to ideas
– You have to work to get ideas
– Write everything down. It may not be used now,
but may be useful later
– I use Info Select. Microsoft OneNote might do.
Or use a word processor.
 Use a notepad when you don’t have a
computer: but transcribe religiously! Back up!
July 15, 2015
Making Use of Ideas
 "Strictly speaking, there's no such thing as
invention, you know. It's only magnifying
what already exists.“ - Allie Fox, The
Mosquito Coast
 Hardly anything is new under the sun
 Most of the time, associations, combining aspects
of several things, results in “new” things
 Hence the more “old” games and game-related
material you know, the more you have to work
with
 Play games; read game rules; talk about games;
read about games; write about games
 BUT: ideas are like food, keeps you going but
doesn’t make you any money: it’s how you use
the ideas
July 15, 2015
Sources of Ideas
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Other games
History and other non-fiction reading
Fiction
People
Discussions
Everyday things
Pictures
Almost anything! I’ve designed good games
by starting with a particular kind of piece in
mind!
July 15, 2015
July 15, 2015
The Process of Design
 See data flow diagram
 Circles are processes--activities
– The numbers are for identification, DO NOT
indicate a strict sequence of events
 Lines show flows of information
 Rectangles are entities outside the “game
design” system
 Arc-ed rectangles are “data stores”
 Each process could generate another diagram
like this one (but I haven’t finished them)
July 15, 2015
Do it!
 Too many people like to think about
designing so much, they never actually
do it
 Until you have a playable prototype,
you have nothing
– (Which is what makes video game design
so difficult)
– It doesn’t have to be pretty, just usable
July 15, 2015
Put yourself in the player’s shoes
 What do you want them to feel as they
play?
 What decisions can they make?
 How do they affect the course and
outcome of the game?
 What must they do that might not be
“enjoyable” (especially: recordkeeping)?
– So how can this be eliminated?
July 15, 2015
The stages of completion of a
non-video game design
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Idea
Notes about idea
Detailed notes about idea
Rough board/layout of pieces (if any)
Detailed board/layout (if any)
Prototype (pieces/cards added)
Solo-played prototype
Prototype played by others
Full written rules (rarely done before others have played)
"Settled" game
Blind testing
"Done" (but still subject to change, especially by manufacturer)
July 15, 2015
The stages of completion of a
video game design
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Idea
Notes about idea
Detailed notes about idea
Game treatment
“Rules”—very detailed design document
Computer Prototype (usually for show)
Playable Prototype (usually new code)
Development
Testing
“Done”
July 15, 2015
Design vs. “development”
 “Development” has two meanings
– In video games, it means writing the
program
– In non-video, development (often by a
person other than the designer) sets the
finishing touches on a game, but may
include significant changes
– Development takes longer than design, in
either case
July 15, 2015
The designer’s game vs. the
game that’s published
 Video games are often overseen by the
publisher, who is paying the bills; so it
is modified to suit as it is developed
 Non-video games are often unseen by
the publisher until “done”; some
publishers then modify them, often
heavily
July 15, 2015
The fundamental structures of
any game (video or non-video)
 The idea behind this: if you’re designing
a game, you have to decide what to do
within each of these categories
 This helps you conceptualize your
game, turn it from ideas into something
of substance
 If one of these structures isn’t involved,
you probably have a toy or puzzle, not
a game
July 15, 2015
Structures:
 1. Theme/History/Story
– Games are usually, though not always, models of
a reality
 2. Objective/victory conditions
– If the game doesn’t end, or has no winner, it may
be a toy or puzzle
 3. “Data storage”. (Information Management)
– How do we represent/model the state of affairs?
– This is often a board, pieces, cards in non-video
 4. Sequencing
– Simultaneous movement? Turn based? “Realtime”?
July 15, 2015
Structures…
 5. Movement/Placement
– How are objects translated from one place to
another
 6. Information availability
– Is all information known? Fog of war?
Uncertainty?
 7. Conflict resolution/interaction of game
entities
– Can there be any conflict at all? Shooting?
Swordplay? Spells? Jumping?
July 15, 2015
Structures…
 8. "Economy" (resource acquisition)
– Many traditional games have little or none
– Money in Monopoly, “kinging” in checkers
 9. Player Interaction rules
– Negotiation?
– Trading or auctions?
– No direct interaction?
 There are many more aspects to the
structures than listed here
July 15, 2015
Example: Tic-Tac-Toe
Theme: abstract game
Victory: three in a row, can be a draw
Storage: the 3 by 3 array
Sequencing: take turns placing one piece
Movement: place one “piece” at a time
Information: all available
Conflict: cannot occupy space occupied by
opponent’s “piece”
 Economy: unlimited pieces
 Player Interaction: none special
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July 15, 2015
Example: Pac-Man
Story: not much…
Victory: get through all the levels
Storage: square array in the computer
Sequencing: simultaneous movement
Movement: your single “piece” moves to
adjacent square
 Information: all available
 Conflict: depends on timing, “death” to touch
 Economy: can earn additional “pieces” (lives)
 Player Interaction: none special
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July 15, 2015
Example: Chess
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Theme: abstract but used to represent warfare
Victory: checkmate opposing king, can be draw
Storage: the 8 by 8 array
Sequencing: take turns moving one piece
Movement: one “piece” at a time, varying movement
capabilities (and: castling and promotion)
Information: all available
Conflict: occupy opponent’s space to eliminate it
Economy: promotion only
Player Interaction: none special
July 15, 2015
Example: Doom (video version)
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Theme: Mayhem!
Victory: survive and reach a goal
Storage: some kind of array in the computer
Sequencing: real-time
Movement: More or less as a person would
Information: “Fog of War”, much uncertainty
Conflict: shooting of various types, melee
Economy: can earn additional lives
Player Interaction: none special
July 15, 2015
Example: Axis & Allies (board)
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Theme: World War II worldwide
Victory: take and hold enemy capitals
Storage: area map
Sequencing: take turns
Movement: move all pieces each turn, land-sea-air
limitations
Information: all information known
Conflict: move into enemy area, dice rolling varying
with attacker and target unit types
Economy: use industrial points to purchase new
units, technology
Player Interaction: none special
July 15, 2015
Example: Civil. III (Computer)
 Theme: Growth of civilization through the ages (historical, more
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or less)
Victory: Reach the stars (technological development), conquest,
or other means
Storage: square array in the computer
Sequencing: turn based
Movement: move all your pieces/do all your actions each turn
Information: “Fog of War”, much uncertainty
Conflict: Enter enemy unit’s square, rules for firing, technology
determines units you may construct
Economy: very complex resource management, pollution, taxes,
etc.
Player Interaction: Via diplomacy rules
July 15, 2015
Example: Britannia revised
 Theme: History of Britain 44 AD-1085 AD
 Victory: Accumulate more points than anyone else, score in a
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variety of ways such as holding certain areas
Storage: board, 37 land areas, 5 seas
Sequencing: turn based by nation, not by player
Movement: move all your pieces/do all your actions each turn,
move two areas usually, overruns
Information: all information available
Conflict: Enter enemy unit’s area, dice rolling after movement
modified by terrain, leaders
Economy: Increase of forces based on number of areas held
and terrain; additional units arrive from overseas
Player Interaction: Negotiation only allowed at the table
July 15, 2015
Design Challenges
 Take a traditional game and change one
of its structures
– “Kriegspiel” chess—hidden movement
– Use dice for combat in chess
– Simultaneous movement for Tic-Tac-Toe?
– Or change the data storage in Tic-Tac-Toe
• a 4 by 4 square array, and allow wins with 4 in
a row or 4 in a square (much better game,
actually)
July 15, 2015
And 19 essential questions that
you’ll answer sooner or later
 “Distinct” questions (yes/no, or just a
few possible answers): (“digital-style”
questions)
 What is the genre of the game?
 Is it competitive or cooperative?
 Is it Symmetric or Asymmetric?
 Is it Zero-sum (ZS) or Non-zero-sum?
 How many (human) "sides" (generally, 1, 2,
or many) and (human) players?
 Is this an “emergent”/rules-dominant game
or a “role-assumption”/story-dominant game?
July 15, 2015
19 questions continued
 Spectrum questions (a wide range of possibilities along
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a spectrum, “analog-style” questions)
How “big” and how long will the game be?
How complex is the game?
What is the role of chance, how much does chance play a part
in the game?
How strongly will the decisions of the players influence the
outcome of the game?
Which kind of skill does a player need to use, adaptability, or
planning?
Which kind of skill does a player need, quick reactions (typical in
shooters, for example), or careful deliberation?
What is the level of Fluidity or Chaos?
Is the game largely "mechanical" or "psychological"?
July 15, 2015
19 questions concluded
 Other questions:
 What is the outstanding mechanism involved?
 What are the dynamics of being ahead or
behind in the game?
 What phases does the game naturally fall
into?
 Is the game "serious" or "just for laughs"?
 Is the game “ruthless” or “nice” (competition
or entertainment)?
July 15, 2015
Brief “what’s important”
 Know your audience! What do they like? No game can satisfy
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all tastes.
Know your objectives! What are you trying to achieve?
Design is “10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”, especially if
you also develop the non-video game.
Writing usable rules (or doing the programming) is the hardest
part.
Write everything down (and back it up).
Playtesting is “sovereign”. No matter what you think about how
the game will work, only efficient playtesting will actually show
how it works. Without a playable prototype, you have
*nothing*! (That’s only a slight exaggeration.)
July 15, 2015
 Ideas are cheap (easy); a playable game is much harder to
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create.
Players must be able to influence the outcome of the game by
their choices amongst non-obvious alternatives–otherwise it’s
not a game (though it might be a story or a toy or a puzzle). .
Be willing to change the game again and again.
Hardly any idea is original...but ideas can be used in new ways.
And there’s almost always a new way to treat any subject
(many, many ways to do real estate–Monopoly is only one).
Games are supposed to be fun. But “fun” means different
things to different people.
Keep in mind the nine fundamental structures of games:
The road to the complete game: 1. Ideas, 2. Playable ideas, 3.
Prototypes, 4. Play solo, 5. Playtest, 6. Fully written rules, 6.
Keep experimenting. 7. “Blind” test.
July 15, 2015
Example: the progress of a
design . . .
 Design constraint: I wanted a game that primarily
used colored glass beads (“stones”)—elegant, visual
effect
– Likely to be abstract, then—not enough variety for anything
“realistic”
 But how much variety can you get with one kind of
piece (even chess has many kinds); how could I
provide variety?
– Introduce a random but somewhat controllable element
– Dice undesirable to publishers nowadays
– Why not use cards to change the rules (from Fluxx, CCG)
July 15, 2015
“Law & Chaos”
 What to change?
– Victory conditions (pattern of stones
needed)
– Capture methods
 Has led to a series of games, all
dynamically changing two fundamental
aspects of play
 Finalizing contract with a publisher
July 15, 2015
Books about game design
 Academic
– More about game analysis than about design
– Rules of Play by Salen and Zimmerman, MIT Press (game
design as “Art”—very academic)
 Video-game oriented
– Tends to platitudes and generalities, because it’s so hard to
create and try a video game
– Rollings and Adams on Game Design, New Riders
 Marketing oriented
– Primarily about how to get the attention of publishers
– Game Inventor’s Guidebook by Brian Tinsman
 How-to
– Well, there aren’t any! for boardgames; a few being done for
video games now
July 15, 2015
Some Web resources
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IGDA (Game developers)
Boardgamegeek.com
Boardgamedesign Yahoo Group
rec.game.design (limited)
Board Game Designers Forum (online)
Sloperama.com
Gamespot.com, gamewire.com
Gamesjournal.com (no longer published, but
read the archives)
July 15, 2015
Questions?