Transcript Document 7245324

Introduction
GAM 224
Robin Burke
Winter 2005
Outline
Introductions
 Class structure / syllabus
 Games
 Computer games

some basic principles
 some examples

Introductions

Student information sheet
Me
Not a computer game designer
 But



Background in AI
I will be learning, too
Resources

Course web site


Office hours


http://josquin.cti.depaul.edu/~rburke/courses/w05/gam224/
Wednesdays 1 - 4 pm
Email

[email protected]
Game Lab


Room 707 CST
Hours






10 am – 11 pm M/W/F
10 am – 8 pm Tu/Th
10 am – 6 pm Sa/Su
Run by volunteers
Need student ID to check out materials
Nothing leaves the lab!
Lab resources

Hardware
6 High-end PCs
 5 console stations with XBOX, PS2
and GameCube
 probably will be expanding soon


Software

(with new arrivals) ~100 titles
Class structure

Two themes
critical analysis of games
 practice of game design


Both are interrelated
Analysis
What are the components of a game?
 How do these pieces fit together?
 What is the player experience?
 Is the game compelling / interesting?
 What makes one game better than
another?
 What does a game mean?

Design






How do I develop and expand a game idea?
What pieces need to come together to
make a game?
How are these pieces designed and built?
What will a player's experience be like?
How can I make a game more compelling /
interesting?
How can I improve my design?
Theme: critical study

Genre discussion
game genre / week
 reaction papers
 leading discussion

• genre summary papers

Midterm project

game analysis
Midterm project

Milestones
1/10: Proposal – just the name of the
game
 1/24: Notes – your notes on the
analytical dimensions
 1/31: Midterm paper

• 8-10 pages
• 2000-2500 words
Caveat
Do not use the analytical dimensions
as an outline
 Your paper should have

a thesis
 an argument in favor of the thesis
 evidence for the argument

• evidence will come from the analytic
dimensions
Example
You want to make the point that the
user doesn't have enough choices
 Evidence could come from

rules
 interactions
 narrative
 etc

Theme: design

Text
"Game Design: Theory and Practice"
 excellent practical guide
 lots of game analysis as well


Final project

develop game ideas into a game
concept document
Next week

Guest lecturer
Robin Hunicke
 Northwestern University


PhD research


Managing resources to optimize
player "flow"
Topic

Game industry & new trends
Genres
1/17: Action / Arcade
 1/24: Strategy / Simulation
 1/31: Role-playing
 2/7: Action / Adventure
 2/14: Sports
 2/21: Fighting
 2/28: First-person action
 3/7: Children's

Design topics
Following the book
 Final two weeks

Violence
 Gender

Profound questions
What is a game?
 What are games for?

Critical analysis
Take the player's point of view
 Three components

ludic
 perceptual
 psycho-social


Summing up

critical
Vocabulary

Ludology



Ludic


of or pertaining to play
Diegesis


the study of play and games
Latin "ludere" – to play
the universe of a narrative
Diegetic

of or pertaining to a narrative universe
Ludic









Genre
Point of view
Rules
Rewards / Consequences
Character
Narrative
Setting
Space
Time
Genre
Establishes expectations
 Links to prior works
 Questions

What genre does this game fit into?
 Does this game do anything new or
surprising with the genre?

Point of View
The role of the player in the game
 Questions

What is the player’s point of view?
 Does this point of view help your
identification with the character,
interest in the story?

Rules
The limits of what the player can do
 The responses produced by the game
to player actions
 Questions

Describe the rules of the game. What
is allowed and not allowed?
 Does this rule set create ongoing,
engaging choices for the player?

Rewards and
Consequences

The incentives to keep playing the game



get to the next level
May also be new abilities, "power ups"
Questions


What is the reward structure of the game? Is
the reward merely continuing the game
narrative or does the player gain something?
Are the rewards commensurate with effort?
Are they natural or artificial?
Character


Characters are the actors in the game
Questions



Describe the main character in the game.
What about the character makes you identify
with him/her/it?
If there are non-player characters, how does
the player interact with them? What kinds of
behaviors do they exhibit?
Narrative


The game’s plot or storyline.
Question




Does the game have a large emphasis on
storyline?
What is the central conflict?
Does the story move toward an interesting
resolution?
Is it an involving story or merely windowdressing for a series of game levels?
Setting

The game world itself


may be simple or complex
Questions
What is the setting for the game?
 Where in time and space is it?
 How does the game place enhances
the experience of the game?

Space
The experience of space of the game
world
 Questions:

How does the game environment
create a sense of space?
 How does it use the space that it
creates?

Time
Diegetic time is usually very different
from real world time
 Players may be able to change the
speed at which time passes
 Questions

How does time function in the game?
 What is the relationship between real
time and game time?

Demo

Missile Command
Perceptual
Camera
 Visual Design
 Animation
 Interaction

Camera
The rules that govern what is shown
and how
 Questions

What are the rules that determine how
the game world is rendered?
 How does the camera perspective
work with or against the objective of
the game?

Visual Design
The visual impact and ambience of
the game
 Questions
 What is the visual style of this game?
 Are the visuals in the game
aesthetically pleasing?
 How do they contribute to the game's
overall impact?

Animation
The motion of the objects and
characters in the game
 Questions

How are the graphics animated?
 How do the animations add to the
experience of the visuals?

Interaction

An interaction loop is





some user action
a diegetic response
feedback to the user
A game will usually have only a handful of
core interaction loops
Questions


Describe the interaction loop(s) in this game.
How do the interaction loops increase your
immersion in the game world?
Interface / Input
The user's input to the game
 Questions

What is the control set up for the
game?
 Does it work to make interaction easy
and natural?

Interface / Output:

The display of information from the
game


includes non-diegetic information
Questions
How does the game provide feedback
about the world?
 Does the game provide the
information the player needs to make
choices?

Sound Effects
All aural information in the game,
(usually diegetic) except for music.
 Question

What sound effects are used in the
game?
 Do the sound effects enhance the
enjoyment of the game?

Music
Most games have some type of
constant background soundtrack that
accompanies the action
 Question

Describe the music in the game.
 How does the music enhance the
enjoyment of the game?

Demo

Halo
Pyscho-social
social aspects
 overhead
 ex machina
 business

Social interactions
The interaction of people while playing
a multi-player game, directly or
mediated through the game.
 Question

How do players communicate in the
game?
 What communication opportunities
does the game provide?

Overhead

Player labor to




start the game
learn the controls
set options
Question


What does the game require the player to do
before they can play the game?
How is overhead handled in terms of
integration with the game?
Ex Machina
The game outside the game
 Questions

What sorts of key elements sit outside
the game?
 Do Easter Eggs, cheats, hint guides or
player modifications have an
important role in the game?

Business



Games are products of a commercial
system
Subject to constraints of profitability and
marketability
Questions


Are there interesting business issues behind
the game design?
Does the game fail creatively in delivering an
experience for obvious business reasons?
Demo

SSX3
Next week
guest lecture
 project milestone #1
